well,
PEP i cant tell my your attitude that your not interested in making nice as I have tried in most of my last posts. I never insulted you. But you have chosen to be combative. As for the construction, ask any reputable contractor and you'll get an education in building materials.
Is City lights in the process of being repointed? after 10 years? now thats curious. Repointing shouldn't have to be done for decades.

As for jake, As far as any of us know the first plans revealed to us were in 1996. If it went on before that Im unaware and you werent here for any of the initial meeting or plans so you have absolutely no first had knowledge of what went on then. So please dont consult you citylight handbook or development propaganda. We were told 6 buildings max, Integration with the existing architecture and very little loss of skyline. So did greed and deception prevail? probably. is this fair, no but thats what happened. You cant possibly tell me or any other person who lived here what went on and who said what because you werent here. end of story.

Yes change does happen especially in new york. But change over 10 years is a relatively short time when you consider how long this area remained stable and unchanged. People liked it that way...sorry. You should have been aprised that this was fought all along and that it wasnt ever welcome.
But thats that. Not much we can do. landmarking failed , zoning falied and local government failed to let the people who live here have a say in anything that happened. they said one thing to us and another to the big real estate development companies.

look what happened to the people on 51st avenue. The street in lined with gorgeous single family townhouses from the turn of the century.
Someone decided they wanted to build in the lot next to the railroad and now they have a monster right up against their property lines.
Obscuring the sun that once bathed their backyards and privacy now a thing of the past. Also that building is doing a terrible thing boxing the whole neighborhood in. Soon there will be little sky left.

Id this is your idea of progress,I feel sorry for you. Ask the 51st avenue owner how much their property value went down.
Oh dont bother, you dont care.


As for selfish. My idea of selfish was trying to get the landmark commission to get in here and save what we had. My idea of selfish was to get the zoning from getting out of hand so that future residents could enjoy the vistas we have enjoyed for a century. Id you think preservation is selfish than Im guilty.While most new tower residents were whining about a good latte or some kind of luxury amenity, we were in the trenches trying to save pieces of history you so blatantly refuse to acknowledge.

You'll be happy to know I'm done posting here. its a lost cause on a vapid emerging culture.

no offense to you Jake, I think you try to make the best out of all of this most of the time.

Hi All,

I love living amidst so many passionate people.  I've only been here for a year, but my wife and I love the dichotomy of the neighborhood.  This debate is a good example of how progress is a collaborative effort.  This area was long forgotten by the developers due to zoning.  Once that change was made, there was no other path.  Large development and infrastructure would never stay away from an area that is so close to Manhattan and avails its residents of such unbelievable views.  I'd like to think that many of the smaller businesses will thrive in the new LIC.  Boutiques, restaurants and othe specialty store should do quite well.  I think the pharmacy and E&I may have a different fate based on the arrival of the Duance Reade and Amish Market. In all, the area still has the potential to be charming and thriving despite the recent buildup.  Remember, you either ride the wave of change or you are buried beneath it - it is the only constant in the universe.

Thanks,

Doh

"Ask the 51st avenue owner how much their property value went down" - give me a break!!! I was reading DB' s gibberish for a while but now it's just too much. Here is some ideas for you - in 2004 you could by a house on 51st for around 800K (I actually looked). Now, these houses are a little above 1.5 mil. 

I just have one question for you DB - why are so bitter? Most of my neighbors are pretty happy about the changes - and these are people who lived here much longer than you! 

One more thing from some one who lives down the street from me and who has lived in LIC for most of his life. He told me that in last twenty years there was may be one baby born on the street and in the last two years there were six including his grandson. If this isn't progress for LIC - I don't know what is!

   I just knew this was coming.  I was wondering how long it would take.  There's been hints of it before, but this is the first thread that I know of, which exclusively (so far) expresses it.   

Charlie.

D Battalgia is doing a good job of stirring things up.  I don't want poor Jake to need to resort to his development propaganda to show that Queens West was discussed way before 1996.  At attached link are a couple articles from 80s.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22395341@N05/