COMMUNITY BOARD 2 QUEENS New York City, NY LIC WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT: CB2 COMMENTS ON PROPOSED PLANS September 3, 2020 Prepared By: Land Use Committee, CB2Q With Planning Assistance By: Nautilus International Development Consulting, Inc. On the Cover: The Long Island City Waterfront looking southeast from the East River Proposed development sites from left to right: East River Tennis Club/“Lake Vernon” (flooded property), Department of Education Building, Anable Cove, 44th Drive Public Pier and Anable Basin (Source: Nautilus International, July 2020) TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION 2 PROPOSED YOURLIC DEVELOPMENT 3 PREVIOUS CB2Q COMMENTS 4 ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED PLANS Covid-19 Property Ownership – Public & Private Land Uses, Density & Open Spaces Resiliency Transportation Infrastructure 5 UPCOMING LAND USE ACTIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Community Board 2 Queens – Comments on LIC Waterfront Development EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and parts of Maspeth. CB2Q advo- cates for comprehensive planning that is both supportive of the needs of its working and middle-class residential, manufacturing and com- LONG ISLAND CITY’S WATERFRONT mercial neighborhoods and also based on inclusive public participa- The Hunters Point North waterfront lies across the East River from the tion and input. Long Island City is particularly notable for its thriving iconic skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan and innovative campus of arts community - including PS1/MoMA – and is home to one of the Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island at the western boundary of Long Is- largest collections of art galleries, studio spaces and art institutions of land City (LIC). Large, formerly industrial properties along its shoreline any neighborhood in the City. For many years, CB2Q has been consid- offer an unparallel opportunity for far-sighted and inclusive planning. ering proposals for the northern Hunters Point waterfront and re- Just to the south are the Queens West project by New York State and sponding to protect the community’s vibrancy and champion well- Hunters Point South, still under construction by New York City. Sus- planned growth. tainable and well-planned growth in Hunters Point North could help the City distribute economic development more fairly, increase social WHY COMMENT ON YOURLIC PRELIMINARY PLANS? equity, restore environmental resources and be proactive about cli- Recently, new plans have been proposed for part of Long Island City’s mate change. northern waterfront. CB2Q has prepared these comments on the pre- liminary plans for two reasons: 1) To restate the community’s long-standing priorities for development of this waterfront Preliminary plans presented to CB2Q in May 2020 call for a massive development with 10 to 12 million square feet to be constructed over 10-15 years on a series of contiguous properties – including publicly- EAST RIVER owned lands - by a consortium of private owners and developers known as YourLIC. Despite the lack of detailed information about the preliminary concepts, it is already clear that a significant number of issues raised by the community during earlier proposed actions con- tinue to go unaddressed. CB2Q has prepared these comments to re- Satellite photo of the Hunters Pont North waterfront along the East River state and reaffirm those issues while there is still an opportunity for across from Midtown Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. (Source: Google them to be incorporated during early planning phases of the process. Maps, 2020) 2) To shed light on how COVID-19 is impacting QUEENS COMMUNITY BOARD 2 the community Queens Community Board 2 (CB2Q) represents four neighborhoods in The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed our City and the southwest corner of the borough, including the many residents, community, and challenges us to reconsider rezoning large areas of property owners, businesses and non-profit organizations of Long September 3, 2020 ES-1 Community Board 2 Queens – Comments on LIC Waterfront Development irreplaceable waterfront land at this time. Instead, we urge the public COMMUNITY PRIORITIES agencies and elected officials involved in Long Island City to focus now FOR HUNTERS POINT NORTH on responding to the citywide needs of existing residents, business Our analysis of the preliminary plans shows that there are significant owners and employees as they evolve through the pandemic, rather goals raised for years by the community that continue to go un- than pursuing an irreversible rezoning based on outdated, pre-pan- addressed. Embedded in the preliminary plans by YourLIC is a funda- demic plans. The outcome of the proposed rezoning could effectively mental vision of the future which relies on the privatization of the last change the use and character of this neighborhood forever. public land and many public streets on this waterfront, an inadequate recognition of the threats of climate change, and the belief that by up- Ultimately, we believe that taking a step back – zoning “underutilized” land enough economic activity will be gener- for now – on the northern Long Island City water- ated that the tradeoffs and costs to the existing community are worth front will allow it to reemerge later in stronger, it in return for promises of future jobs and “community benefits.” Some more realistic plans for long-term, sustainable of the key priorities of the community are to: revitalization benefiting the City as a whole. Protect Public Land for Public Use CB2Q, along with multiple community organizations and elected offi- IMPACTS OF COVID-19 cials, has long advocated for the public use of public land on this wa- While it is too early to predict the course of the pandemic, here are terfront. Over 4 ½ acres of New York City- and State-owned properties some COVID-19 changes that are already emerging in Long Island City currently housing facilities for the NYC Board of Education (BOE) and and will affect development of its waterfront: Department of Transportation are proposed by YourLIC to be turned over to a private developer for a private office tower, one public school • Hundreds of thousands of workers are now unemployed as a re- and some open space. Collateral damage includes the adjacent BOE sult of the steep economic downturn and many others are working building where the proposed private tower eliminates its waterfront from home rather than risking infection. views and reduces its capacity to house habitable spaces requiring light and air. Numerous other public resources would also be im- • Significant support is needed to preserve and protect the quality, pacted. Most notably, five public streets totaling over 3 acres are pro- character and economy of the existing jobs, businesses, healthcare posed for privatization leaving only one public street with access to and neighborhood services in CB2Q. the waterfront. • There is already an acute citywide shortage of affordable housing that can be expected to become even more critical based on cur- Be Proactive about Climate Change and Sustainability rent economic projections. CB2Q supports both adaptation measures for community resiliency and mitigation measures to address the underlying causes of climate • Meanwhile, demand for public open space has skyrocketed change, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We see community throughout the City and especially in neighborhoods like Long Is- resiliency as encompassing not only environmental protection and land City, where the ratio of open space per resident ranks 47/48th restoration, but also economic sustainability and social equity. While out of 51 districts. we are pleased that four private developers and owners are now September 3, 2020 ES-2 Community Board 2 Queens – Comments on LIC Waterfront Development working together, we continue to call for the City itself to coordinate • CB2Q notes that this proposal rivals high-density areas of Mid- a broader EIS effort that considers the cumulative impacts of these town Manhattan and is twice the density of Hunters Point South properties along with other assets and City Planning’s work on the LIC with only two-thirds of its open space. Unlike Midtown, this part Core. In particular, comprehensive flood-protection strategies need to of Long Island City is remote from mass public transportation, be thoroughly coordinated between private owners and agencies re- lacks infrastructure and public services, and is starved for open sponsible for the public lands, such as Queens West, along the East space. River waterfront. What is the need to build millions of square feet for office spaces pack- Balance New Development with Protection aged into Manhattan-style towers? for Long Island City’s Quality of Life • CB2Q supports the district’s wealth of small and large manufac- Long Island City has already experienced record growth over the past turers, tech companies, design firms, retail stores, and service in- two decades far outpacing the capacity of its essential services, infra- dustries that innovate and not only provide numerous jobs but structure, schools, streets, transit and open space. What is needed now also create a healthy, equitable economic ecosystem. Rather than is sustainable growth that upholds a balance between new develop- glossy towers, what is needed now is more affordable work spaces ment and protection of the quality of life for existing residents, busi- for struggling businesses, makers and artists, as well as significant nesses, artists, and creative manufacturers who have given the com- support to protect existing