Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

1,000 Apartments, School and Office Space Coming to LIC Waterfront Site

 The project will bring 1,000 apartments, commercial space and a new school to the Long Island City waterfront.
The project will bring 1,000 apartments, commercial space and a new school to the Long Island City waterfront.
View Full Caption
NYCEDC

HUNTERS POINT — At least 1,000 apartments, a new school, offices and manufacturing space are coming to a pair of city-owned parcels of land on the Long Island City waterfront, the city announced. 

The Economic Development Corp. unveiled plans Monday for the mixed-use project, located on two sites across the street from each other where 44th Drive meets the East River. 

TF Cornerstone — which has built a number of luxury apartments in the neighborhood and is developing the next phase of the nearby Hunters Point South complex — was selected to construct the project at the site of the shuttered Water's Edge restaurant, which shuttered in 2015 following the indictment of its owner on bribery and fraud charges. 

The company is partnering with tech nonprofit C4Q, Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center and BJH Advisors on the development, which will include 10,000 square feet of light manufacturing space, as well as offices for startups and "creative industries," according to the EDC. 

There will be at least 1,000 apartments, a quarter of which will be set aside for affordable housing, plus a new school that will fit 600 students, according to the plan. 

The project also includes 19,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor and an acre of open space that will include a canoe and kayak launch.

Construction is not expected to wrap up until 2022.

"With this project we are creating a first of its kind work-live-play structure," EDC President James Patchett said in a statement. "We're investing in the continued revitalization of the Long Island City Waterfront, and delivering on our commitment to create good, middle class jobs for New Yorkers."

Water's EdgeThe development will be built on city-owned land along the Long Island City waterfront, including the site of the former Water's Edge restaurant. (Credit: DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly)

The development will rise on two separate parcels: 5-40 44th Drive, which is currently a Department of Transportation facility, and across the street at 4-99 44th Drive, which includes a Department of Education parking lot and the shuttered Water's Edge restaurant, which will be torn down under the plan.

The eatery closed in 2015 following the indictment of owner Harendra Singh on bribery and fraud charges. 

Singh was a donor to Mayor Bill de Blasio's election campaign, and the pair's relationship has come under scrutiny. The mayor's administration reportedly went to great lengths in helping the restaurateur renegotiate a lease for Water's Edge, which sat on city-owned land.

Federal investigators ultimately declined to bring any charges against de Blasio after wrapping up an investigation into his fundraising practices in March, and the mayor has denied that he offered any special assistance to Singh. 

"The issue’s been looked at. It’s been covered," de Blasio said when asked about the issue at an unrelated press conference last week. "This is everyday life in government."