OuterB on Queens Real Estate

This weekend the NY Times ran a story on how New York City has become the “teardown” capital of the country. Teardowns often result in larger structures on the property than the original, some of which are also known as McMansions.

Apparently, our fair city has surpassed Chicago in our love of teardowns. In Queens, teardown communities topping the list are (no surprise) Astoria, Bayside, and Flushing, plus 15 more areas! I bet LIC is one of those. It certainly looks like Queens has a more widespread teardown practice than the others boroughs if I’m reading the article right.

Regarding the effect teardowns have on property values, the article quotes Walter Molony, a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors in Washington:

“Teardowns are doing a little better than overall markets, because most teardowns are located in highly desirable neighborhoods that command a premium price and are somewhat easier to sell.”

So, I guess Queens has a lot of highly desirable neighborhoods! (That’s a silver lining viewpoint.)

Teardowns cause a lot of noise, though, not to mention dust and gross debris (particularly nasty if it gets rained on), and that is an irritant to the quality of life of the neighbors. Behind my apartment in Astoria, one of the buildings was torn down, and I remember the noise. It was quite loud at times, and then all of the sudden it seemed like there was a big cinder block structure in its place! They still haven’t done much with it - perhaps the money ran out.

What do you think of teardowns?  Have you been affected by such deconstruction?  Share your stories in the comments.

• The Heart of Teardown Country

  [NY Times]

According to the Queens Courier, Jason Muss, Principal of Muss Development (the developer behind the project) says of SkyView Parc:

SkyView Parc will be the most spectacular residential development in the history of Queens County.

Well, that’s quite a claim!

We wrote about this development back in August. It was originally known as Flushing Town Center. SkyView Parc has a website now, which claims that the development will be “On Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, NY” I think that’s misleading, as the location of SkyView Parc is at College Point Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, and that is not “on the Park”. In fact, it’s just across the water from Willets Point and the Iron Triangle, is separated from Flushing Meadows Park by the Van Wyck, and very near the LIRR station (noise issues?).

However, it is only a couple of blocks from Main Street, plus the development includes scads of retail, so the residences will not have to go far for such things, to say the least. Planned amenities include a running track, spa, pool, tennis courts, and a 24-hour doorman, to name just a handful. The Queens Courier article claims there will be an elevated 4-acre park built in this development.

According to the SkyView Parc website, the condos (studios to 3 bedrooms) will cost from $400,000 to upwards of $2 million. Sales should start in January 2008, with move-ins will start July 2009.

Related:
SkyView Parc

[website]
Project named Sky View Parc [Queens Courier]
SkyView Park in Flushing, Future Home of Big Box Retailers [previously on OuterB]

Great news - the Queens Museum of Art is expanding! Located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, this expansion will double the size of the current space to 105,000 square feet, and allow for many more offerings by the museum. I’ve been there, and it is small compared to a lot of museums, but I really liked what I saw and heard. Of course, the Panorama is amazing - everyone who lives in NYC should see it at least once.

The expansion will allow the museum to fill the entire NYC building, extending into the southern half of the building which currently holds the ice skating rink (there is a new rink being built elsewhere in the park). This expansion also will allow more possibilities of educational programs, new performance space and new gallery space. Also, a café, larger bookstore, and museum shop are part of the expansion plans - this will all provide a more comprehensive experience for each visitor.

Grimshaw Architects, the architects for the expansion, were selected through the City of New York’s Design Excellence Program. One of the other projects they are associated with is the Fulton Street Transit Center in lower Manhattan. Ammann & Whitney, consultants for the QMA project, are known for their work on the TWA Terminal at JFK and the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, among others.

The Queens Museum of Art expansion is expected to be completed Winter 2009/2010, pending the completion of the new ice rink.

Related:
Queens Museum of Art Expansion [Queens Museum of Art]
Grimshaw Architects

[website]
Amman & Whitney QMA Expansion [Amman & Whitney]
Sports Facility Comes to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park [previously on OuterB]
TWA Terminal at JFK Airport is Architecurally Significant [previously on OuterB]

Some are obsessed with the idea of hookers in LIC. Sadly, though, the comments degrade into yet another Arris-bashing party. [Curbed]

Locals see through the latest puff piece on Astoria condos. [astorians.com]

Amish Market is coming to LIC, to be located in East Coast Phase 2. When it arrives, it will void the snark regarding LIC as devoid of grocery stores and therefore an undesirable place to live. [A Fine Company]

Summary of a Rego-Forest Preservation Council meeting with Community Board 6 Historical Committee. [Historic District Council Newsstand]

Citi Field building progress is coming along nicely. [A Fine Company]

NYSC may be coming to LIC, despite gyms being included in most of the new developments. And apparently the local Y is an amazing deal. [Queens West]

The Buildings Scan and Capture Application Network, or B-SCAN, will help you to find out what a newly dug construction site in your Queens neighborhood is gonna be. [NY Daily News]

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik on flickr via a Creative Commons license.

The Lev Development Group’s newest project in Flushing is River Blue, a mixed use development on the Flushing River waterfront. According to the developer’s site, the River Blue development will encompass 1.1 million square feet of residential towers (three), townhouses, a shopping center, and offices. A hotel may also be part of the development. The site has been cleaned up, demolition is underway, and foundation work has also begun. The location of the development is bounded by Janet Place, Roosevelt, and 39th Avenue, so it’s really right there by the water (Flushing Creek).

Lev is also the developer of Sage, another residential/mixed use project in Flushing.  This development is near Northern Boulevard and will encompass 45,000 square feet.  It will have 33 condos, a parking garage and retail.

Related:
Big Flushing mixed-use projects takes shape [The Real Deal]
Lev Real Estate [website]
Location of the development [google maps]

The NY Daily News informs us that the John Bowne House in Flushing - a 17th century timber-frame home which originally was the site of outlawed Quaker meetings - will be restored. It’s going to cost $2.7 to restore the structure and build an environmentally-friendly visitors center. Of course, the current costs will rise, as is the case for most restoration projects, and especially if they find any more problems (more termite damage has recently been discovered).

This house fits prominently into the concept of freedom of religion, a deeply-rooted American value. John Bowne, because of his dedication to this concept, was arrested for the illegal Quaker meeting at his home, and subsequently sent back to Europe - Holland specifically. Bowne’s actions and punishment are historic steps that led to the creation of the Flushing Remonstrance, a document from the 17th century. It is considered a precursor to the provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights.

Since that time, generation after generation of Bowne family members had lived in that house, until it was turned over to the Bowne Historical Society in 1945. It became a museum in 1947.

The good news on the fundraising front is that they’ve already raised $2.1 million. But as I said before, costs will inevitably go up. The hope is that the visitor center will be open by 2009.

Related:
$2.7M plan to save Flushing’s Bowne home [NY Daily News]
Bowne House Historical Society [website]
John Bowne House [Wikipedia]
Flushing Remonstrance [Wikipedia]
Flushing Remonstrance Text [NY Yearly Meeting]

Hooray, it’ll still feel like summer this weekend!

Bayside secret scenic spot [NY Daily News]

Queens [Fresh Meadows] Pedestrian Safety Fixes Move Ahead Despite Opposition. [Streetsblog]

David Oats, president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park’s civic association, is pissed about cars parking on the grass, so he’s considering having a picnic on said grassy areas. [NY Daily News]

New York City tops the nationwide list of cities most likely to suffer a hurricane disaster. [Queens Chronicle]

Community Board 11 approved an application to establish more parkland in Udall’s Cove in northeastern Queens. This would help protect wetlands. [Times Ledger]

5SL in LIC has a bunch of units available to see during their open house: #7F, #8F, #5A, #1BN, #4K, #7A, #1AN, #5AN, and more! [NY Times Real Estate Listings]

Photo credit: duluozcats on flickr 

Willets Point is in the news again - this time it’s being talked about in connection to Flushing, to the east. This chunk of land may become the link between downtown Flushing and the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park/Citi Stadium area. Developers are salivating over its potential - last year the city’s Economic Development Corporation chose 10 finalists, but have not chosen the winner. Two names that pop out at me are Muss Development, the group building Sky View Park in Flushing, and Forest City Ratner, which, frankly, kind of makes my skin crawl.

One of the ways Willets Point and Flushing will be connected, is by a footbridge crossing nearby wetlands, according to The Real Deal. I like this idea - I’ll take a footbridge over an auto bridge - but some find its presence questionable. Tom Angotti, director of the Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development (he also wrote last year’s study on Willets Point) says “It is a lengthy bridge that is not very inviting across wetlands. I would certainly want to see the numbers to convince me that there is real demand.”

Related:
As Flushing booms, Willets Point looms [The Real Deal]
Willets Point Iron Triangle Opinion Piece [previously on OuterB]

Photo Credit: Satan’s Laundromat

Astoria
House: 4 bedroom/3bath
$1,149,000
33-31 29 St.
Sunday September 9, 12-3pm
NY Times listing [Portrait Realty]

East Elmhurst
House: 2 bedroom/1 bath
$619,000
80-02 30th Avenue
Sunday September 9, 1-4pm
NY Times listing [Re/Max]

Flushing
House
$1,300,000
108 -18 69th Road
Sunday September 9, 1-3pm
NY Times listing [Halstead Property]

Long Island City
Condo: 2 bedroom/2 bath
$560,000
4-74 48th Ave, #38F, #38D
Sunday September 9, 11:30am-1pm
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Elliman]

Rego Park
Co-op: 2 bedroom/1 bath
$209,000
97-11 63 Rd
Sunday September 9, 12-3pm
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Elliman]

I came across another old article on Flushing, this one particularly timely as it was written around the time the 2004 US Open (of course, the US Open is happening this week!).  I love reading this kind of analysis of my present in the past.  The article has to do with how people spending time at events like the Open in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park are unaware of nearby Flushing’s offerings.  That is not the case today - Flushing is hugely popular and a hotbed of development.  Some believe the that development of Willets Point is going to provide the connection between the two parts of northern Queens.

I found this part of the article particularly interesting, as Flushing has changed:

The absence of efforts to promote the neighborhood to visiting sports fans is perhaps even more of a surprise since Mayor Bloomberg has taken the commendable step of making downtown Flushing a significant part of his economic development agenda. Though it has largely flown under the media’s radar, the city’s major economic development agencies have launched a comprehensive effort to improve the neighborhood’s infrastructure and spur new development. City officials are hoping to ease traffic congestion, improve the downtown area’s appearance, open up access to the now-unattractive Flushing River waterfront and create better pedestrian connections to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. If successful, these initiatives could go a long way towards making it easier, or at least more appealing, for people attending Mets games and tennis matches at the Open to visit downtown Flushing.

“We feel from the city’s perspective that [Flushing] is a place that has a lot of potential and we can do things to build on that potential and help it become more of a center for northern Queens,” says Jeffrey Oakman, a senior project manager with the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

The article was published by Center for an Urban Future.

• Unforced Error [Center for an Urban Future]