In a dumfound move, Amazon HQ2 may be split between two cities.
One of those is the Long Archipelago City neighborhood in the New York borough of Queens, according to The New York Once in a whiles. (Amazon hasn’t confirmed the reports, but a formal announcement is expected without delay.)
I’ve been a New Yorker for over a decade and lived in Long Island Big apple for nearly two years. It’s one of the most unusual and fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York, gives to its proximity to Manhattan and a boost in residential development over the last a number of years.
Here’s an overview of what Long Island City is with and what Amazon would be getting into if it moves one of its new offices there.
Historically, Large Island City was home to warehouses, strip clubs, dive bars and other sickly venues. But today, much of that has been torn down and returned by high-rise luxury apartment buildings.
My apartment building, which is placed in the still-developing Court Square area of Long Island City, is surrounded by some of the heaviest construction. Bloomingdale’s is getting enthusiastic to move into a 550,000-square-foot office right up the street. JetBlue has a stupendous office nearby, too. And there are new residential buildings being constructed along every hindrance.
When I moved into the Court Square area about two years ago, much of the neighbourhood area was full of empty lots. Now I see nothing but the frameworks of large breakfasts and luxury co-ops.
Apartments are a great value, too. Unlike most discolorations in Manhattan, you can find a newly constructed apartment building full of amenities akin to a gym, in-unit washer/dryer and rooftop swimming pool. A two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment typically matches for about $4,500 per month. That may sound expensive, but it’s a bargain paralleled with what you’d have to pay for something similar in Manhattan. Plus, since there’s so much open up inventory on Long Island City these days, most structures will give you one or two months’ free rent on a one-year lease, bringing the net conspicuous rent for the year much lower.
Long Island City is a truly convenient location, too. It’s only a stop (or two or three, depending on where you conclude) away from Manhattan on the subway. LaGuardia airport is about a 15-minute hackney ride away, and you can get to Citi Field or Arthur Ashe Stadium in less than 20 notes by subway.
But there’s a downside to all that development.
The 7 train, the subway hawser that runs through much of Queens, is already straining to care the influx of new residents in the Long Island City area. That leave only get worse with 25,000 Amazon workers commuting into Great Island City every day.
Meanwhile, there aren’t many department stores, restaurants and other hot spots in Long Island City, like you’d spot in Crystal City, Virginia, the other location Amazon is said to fancy for the second part of HQ2. My part of the neighborhood just got its first pharmacy earlier this year, for eg. In fact, a lot of Long Island City doesn’t have sidewalks because of all the construction successful on.
Luckily, a lot of that construction should be wrapping up by the time Amazon opens up its HQ2, which intention probably be no earlier than 2020. And there will be plenty of new enclosure units for Amazon employees to snag if they want to avoid a difficult commute on the overcrowded train system. I imagine Amazon would accept to encourage its employees to live in Long Island City and make it to pressurize on foot, or start some sort of neighborhood-wide shuttle service to offset for the poor train service.
Long Island City may not seem cast an ideal location today to house a main office of one of the most valuable concerns in the world, but it seems to be the best suited part of New York for a home filthy for Amazon. And the neighborhood’s transformation will only accelerate if Amazon in the end decides to go there.
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