Silvercup West
Up to Neighborhood Discussion
Posted by
Another take (now up to 1.5 Billion)
[quote] NY studio developers see hope for housing project
Staff and agencies
15 March, 2006
By Gregg Goldstein 40 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In many ways, it‘s a tale of two New York Cities.
Just north of the Queensboro Bridge lies Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing project in the U.S., with more than 3,000 apartments and an estimated 15,000-20,000 residents. The average rent is about $300 and the average annual income of known tenants is $18,700.
Just south of the bridge lie blocks of industrial buildings, Silvercup Studios and, if owners Alan and Stuart Match Suna have their way, the future site of Silvercup West, a planned $1.5 billion, 2 million-square-foot riverside complex with eight new soundstages, a catering hall, cultural center, offices, stores and a thousand market-rate residential units.
It‘s one of the country‘s most extreme examples of gentrification, and a potential boon to New York‘s film business. Just how these worlds will co-exist remains to be seen, and will be examined in a seven-month public Uniform Land Use Review Process that has just gotten under way. The earliest construction could begin is next year, with completion by 2010.
The Sunas see benefits for both sides of the 59th Street Bridge. "One of our commitments when the New York production tax credit program passed was to start outreach and job-training programs for people of color," Stuart Suna says. "We‘re working with local leaders to provide job opportunities and training to members of the community."
The brothers estimate the complex will provide 2,200 construction jobs, 3,900 permanent jobs and 2,500 indirect jobs, including vendors and caterers to new productions.
For the entertainment industry, Stuart Suna envisions the 665,000 square feet of office and retail space and 350,000 square feet of studio and direct support space and sees Silvercup West as "a new media capital for New York." The Sunas have been working on the project for the past three-and-a-half years, hiring acclaimed British architect Richard Rogers, known for his design work on the Center Pompidou in Paris and the Millennium Dome in London. The proposed change to the locale where a power plant now resides is remarkable.
In a neighborhood where the loud noise of trucks is a part of daily life, all loading docks and driveways will be inside the complex. "We‘ve taken all the vehicles off the streets, and all building facades will be actively used," Alan Suna says.
The strongest example of this is the waterfront. A planned esplanade will have chess tables, reclining chairs, benches, grass and trees. Stuart Suna envisions workers on break viewing Manhattan‘s breathtaking skyline over the East River, with plenty of stores to choose from.
Over at Queensbridge, residents have a similar dream. Selena Blake, who spent two years producing a documentary about the housing project called "Queensbridge: The Other Side" and has lived in an apartment there for two decades, says, "It‘s a desolate area, and we welcome Silvercup West 100%. It has the amenities that we‘ve dreamed and prayed for."
She notes the lack of a dry-cleaning store, and that a local pharmacy and bodega closed just at the beginning of this month. "We don‘t have anything around us," she says.
In her documentary, Blake traces the history of Queensbridge from its 1938 opening through the devastation brought on by heroin in the ‘60s and crack in the ‘80s.
"There are just a few bad apples," she says, "but we welcome anything that‘s going to change these young people‘s lives. We‘d like them to start hiring people from here."
The first public hearing is on April 6 in the Queens neighborhood with both complexes, Long Island City. Stuart Suna is bracing himself for "a certain amount of outcry for affordable housing," but Blake seems optimistic. "People have heard about this for many years," she says, "and in more than 100 interviews I‘ve done, no one opposes the project."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
[/quote]
Jake
[quote] NY studio developers see hope for housing project
Staff and agencies
15 March, 2006
By Gregg Goldstein 40 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In many ways, it‘s a tale of two New York Cities.
Just north of the Queensboro Bridge lies Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing project in the U.S., with more than 3,000 apartments and an estimated 15,000-20,000 residents. The average rent is about $300 and the average annual income of known tenants is $18,700.
Just south of the bridge lie blocks of industrial buildings, Silvercup Studios and, if owners Alan and Stuart Match Suna have their way, the future site of Silvercup West, a planned $1.5 billion, 2 million-square-foot riverside complex with eight new soundstages, a catering hall, cultural center, offices, stores and a thousand market-rate residential units.
It‘s one of the country‘s most extreme examples of gentrification, and a potential boon to New York‘s film business. Just how these worlds will co-exist remains to be seen, and will be examined in a seven-month public Uniform Land Use Review Process that has just gotten under way. The earliest construction could begin is next year, with completion by 2010.
The Sunas see benefits for both sides of the 59th Street Bridge. "One of our commitments when the New York production tax credit program passed was to start outreach and job-training programs for people of color," Stuart Suna says. "We‘re working with local leaders to provide job opportunities and training to members of the community."
The brothers estimate the complex will provide 2,200 construction jobs, 3,900 permanent jobs and 2,500 indirect jobs, including vendors and caterers to new productions.
For the entertainment industry, Stuart Suna envisions the 665,000 square feet of office and retail space and 350,000 square feet of studio and direct support space and sees Silvercup West as "a new media capital for New York." The Sunas have been working on the project for the past three-and-a-half years, hiring acclaimed British architect Richard Rogers, known for his design work on the Center Pompidou in Paris and the Millennium Dome in London. The proposed change to the locale where a power plant now resides is remarkable.
In a neighborhood where the loud noise of trucks is a part of daily life, all loading docks and driveways will be inside the complex. "We‘ve taken all the vehicles off the streets, and all building facades will be actively used," Alan Suna says.
The strongest example of this is the waterfront. A planned esplanade will have chess tables, reclining chairs, benches, grass and trees. Stuart Suna envisions workers on break viewing Manhattan‘s breathtaking skyline over the East River, with plenty of stores to choose from.
Over at Queensbridge, residents have a similar dream. Selena Blake, who spent two years producing a documentary about the housing project called "Queensbridge: The Other Side" and has lived in an apartment there for two decades, says, "It‘s a desolate area, and we welcome Silvercup West 100%. It has the amenities that we‘ve dreamed and prayed for."
She notes the lack of a dry-cleaning store, and that a local pharmacy and bodega closed just at the beginning of this month. "We don‘t have anything around us," she says.
In her documentary, Blake traces the history of Queensbridge from its 1938 opening through the devastation brought on by heroin in the ‘60s and crack in the ‘80s.
"There are just a few bad apples," she says, "but we welcome anything that‘s going to change these young people‘s lives. We‘d like them to start hiring people from here."
The first public hearing is on April 6 in the Queens neighborhood with both complexes, Long Island City. Stuart Suna is bracing himself for "a certain amount of outcry for affordable housing," but Blake seems optimistic. "People have heard about this for many years," she says, "and in more than 100 interviews I‘ve done, no one opposes the project."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
[/quote]
Jake
Silvercup Passes CB2 With Few Complaints
Silvercup Studio�s development plans have gotten the �OK� of CB2.
By ANDREW MOESEL
In front of a crowded room in the Citigroup building Thursday night stood a wall of suited men and women. A microphone shuffled between them as they offered detailed descriptions about architecture, landscaping, traffic patterns and even shadows.
Community Board 2 members listened to these experts lay out plans for the proposed $1 billion development in Long Island City � a multi-tower, 50-story project along the East River called Silvercup West � and, at the end, they had a few concerns. Some inquires were pointed, and others rambled on a little, like one elderly woman who spoke until the board chairman asked her if she had a question at all.
�My question is: who needs it?� the old woman replied.
Although the board passed all eight zoning variances needed to construct the proposed Silvercup project, and many who attended spoke glowingly in its favor, some residents expressed a hint of discomfort over the creation of such a large development in their backyard.
No one seemed intent on protecting the landscape at the proposed footprint of the construction site. Currently, it holds two power generators, a salt pile and a vacant lot � essentially desolate and cut off from the surrounding community.
�This waterfront has been virtually ignored for many years,� said Alan Suna, CEO of Silvercup. �It was basically a dumping ground for things that should be somewhere else.�
But several in attendance feared the massive development could swing the neighborhood too far in the other direction, drawing thousands of people into the area and putting more pressure on the infrastructure than it could handle.
Several questioned whether the two residential towers � which would house an estimated 2,000 people � would burden both the city�s sewer system and public schools. Silvercup executives reassured them that they and city engineers had conducted impact studies concluding the development was feasible.
Joel Shapiro, who owns a building directly behind where the project would be built, said he wasn�t opposed to the project, but he thought it could be scaled down and better incorporated with existing structures in the area. The huge frame of the buildings, four acres across and almost two football fields high, could obscure the skyline, he said.
�The reason why I bought this building is for its fabulous space, light and views,� Shapiro said. �These buildings block the view from the south of the Queensborough Bridge.
As much as I admire [architect] Richard Rogers, and his efforts to try and mirror the bridge, it is definitely in competition with the bridge as well.�
Monty Mitchell, a local architect, rapidly delivered a detail rich speech outlining the dangers of overdeveloping the area. The R10 zoning that developers were requesting would set a precedent for similarly sized projects in the future, he said, leading to a crowded waterfront and big box retailers.
The nuance of Mitchell�s argument escaped some of the audience members. �Is he for it or against it?� one attendee muttered to a neighbor. �They can only vote yes or no.�
In the end, however, more people applauded the construction of Silvercup West than criticized it. The business community, especially the film industry, was especially excited for the thousands of square feet of retail and studio space the development would bring.
�Despite what most people say, the motion pictures business has always been owned by New York City,� said John Ford, a member of the Motion Pictures Mechanics Local 52. �The biggest problem is and has always been the lack or real studio space.�
Some Silvercup Zoning Requests
Change zoning to allow for development
Build new Silvercup Sign
Construct 1,400-car parking garage
Plant trees in clusters, not rows
Have special outdoor lighting
Display a statue near the water
Silvercup Studio�s development plans have gotten the �OK� of CB2.
By ANDREW MOESEL
In front of a crowded room in the Citigroup building Thursday night stood a wall of suited men and women. A microphone shuffled between them as they offered detailed descriptions about architecture, landscaping, traffic patterns and even shadows.
Community Board 2 members listened to these experts lay out plans for the proposed $1 billion development in Long Island City � a multi-tower, 50-story project along the East River called Silvercup West � and, at the end, they had a few concerns. Some inquires were pointed, and others rambled on a little, like one elderly woman who spoke until the board chairman asked her if she had a question at all.
�My question is: who needs it?� the old woman replied.
Although the board passed all eight zoning variances needed to construct the proposed Silvercup project, and many who attended spoke glowingly in its favor, some residents expressed a hint of discomfort over the creation of such a large development in their backyard.
No one seemed intent on protecting the landscape at the proposed footprint of the construction site. Currently, it holds two power generators, a salt pile and a vacant lot � essentially desolate and cut off from the surrounding community.
�This waterfront has been virtually ignored for many years,� said Alan Suna, CEO of Silvercup. �It was basically a dumping ground for things that should be somewhere else.�
But several in attendance feared the massive development could swing the neighborhood too far in the other direction, drawing thousands of people into the area and putting more pressure on the infrastructure than it could handle.
Several questioned whether the two residential towers � which would house an estimated 2,000 people � would burden both the city�s sewer system and public schools. Silvercup executives reassured them that they and city engineers had conducted impact studies concluding the development was feasible.
Joel Shapiro, who owns a building directly behind where the project would be built, said he wasn�t opposed to the project, but he thought it could be scaled down and better incorporated with existing structures in the area. The huge frame of the buildings, four acres across and almost two football fields high, could obscure the skyline, he said.
�The reason why I bought this building is for its fabulous space, light and views,� Shapiro said. �These buildings block the view from the south of the Queensborough Bridge.
As much as I admire [architect] Richard Rogers, and his efforts to try and mirror the bridge, it is definitely in competition with the bridge as well.�
Monty Mitchell, a local architect, rapidly delivered a detail rich speech outlining the dangers of overdeveloping the area. The R10 zoning that developers were requesting would set a precedent for similarly sized projects in the future, he said, leading to a crowded waterfront and big box retailers.
The nuance of Mitchell�s argument escaped some of the audience members. �Is he for it or against it?� one attendee muttered to a neighbor. �They can only vote yes or no.�
In the end, however, more people applauded the construction of Silvercup West than criticized it. The business community, especially the film industry, was especially excited for the thousands of square feet of retail and studio space the development would bring.
�Despite what most people say, the motion pictures business has always been owned by New York City,� said John Ford, a member of the Motion Pictures Mechanics Local 52. �The biggest problem is and has always been the lack or real studio space.�
Some Silvercup Zoning Requests
Change zoning to allow for development
Build new Silvercup Sign
Construct 1,400-car parking garage
Plant trees in clusters, not rows
Have special outdoor lighting
Display a statue near the water