As the new Hunters Point Library nears completion, another new library in Queens is open to the public. On Tuesday, the Elmhurst Community Library, a branch of the Queens Library, opened its doors.
A new mixed-use development is coming to Roosevelt Avenue in western Queens, which divides Elmhurst from Jackson Heights. The seven-story project would replace a collection of small shops and restaurants at 77-02 Roosevelt Avenue, on the corner of 77th Street and in the shadow of the elevated 7 train.
Through a deal with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), BRP Companies is planning a 38-unit mixed-use building at 841-847 St. Nicholas Avenue, located on the corner of West 152nd Street in Hamilton Heights. The new building will measure 32,470 square feet, DNAinfo reported. All of the project’s apartments will rent at below-market rates through the housing lottery. The Dance Theatre of Harlem will also have studio space on the ground floor. New building applications have not been filed at this time. The vacant, 7,063-square-foot site is located within the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Northwest Historic District, meaning the Landmarks Preservation Commission has to approve the new building.
An undisclosed buyer has acquired, for $13 million, the 28,350-square-foot development site at 159-18 Northern Boulevard, located between 159th and 160th streets in Flushing’s Murray Hill section. The site is currently occupied by a two-story commercial building, a former branch of Flushing Bank, Crain’s reported. If the existing structure is demolished, the site could accommodate a maximum 56,700 square feet of development. Nearly 38,273 square feet could be used as residential space, whereas up to 28,350 square feet could be commercial space. Any amount, up to 56,700 square feet, could be used as community facility space. Plans for the site have not been disclosed.
Long Island City is set to become a hub for office development in the outer boroughs. While some builders hope to put up massive commercial towers like One Court Square, others are creating office space in the neighborhood’s warehouses and loft buildings. One developer, Caerus Group, decided to convert and expand a two-story industrial building at 11-20 46th Road, a few short blocks from Court Square.
