LONG ISLAND CITY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PHASE 1 LONG ISLAND CITY Phase Comprehensive Plan 1 SUMMARY REPORT 1 LONG ISLAND CITY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PHASE 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Long Island City Comprehensive Plan has received pivotal support from public and private funders: NYS Senator Michael Gianaris NYC Economic Development Corporation NYS Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan Consolidated Edison Co. of N.Y., Inc. NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Cornell Tech NYC Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer Ford Foundation Queens Borough President Melinda Katz TD Charitable Foundation Empire State Development Verizon Foundation NYC Regional Economic Development Council The LICP Board Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee provided invaluable input, feedback and support. Members include, Michelle Adams, Tishman Speyer Richard Dzwlewicz, TD Bank Denise Arbesu, Citi Commercial Bank Meghan French, Cornell Tech David Brause, Brause Realty John Hatfield, Socrates Sculpture Park Tracy Capune, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Inc. Gary Kesner, Silvercup Studios Mary Ceruti, SculptureCenter Seth Pinsky, RXR Realty Ebony Conely-Young, Long Island City YMCA Caryn Schwab, Mount Sinai Queens Carol Conslato, Consolidated Edison Co. of N.Y., Inc. Gretchen Werwaiss, Werwaiss & Co., Inc. Jenny Dixon, The Isamu Noguchi Foundation Jonathan White, White Coffee Corporation and Garden Museum Richard Windram, Verizon Patricia Dunphy, Rockrose Development Corp. Finally, thank you to the businesses and organizations who responded to our survey and to everyone who participated in our focus groups and stakeholder conversations. Your participation was essential to informing this report. Summaries and lists of participants can be found in the Appendices. 2 LONG ISLAND CITY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PHASE 1 ABOUT THIS REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS Phase 1 of the Comprehensive Plan and this report was completed by Long Island City Partnership with the assistance of Public Works Partners and BJH Advisors. In the final months leading to publication of this report, additional Acknowledgments 2 work, including continued stakeholder conversations, was undertaken by Long Island City Partnership. Executive Summary 4 Introduction 8 Methodology 10 Key Findings 13 The Long Island City Partnership (LICP) is the local development corporation for Long Island City (LIC), Queens. LICP’s mission is to advocate for economic development that benefits LIC’s industrial, Relevant Projects Underway commercial, cultural, and residential sectors. The goal is to attract 36 new businesses to LIC, retain those already here, welcome new residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed- use community. The LIC Partnership operates the Long Island City Recommendations 37 Business Improvement District and the LIC Industrial Business Zone, among other programs. Implementation & Next Steps 51 Endnotes 52 List of Appendices 53 LICP Project Manager: Christina Chavez Report design: Ben Dodd Printed in Long Island City at i2print Cover photo (“Dancers”) courtesy of Socrates Sculpture Park Funding provided by a grant from Empire State Development This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 3 LONG ISLAND CITY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PHASE 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR LIC: WHY NOW? Historically and currently, Long Island business growth expected. LIC its historical definition: from north City is a key economic driver for the must also be positioned to take of Newtown Creek to Astoria region. It is a source of good-paying, advantage of new opportunities Boulevard, and from the East River middle class jobs for local workers, such as attracting spin-off companies to Steinway Street (on the north side of essential goods and services for from Cornell Tech when it opens on of Sunnyside Yards) and 43rd Street New York City, and, increasingly, Roosevelt Island in 2017. (on the south side of Sunnyside of housing -- both affordable and Despite its economic importance, LIC Yards). This set of boundaries market rate. has never had an overall plan guiding also allowed the study to capture The area remains and is becoming its development, and is developing important activities underway today ever more attractive for commercial in ways no one ever planned. This that have implications for all of LIC. office, retail, light industrial, design, first-ever LIC Comprehensive Plan We conducted a study of the existing tech, and cultural uses, reinforcing will address how to leverage LIC’s conditions with a baseline analysis the neighborhood’s authentic, tremendous market potential to not of key LIC characteristics, including mixed-use character. only preserve but also enhance this land use, market conditions, and demographics. We held dozens of LIC’s recent growth confirms its authentic, mixed-use “city within the City.” conversations with key stakeholders strong regional reputation as an in the community—including attractive neighborhood, ripe The objectives of Phase 1 of the business owners, property owners with opportunity. Without careful Comprehensive Plan were to gather and developers, artists and cultural planning, however, this growth and synthesize information from institutions, Cornell Tech, business threatens the very mix of uses that many existing sources to understand incentive program experts and has helped attract investments in the the current market and the workforce development providers. first place. Cultural organizations, perspective of various stakeholders, We also undertook a landmark artists and businesses across all to validate widely held views and survey—distributed to all of the sectors are challenged to find and take them out of the realm of the more than 6,600 businesses and maintain affordable real estate. anecdote, and to discover new organizations in LIC—to understand Without attention to their needs, information or trends that should who is here, their perceptions of the these businesses and organizations inform future policies and actions. neighborhood, the challenges they will move outside of LIC—and some We reviewed the myriad of past face here, and the opportunities outside of NYC—taking with them or ongoing studies that explored they see to grow and thrive. An the diversity they contribute to, aspects of LIC, all of which focused impressive 515 unique businesses along with their quality jobs and on smaller geographies or particular and organizations across a range critical economic activity. Existing sectors. This Comprehensive Plan of sectors and sizes responded to infrastructure is already at or over looks across sectors at the greater the survey, providing invaluable capacity, with more residential and LIC area that more closely matches perspective and insights. 4 LONG ISLAND CITY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PHASE 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY FINDINGS The secondary and primary research resulted in a 8. New job opportunities abound and will increase breadth of information to be used for future policy in LIC’s growing sectors. However, maximizing recommendations and further study. The following key the benefits of these opportunities will require findings reflect some of the most crucial indicators to better connections between employers and local highlight for action. residents, and appropriate training and education programs. 1. LIC’s central location, its mixed-use character, and 9. Many parts of LIC feel disconnected from other parts the interdependence and collaboration among of the neighborhood—or are very hard to navigate— entities – within and across sectors – are seen as creating barriers to movement and vitality. LIC’s greatest assets. 10. Improved public transportation options, availability Businesses and organizations across sectors are 2. of parking for commercial activity and efficient vehicle optimistic about their longevity in LIC and want to movement are all economically vital to the area. expand their operations here. 11. A diverse variety of local amenities and services, Sufficient availability of affordable and appropriately 3. including restaurants, retail, recreation, housing configured space is a challenge across sectors and options, green space, community services, libraries, endangers our “city within the City.” quality health care and schools are fundamental to maintaining a successful mix of businesses and There is unmet demand for commercial office space. 4. organizations in LIC and to forming a functional live/ Yet, without government intervention new buildings work environment to support employee needs as have not been created, limiting economic growth well as the existing residential population. and putting pressure on existing industrial space. t 5. Stakeholders across all sectors affirmed that the presence of arts and culture and working artists are RELEVANT PROJECTS UNDERWAY essential to LIC’s mix and vibrancy. But these uses are under threat and interventions are needed to support their future in LIC. During the course of this study a number of 6. Existing business incentive programs, while helpful projects, policies, proposals, and plans in LIC to industrial and commercial firms, are not easily or that will have an impact on the area were available to and are often insufficient for the completed, announced or begun, helping to businesses in LIC that need them most today. address some of the issues raised in our key findings. For a complete list, see page 36 in the 7. Although the overall population in the study Summary Report. area