NEW YORK | Amazon - Long Island City | CANCELED

[tdawg]

The land for these babies is just sitting there vacant right now. That will change very quickly.
https://www.6sqft.com/after-four-yea...s-point-south/

[antinimby]

Originally Posted by tdawg

They're coming to Anable Basin? I never would have guessed that. It's a bit of a hike to the subways from there.

Two blocks away from the E and M. Three blocks away from the 7 and G. Not exactly a hike.

[chris08876]

Amazon to lease 1M sf in Savanna’s One Court Square for HQ2

Amazon is set to take about 1 million square feet of space at Savanna’s One Court Square office tower when it moves to Long Island City.

The real estate company announced in a release that it entered a letter of intent for the lease.

“We’re thrilled that Amazon selected One Court Square as a critical component of its HQ2 plans for Long Island City,” Savanna managing partner Nicholas Bienstock said in a statement.

Reports that the tech giant planned to split its long-heralded second headquarters between Long Island City and Crystal City, Virginia circled last week, and Amazon confirmed the news on Tuesday. The company will also open a new regional hub in Nashville.

Sources previously told The Real Deal that Amazon would likely focus on Court Square and the Factory District if it moved to Long Island City. One Court Square was widely seen as a prime fit based on Citigroup’s plans to vacate 1 million square feet in the building come 2020 when its lease expires.

Other potential sites included Savanna’s Falchi Building and Tishman Speyer’s JACX, among others.

=========================
TRD

[NYCLuver]

Hmm One Court Square... I know Citi will still be in the tower but I wonder if with Amazon taking 1 Million SQF...if we'll be getting the Amazon logo on top of the building?

[NYguy]

As expected, space at the Citigroup building will be freed up sooner...


https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ci...zon-2018-11-13

Citi to move 1,100 workers out of Long Island City tower to free up space for Amazon

Nov 13, 2018

Citigroup Inc. said Tuesday it will move about 1,100 of its workers out of the One Court Square tower in Long Island City in the New York borough of Queens in the first half of 2019 to free up space for Amazon.com to establish its New York headquarters. Citi currently occupies about one million square feet in the building and is speeding up plans to move workers to its Tribeca Headquarters in Lower Manhattan and other locations.

Within site of the planned development...

[C.]

Originally Posted by chris08876

@ CIA

They need to rezone the area to allow for more units. Height wouldn't necessarily be the limiting reagent, but how many units they can cram in a given lot. A couple of 1000-1500 unit towers would do wonders. 5 Pointz for example has a ton of units, yet is not really that tall. We need developments that are in the range of 550-720 ft range, and that have 1500-2000 units.

Really to cater to projected growth, and provide some nice affordable housing.

Do they need to rezone? I thought Gov. Andrew "Amazon" Cuomo was executing his constitutional right to tell NYC's Division of City Planning fuck off with their ULURP process. This is a state matter now.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by CIA

Do they need to rezone? I thought Gov. Andrew "Amazon" Cuomo was executing his constitutional right to tell NYC's Division of City Planning fuck off with their ULURP process. This is a state matter now.

That is the plan. He talks about it in this video. About 32 minutes in, they also talk about the transportation issues.


• Video Link

[NYguy]

https://esd.ny.gov/esd-media-center/...n-selects-long

Governor Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio Announce Amazon Selects Long Island City for New Corporate Headquarters
New Campus Represents the Largest Economic Development Project in New York State History


Amazon Will Create 25,000 to 40,000 New Jobs with an Average Salary of More than $150,000, Invest More Than $3.6 Billion Over 15 Years and Create $27.5 Billion In Tax Revenue Over 25 Years


November 13, 2018

In 2019, Amazon will occupy up to 500,000 square feet at One Court Square while working to construct four million square feet of commercial space on Long Island City's waterfront over the next 10 years, with expansion opportunities for up to 8 million square feet over the next 15 years.

Through a $3.6 billion total investment, Amazon will draw from the diverse and talented workforce in New York State to fill at least 25,000 new jobs by 2029 and up to 40,000 jobs by 2034 with an average salary of more than $150,000.

The construction is expected to create an average of 1300 direct construction jobs annually through 2033. Overall, the project is estimated to create more than 107,000 total direct and indirect jobs, over $14 billion in new tax revenue for the State and a net of $13.5 billion in City tax revenue over the next 25 years. The project provides a 9:1 return on investment.

According to an economic impact study by REMI, Inc., a world leader in dynamic forecasting and policy analysis, the Amazon project will generate over $186 billion in Gross State Product for the New York State economy over the initial 25 years. REMI also projects over $14 billion in total new tax revenue for the State (in 2019 dollars), with annual revenues growing from $10.8 million in 2019 to nearly $1 billion in 2043. The City forecasts $13.5 billion in total new tax revenue.

The City-State agreement with Amazon includes commitments to build a jointly-funded 10,000 square-foot onsite employment center to connect local residents with jobs and training. A $15 million investment will expand the JobsPlus program to Queensbridge Houses and expand tuition-free tech training to its residents—serving nearly 1,800 residents over the next 10 years.

The agreement also secures a new approximately 600-seat intermediate public school, a 3.5-acre waterfront esplanade and park, and the establishment of a Long Island City Infrastructure Fund to invest 50 percent of the project's PILOT proceeds to deliver on transportation and other neighborhood priorities that will be identified in collaboration with the local community.

[NYguy]

A handful of the residential buildings underway...



http://www.6sqft.com/queens-new-skyl...g-island-city/

Some of these already built







The largest going up in LIC...



http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...=214318&page=7








http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=220256





http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=222915





http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=215852

[NYguy]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...hosen-nyc-home

Amazon Is a Long Way From Settling Down in Chosen NYC Home

By Lily Katz and Caleb Melby
November 13, 2018

Amazon.com Inc. is headed to New York’s Long Island City, but there’s a lot of work to be done before it can actually put down roots in the Queens neighborhood.

The tech giant is initially seeking 4 million square feet in Long Island City to accommodate 25,000 new workers in the next decade, and as much as 8 million square feet over 15 years. With just 2.3 million square feet of vacant office space in the neighborhood, it means they need to get out the shovels

Descendants of plastics magnate Louis Pfohl have ties to the entities that own both sites, public records show. Pfohl founded Long Island City-based Plaxall Inc. more than 70 years ago, according to the company website. Matthew Quigley, one of three family members among the company’s third generation of leadership, has signed documents for those properties.

A Plaxall spokesman said the family will work closely with Amazon on a plan that “honors the character of LIC.”

The location’s size and proximity to ferries and subways -- not to mention sunset views of Manhattan -- make it an ideal site for Amazon, said Bill Montana, a senior managing director at brokerage Savills Studley. But while the area is ripe for development, it will take time.

“This site is nowhere near ready for construction,” Montana said. “All these sites need to be demolished, assembled. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to need to occur before they’re going to be able think about constructing anything here.”

When construction does begin, Amazon and its development partners will be able to take advantage of additional tax breaks. The entire proposed campus sits in an opportunity zone, a designation that allows investors to defer taxes on capital gains in real estate investments. If they hold the property for at least a decade, they can avoid paying capital-gains taxes altogether on any of the appreciation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/ar...ostly-nimbyism

The NIMBY Backlash Against Amazon’s HQ2
Even factoring in the tax breaks, New York and Virginia will still benefit from Amazon’s expansion.




By Noah Smith
November 13, 2018

Splitting Amazon’s second headquarters between Queens and the Virginia suburbs of Washington was probably not the best decision from a social perspective. Added traffic will strain already crowded local infrastructure, and New York and Washington are already highly productive cities with thriving technology economies. For the country as a whole, Amazon’s decision represents a missed opportunity.

That said, critics of HQ2 go too far when they paint the investment as a disaster for local residents. The backlash has been immediate, with some community groups vowing to fight the expansion. The objections can be grouped into three basic categories, neatly summarized in a series of tweets from Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes part of Queens.

The first concern is that Amazon will get money that could be put to better use:

This worry is misplaced. Tax dollars to pay for New York’s crumbling subways have to come from somewhere. Local business activity creates the tax revenue to help to pay for infrastructure like subways, sewers and streets. It pays for things that help to make the city affordable — housing vouchers, housing subsidies and construction of new housing. It helps to pay the salaries of city workers. And it helps to pay for social services for the poor, the homeless, the addicted and other vulnerable populations. This is isn’t trickle-down economics — it’s social democracy in action.

The second main concern is wages:

The crucial point here is that HQ2 is not an Amazon fulfillment center, where Amazon only raised wages after a combined rhetorical assault by socialists and populists. HQ2 employees will mostly be skilled, college-educated workers — some local, some moving in from out of town. But they’ll spend their money locally, and the increased demand will drive up local wages and pull people into the labor market. That may sound like trickle-down, but it’s the reason working-class people are able to live in New York in the first place.

Finally, opponents are concerned about rent and displacement:

This is a legitimate worry. The centralization of economic activity in big cities and technology hubs like New York and San Francisco has driven up rent and made these cities less affordable. Amazon’s HQ2 will contribute to that trend.

But there are several factors mitigating the danger. The first, in New York at least, is a stringent system of rent control, which, for all its faults, is effective at protecting long-time tenants from displacement. The second is the tax system — the increased revenue from HQ2 and the nearby business activity it creates will give city leaders more money to subsidize housing for low-income New Yorkers throughout the city, not just near HQ2. Of course, allowing more housing development in Queens would also help mitigate the impact of displacement.

[Busy Bee]

A Plaxall spokesman said the family will work closely with Amazon on a plan that “honors the character of LIC.”

What the hell is this supposed to mean?

[antinimby]

Can anything nowadays get done in this city without some kind of NIMBY whining?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

What the hell is this supposed to mean?

Lol, it means, "I don't know what to say, but I better think of something quick so the NIMBYs don't jump down my throat over this. I've hit a goldmine."

Originally Posted by antinimby

Can anything nowadays get done in this city without some kind of NIMBY whining?

No. If they announced the NY Yankees would be moving to the Bronx, there would be outrage. If the governor announced plans today for the Brooklyn Bridge, politicians from both sides would be arguing about planning being done around them, and the potential displacement of residents. If it were announced that there would be multiple, new theaters to provide live entertainment in a district in Midtown centered around Broadway, there would be outrage about the crowds that would draw to the area. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, will get done in this city (and many others) without instant brushback and whining from the politicians and NIMBY types.

[TowerDude]

Amazon should help finance bringing the N or W train to LaGuardia and then on to Flushing (instead of that stupid Airtrain) ... and then the other line should be extended into The Bronx.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

Amazon should help finance bringing the N or W train to LaGuardia and then on to Flushing (instead of that stupid Airtrain) ... and then the other line should be extended into The Bronx.

I was reading that in the other proposal just to the north of the site, there was talk of building a bridge to Roosevelt Island (where Cornell Tech is taking shape).
I wonder if Amazon would pay for another Roosevelt Island tram.




governorandrew










vern RI






Mitch Waxman










Feast of Music






CrispyBassis

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

Amazon should help finance bringing the N or W train to LaGuardia and then on to Flushing (instead of that stupid Airtrain) ... and then the other line should be extended into The Bronx.

Help....finance...? Would Amazon get to own the lines it finances? If that's the case then...

New York City Announces Subway Just For Amazon Employees Now

NEW YORK—Championing the decision as a necessary step to make the “Big Apple” more tech-friendly, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that the subway is just for Amazon employees now.

“All 8.6 million New York City residents not employed by Amazon or an Amazon subsidiary are prohibited from using MTA trains, effective immediately,” said de Blasio, adding that the transit system’s 27 subway lines will now exclusively serve as shuttles for the roughly 25,000 Amazon employees to commute through the five boroughs.

“If you enter a subway station and cannot prove you work for Jeff Bezos, you will be arrested. If you insist on getting around New York, you can take the bus so long as you’re not planning on transferring to the train later. I think the easiest thing residents can do in lieu of the taking the subway is to drive to their destination and park nearby.”

At press time, the mayor had ordered all inhabitants of Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Brooklyn to vacate their homes to make room for several new private communities for Amazon workers.

https://www.theonion.com/new-york-ci...yee-1830418104

It was later reported that suddenly the MTA had 100% on-time arrival rates for all trains.

[NYguy]

One of the things I hate is when people who should know better, for example the media, don't read things they should.


https://www.gq.com/story/amazon-helipad-tax-payers

Amazon's New York Helipad Will Be Funded by... Taxpayers


BY LUKE DARBY

Per Quartz:

The state Urban Development Corporation, the city Economic Development Corporation and the mayor’s office will help Amazon “secure access to a helipad on the Development Sites,” states the memo, dated yesterday (Nov. 12). If for some reason they can’t, officials say they will help the company get one “in an alternative location in reasonable proximity to the Development Sites” in Long Island City, where Amazon intends to build one of its two new headquarters.

A helipad may seem like an odd thing to single out, but in a way it represents a lot about Amazon's relationship to money, taxes, and community. Amazon already legally paid no federal income tax in 2017. If there's any company in the world that doesn't need tax breaks, it's arguably Amazon. And some people find the idea that the richest company in the world will get public money to set up private infrastructure in a city where public transportation is falling apart to be a little, well, galling. It prompted Fast Company to declare, "New York got played by Amazon."

There are, obviously, a lot of things that Bezos could do with that $1 billion a year, the least of which would be getting his employees off of food stamps. The very least he could do is fund his own helipad.

If that idiot had bothered to read it himself, he would have known better:





It clearly says any construction would be at the companies sole expense.



As far as what will be built on the campus, it seems that the plan is for 6 to 8 msf of commercial office space. There is nothing in the document about developing any residential space. That makes sense, LIC isn't short on new residential space being built. And that would be just one more thing for the critics to complain about, as even now there is talk of a residential glut coming to LIC.







As we wait for the development plan to be submitted and approved by the state, at least we know that the first phase will be on the norther portion of the development site, and inclue at least 1.5 msf of a "mixed-use" building, probably with some hotel component. This would have to commence within a year of approval of the project plan, and be completed within 4 years of that.







Amazon will be responsible for much on the infrastructure on site.

[JMKeynes]

This is going to be amazing!

[QUEENSNYMAN]

Originally Posted by NYguy

That is the plan. He talks about it in this video. About 32 minutes in, they also talk about the transportation issues.


• Video Link

At 6:27 minutes in did he (Andrew) say 54 states?

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by NYguy

I was reading that in the other proposal just to the north of the site, there was talk of building a bridge to Roosevelt Island (where Cornell Tech is taking shape).
I wonder if Amazon would pay for another Roosevelt Island tram.




governorandrew

This is going to be so transformative. Just when one thought that the Greatest City in the World couldn't get any better.....