April 1, 2021 By Christina Santucci The future of the Neptune Diner is in doubt as a developer wants to bulldoze the site and construct an 11-story building. Community Board 1 held a meeting via Zoom last week to hear an informational presentation about the plan that involves rezoning three sites along 31st Street between… Read more »
March 31, 2021 By Ryan Songalia New York has become state number 15 to legalize recreational pot with Gov. Andrew Cuomo signing the “Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act” into law this morning. The bill cleared both the New York State Senate and Assembly yesterday, and Cuomo pledged last night that he would make it law…. Read more »
March 31, 2021 By Christian Murray Lidl, the European discount grocery chain, is coming to Queens. The company will be opening a store in Astoria on April 7, which will offer a combination of American products as well as European specialty items ranging from hard-to-find cheeses to authentic specialty sauces, cured meats and more. The… Read more »
March 30, 2021 By Christina Santucci A Queens-based theater company that closed its performance space in Long Island City last year is opening a location in Sunnyside to offer performing arts classes. Richard Mazda, the owner and founder of the Secret Theatre, said he has found a venue in Sunnyside for his company’s educational programming… Read more »
March 30, 2021 Op-Ed By Hailie Kim There was a distinct sinking and roiling in my stomach. “Are you a prostitute?” a man asked. I was 17 at the time. I was not, in fact, a prostitute. I was and am, however, clearly an East Asian woman. This question: “are you a prostitute?” is one… Read more »
March 29, 2021 By Christina Santucci More than 60 Sunnyside residents—along with four candidates running for elected office–rallied against Phipps Houses’ Barnett Avenue rezoning plan Saturday afternoon, just days after the proposal was given the green light by the City Council. The attendees, who came together on 51st Street near Barnett Avenue, said that they… Read more »
March 29, 2021 By Christina Santucci Several dozen people marched through the streets of Astoria Sunday evening, demanding justice for a woman who was killed by a stray bullet near Woodside Houses two weeks earlier. The march, held in memory of Gudelia Vallinas, started at the corner of 50th Street and Broadway, where the fatal… Read more »
March 26, 2021 By Christian Murray A Long Island City developer who owns a waterfront property near Anable Basin has plans to convert part of his 6-acre site into a “green energy hub” that would provide power to Queensbridge Houses as well as nearby businesses. Bruce Teitelbaum, the general partner of RiverLInC, plans to develop… Read more »
March 25, 2021 By Christian Murray The rezoning application filed by Phipps Houses was passed by the City Council today–making way for a seven-story, 167-affordable housing complex to go up at 50-25 Barnett Ave. The vote, which passed 49-0, marked the final step in the rezoning process–which officially means the development can proceed. The controversial… Read more »
March 25, 2021 By Christian Murray A man was shot outside the Woodside Houses NYCHA complex last night—marking the third shooting to take place at the public housing development within two weeks. The victim, a 32-year-old man, was shot in the back at around 11:45 p.m. while sitting outside the complex on 49th Street near… Read more »