Queens

Long Island City’s Mixed-Use 29-11 Queens Plaza North, with Courtyard Marriott Hotel and Aurora LIC Residences, Opens Its Doors

The cores of dense cities work best when they mix a variety of functions, such as residential, commercial, or office. This mixing allows for a round-the-clock pedestrian presence, ensuring that the streets do not empty out at any point of the day. The concept is taken literally to the next level when two independent functions are stacked one on top of another within the same building, like roommates sharing a bunk bed. This effectively puts two buildings on the same plot without resorting to narrow towers with small floorplates. Although generally rare, mixed-use skyscrapers have made their mark upon Manhattan, starting with the famed Waldorf-Astoria, which combined hotel rooms at the bottom with apartments on top in 1931. Now, the city’s first major mixed-use tower has risen outside of Manhattan. The 31-story, glass-and-concrete slab at 29-11 Queens Plaza North in Long Island City, has seen construction virtually wrapped up at the time of this writing. Its lower 15 floors house the Marriott Courtyard Long Island City hotel, with the 135-unit residential complex called the Aurora sitting on the floors above.

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73-08 Ditmars Boulevard

Three-Story, Two-Family Residential Building Planned at 73-08 Ditmars Boulevard, East Elmhurst

Elmhurst-based A Realty Group has filed applications for a three-story, two-unit residential building at 73-08 Ditmars Boulevard, on the western end of East Elmhurst. It will measure 3,001 square feet and boast 2,529 square feet of residential square-footage. The ground floor will host a single apartment, followed by the second apartment across the second and third floors. Frank J. Quatela’s Flushing-based architectural firm is the architect of record. The 30-foot-wide, 3,000-square-foot property is currently occupied by a singe-story house. Demolition permits haven’t been filed. The Grand Central Parkway is located a block to the south.


86-57 Midland Parkway

Four-Story, 17-Unit Residential Building Planned at 86-57 Midland Parkway, Jamaica Estates

Queens-based property owner Jacob Ashkenazie has filed applications for a four-story, 17-unit residential building at 86-57 Midland Parkway, in Jamaica Estates. It will measure 18,189 square feet and its residential units should average 881 square feet apiece. That means either rental apartments or condominiums could be in the works. Gino O. Longo’s College Point-based architectural firm is the architect of record. The 67-foot-wide, 11,999-square-foot property is currently occupied by a two-story, single-family house. Demolition permits were filed in April. The site is located three blocks from the Jamaica-179th Street stop on the F train.


47-16 Austell Place

Four-Story, 60,000-Square-Foot Factory Converted Into Retail-Office Property at 47-16 Austell Place, Long island City

The four-story, 60,000-square-foot industrial building at 47-16 Austell Place, in southern Long Island City, has recently been converted for a variety of commercial uses, according to Commercial Observer. It hosts 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, of which a food café has already leased a portion. The floors above, with floor plates of 16,000 square feet, are geared towards office tenants and community facility uses. Joffrey Ballet Center, a dance school, has leased the fourth floor. Upgrades made to the building include renovations to the interior, a new roof, a revitalized façade with new windows, and a redesigned lobby. A rooftop lounge with landscaping is also being built and is expected to be complete in early 2017. The Vanbarton Group, which purchased the property for $7.7 million in 2015, is the developer. Montroy Andersen DeMarco is the architect.



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