A dizzying array of developments is underway in the Dutch Kills community in Long Island City, including new residential development that would never have made it off the boards under archaic zoning restrictions that hovered over the area for 40-plus years.
Demolition is underway at building on 38th Avenue near Crescent Street that formerly housed an auto repair shop. The building is being razed to make way for a 20-unit apartment complex, a construction manager at the site said.
A second building on 38th Avenue near Crescent Street is facing a wrecking ball to make way for a similar hi-rise residential development. The building that once served as the headquarters of a boiler supply company, will be replaced with a 30-unit apartment complex, a Department of Buildings spokesperson said.
Construction was completed last year on a mixed residential/commercial property in Dutch Kills, located between 31st and 32nd Streets, just south of 37th Avenue.
Alma Realty developed the site that features residential units in two buildings adjoined by an atrium and outdoor garden, with retail space on the street level.
A five-story building facing 31st Street connects with a six-story building on 32nd Street – replacing two commercial buildings that stood at the site, an Alma spokesperson said. The apartment complex, which includes an underground parking facility, marked a milestone for Dutch Kills as the first new residential development to the area..
City officials rezoned a portion of the Dutch Kills community in 1969 as an M1-3 zone, one of the most restrictive manufacturing zones on the books. The zoning restriction outlawed residential development in the area and forbid homeowners from making repairs or changes to original structures.
Dutch Kills Civic Association officials went to war with the city in the mid-1980s, fighting for the right of homeowners to remain in the area. The group battled with city officials for more than 20 years, after which Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with group president Gerald Walsh – and the two men shook hands on a rezoning plan that restored residential development in the Long Island City community.
George L. Stamatiades, executive director of the Dutch Kills Civic Association, said the group is thrilled by new residential development in the area.
“The rezoning reversed a death sentence that the city wrongly imposed on Dutch Kills in the 1960’s,” Stamatiades said. “New housing brings new neighbors and a new outlook for our community. It confirms our belief that Dutch Kills is a perfect place to live, work and raise a family.”
Stamatiades said the civic group is planning ribbon-cutting ceremonies at each of the new residential developments, “To celebrate the re-growth of Dutch Kills as a residential community.
“Many obstacles were tossed in our path by city officials who hoped to kill the Dutch Kills residential community,” Stamatiades said. “But neighbors like Roger Laghezza, Joe and Barbara Murphy and Gerry Walsh refused to accept the demise of the residential community.”
Mega developer Rockrose is about to change the Long Island City skyline just south of Queens Plaza.
The developer last month inked a $4.6 million deal to purchase a factory building at 27-24 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. A Rockrose spokesperson said the developer is planning to build residential and retail units at the site. Further details are unavailable at this time, the spokesperson said.
The building houses the iconic “Dutch Kills Bar,” a trendy, after-hours tavern that opened at the site in 2009 and has since become a favorite of the 20-to-30 crowd for its unique cocktails and behind-the-bar ice artisans.
Rockrose last year paid $48 million for the six-story, 330-square-foot former Eagle Electric factory that lies adjacent to the Sunnyside rail yards in Long Island City, where it plans to develop a hi-rise apartment complex.
Rockrose, respected internationally for its luxury developments, is planning to raise the curtain on its latest project, “LINC LIC,” a residential complex at Court Square that offers a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline. Rockrose plans to open the new tower on November 25.
The skyline is also changing on side streets adjacent to the Broadway commercial strip in Long Island City.
A block once filled with two-story homes was transformed in 2012 when the homes were razed and replaced by several hi-rise residential developments.
That redevelopment has now reached the northeast corner of Broadway and 38th Street, where a building that housed a two-story, family-operated home improvement business for more than 30 years is being razed to make way for two, five-story residential towers.
According to developers on-site during the demolition, the new towers will offer a view of the new Kaufman Astoria Studios outdoor production lot – giving tenants a unique overview of some of Hollywood’s brightest stars at work on motion picture sets.
