Real Estate News, Almost End of the Year Edition

We noticed there are some interesting real estate tidbits floating around right now, so we thought we’d round ‘em up here.

24-38 35th Street, Astoria

This is the building that is home to Republic, which used to be a meat market over a decade ago (I remember the smell in the summer). It faces Astoria Blvd North, and they want to add two stories that would include two dwelling units, no parking. The building currently is 14 feet high; the two stories would make it 33 feet high. The paperwork that was filed says the work would cost them $257,060. Source.

32-04 38th Avenue, Dutch Kills

The folks behind The Baroness submitted paperwork to change the Certificate of Occupancy (CO) of the space that is home to their new restaurant/bar, The Dutchess Bar & Resto Royale (NB: plan disapproved). NY Yimby has a great article on the new building in this location, which was an open, paved lot used as a parking lot for a while. A recent Facebook post by The Dutchess staff announces their plans, a “Full Bad-Ass Kitchen, All-Women Winemaker LineUp & one of the Best Brew Selection Queens has to offer.” We’ll reach out for more info on the new resto. Source.

19-14 21st Road, Astoria

Just a couple of blocks north of Astoria Park, neighbors will see a new three-story building built on the location where a sweet two-story brick home has been for many years. There building will be 33 feet high, there will be 10 dwelling units, and 5 off-street parking lots. AKI Development is behind the project; you can see their other projects on their website, including Graffiti House on Welling Court. Source.

Roosevelt Island Gets the NY Times Treatment

A lot of locals experience a certain level of consternation with the Times features their neighborhood. This time around it’s Roosevelt Island in Roosevelt Island: Part of Manhattan, but Apart from It, emphasizing the Manhattan connection. However, Astorians feel a connection to the place because of the 36th Avenue pedestrian bridge that connects it to Queens. If you haven’t spent any time there, you really should—there are cool things to see, like the smallpox hospital ruins, Four Freedoms Park, the lighthouse on the north tip, the Tom Otterness sculptures in the water off the edge of the island, and for those of you who are into that sort of thing, a bunch of geocaches.

Also, did you know there used to be an elevator that took you from Roosevelt Island to the Queensboro Bridge? It’d be pretty sweet if they figured out a way to make it happen again.

You can also watch scary Dark Water (2005), which was filmed on the island.

Looking Back at Long Island City’s Slow Sizzle

We missed this NY Magazine article earlier but wanted to share it anyway—looking at the LIC buzz over time. It’s a pretty fascinating read, and even 37 years ago people got nervous when their neighborhood was featured in a prominent publication. Local resident at the time, Joan Schenkar, said this: “Seeing a photograph of my block in Long Island City on the cover of New York Magazine was a most unpleasant surprise. Reading the article was a thoroughly rotten experience.” Sounds like some of the things we hear in 2017. The irony is that she’s the daughter of a developer.