Long Island City Business Improvement District

2012-2013 Annual Report

2013 Annual Meeting

District BackgroundThe Long Island City Business Improvement District (LIC BID), created in 2005, provides targeted services for the commercial core of the neighborhood encompassing all properties along Queens Plaza North and Queens

Plaza South from 21st Street to Jackson Avenue, and along Jackson Avenue from Queens Plaza South to 45th

Avenue / Thomson Avenue. The BIDs boundaries encompass a large portion of the 37 block area of LIC that

was rezoned as New York Citys Fourth Central Business District in July of 2001.

This year, the BID celebrates its 8th anniversary, continuing another year of providing supplemental

sanitation and security services to keep the District clean and safe, maintaining the recently completed streetscape improvements on Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue, and undertaking various marketing initiatives to promote Long Island City and foster commercial development. These services help make LICs Central Business District more attractive and inviting, and play an integral role in the

ongoing transformation of the area. The BID also works closely with its parent organization and marketing

arm, the Long Island City Partnership, to host events, assist businesses throughout the area and effectively promote and brand Long Island City both within the District and at large. There are many accomplishments to celebrate over the past year, and even more exciting things to look forward to as the BID

continues to serve the ever-evolving needs of the business district.

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Atlantic Maintenance Corporation and NYC Department of Parks and Recration staff keeping the Distirct clean and landscaped.

2013 BID Annual Meeting

Over the past year, Long Island City has seen signifi-cant commercial investment and exciting residen-

tial growth. The Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue

corridors have continued to transform into a world-

class business district, and the larger area into a thriving mix-use community. Its mixed-use zoning,

proximity to midtown Manhattan, superb access via

subway, rail, bus, highways and a growing residen-tial population have allowed the District to continue

thriving over the past year.

The BID has welcomed new commercial tenants, educational institutions and several new restau-

rants in the past year. Working with neighborhood

and city-wide arts organizations, the BID has en-

joyed public art and cultural programming in spaces that would otherwise be vacant. The BID has wel-

comed new employees, students, residents and visitors, and has provided presentations and walk-

ing tours in addition to distributing maps, neighbor-

hood brochures and Perks cards.

The BID continues to encourage companies to

locate to LIC, and maintains a selection of commer-

cial property listings online. Working with property

owners and real estate contacts, the BID provides marketing materials to help attract new investment

and lure new commercial and residential tenants.

The BID continues to provide nightly security ser-

vice, while crime statistics steadily go down.

With supplemental sanitation, and ongoing main-

tenance and landscaping of the Districts green

spaces, the BID is more attractive and welcoming

than ever before.

As the neighborhood hosts a critical mass of busi-

nesses, residents, and visitors, LIC is becoming a true 24/7 environment and a vibrant place to live,

work, and play.

Year in Review

Highlights Launched Partnership Perks Worked to design a template for public art in vacant lots as part of BID Challenge Held the First Annual Celebrate LIC Served as a community partner for the WalkNYC program Maintained hundreds of street banners Worked with the New York Daily News and local contributors to produce a special insert, Summer in the City: LIC Style Launched Fun Fridays in Dutch Kills Green Provided presentations, walking tours and welcome packages Applied for City funding for public Wifi (winners to be announced)

Looking Ahead Launch a new, redesigned banner program Work to bring public WiFi to LIC Advocate for Bike Share in LIC Undertake BID Expansion Produce neighborhood maps which compliment the WalkNYC program Continue Fun Fridays and develop new community programming Undertake new initiatives to enhance the attractiveness of the District through streetscape beautification

Long Island City Partnership

ProgramsThe BID maintains the streetscape and beautification improvements recently completed as part of an $80 million capital program in the District. The renovation of Queens Plaza has revitalized the pedestrian

environment by introducing greenery as well as adding seating and providing effective pedestrian signals

across Queens Plaza. These improvements have been truly transformative, making Queens Plaza increasingly

attractive to new businesses and everyday guests.

Dutch Kills Green marked its first full year open in April, and is proving to be a great success as a

beautiful gateway for Manhattan to the borough. This

new epicenter of activity continues to attract area

employees and neighborhood visitors. The BID will

begin Fun Fridays in the park this summer, with

music programming for visitors to the park to enjoy.

Long Island City Partnership

Special thanks to the following companies who have pledged additional support annually to sponsor the maintenance of these improvements:

Allan Briteway Electrical ContractorsAndover RealtyBrause RealtyCitibank

LargaVista CompaniesSilvercup StudiosTishman Speyer

The BID continues to maintain the landscaped Jackson Avenue Medians and has made other upgrades over the past year including improving the attractiveness

of the tree pits and replacing trash receptacle decals with LIC Partnerships branding. The BID was

also successful in bringing two new bus shelters to the District.

The BID manages hundreds of street banners installed across the neighborhood, with the support and sponsor-ship of area businesses and stakeholders. The banners

help brighten the streets, orient pedestrians, and promote a sense of pride for Long Island City. In the past year,

sponsorship plaques were also installed on benches along Jackson Avenue.

Street Banners & Benches

This year, we helped transform vacant re-tail properties in the District into public art

exhibitions. We supported No Longer Emptys

How Much Do I Owe You exhibit, which

brought cultural programming to the Clock

Tower from December through March. We

also worked with Modern Spaces to host an

event, Celebrate LIC in the space. The event

featured food from BID restaurants and beer from local breweries. This spring, we worked

Over the past year, weve worked with NYC DOT to develop a new

wayfinding system for LIC as part of a city-wide program, WalkNYC.

The signage, expected to be installed in LIC this summer, will help orient visitors to and encourage exploration of the many destinations and

attractions the neighborhood has to offer.

In July of 2012, we launched Partnership

Perks, a neighborhood discount program

designed to give businesses an opportunity to promote themselves through special deals. In the programs first year, it has

closely with the LIC Arts Open to secure spaces for use as part of this years festival. While we work to promote

available properties to new commercial and retail tenants, filling vacant spaces with creative uses helps bring

life to the streetscape in the interim.

Vacant Spaces Activated with Public Art

WalkNYC in LIC

Partnership Perks

For more information about Partnership Perks, visit

www.licpartnership.org/Perks.

grown to include nearly 70 participating businesses with about 10,000 cards in distribution. The Perks program

is proving to be a valuable resource for the community, helping motivate area employees and residents to

experience what LIC has to offer, while providing businesses with a new promotional tool.

Maintenance & Beautification

2013 BID Annual Meeting

New to the DistrictBecause of the continued influx of both daytime and residential populations to the Plaza, Jackson Avenue and Long Island City as a whole, new restaurants, offices and institutions continue to open in the District. Recent additions include:

Resobox (41-26 27th Street) - December, 2011Triple Shot World Atlas Cafe (27-06 Queens Plaza South) - January, 2012Checkers (27-12 Queens Plaza South) - February, 2012Queens Immigration Facility (27-35 Jackson Avenue) - March, 2012JetBlue headquarters (27-01 Queens Plaza North) - April, 2012.Stop-N-Go Chicken (25-7 Queens Plaza North) - April, 2012Q4 Hotel (29-09 Queens Plaza North) - June, 2012Imperial Wok (27-02 Queens Plaza South) - August, 2012Apex Technical School (24-02 Queens Plaza South) - August, 2012Chickpea (42-09 28th Street) - December, 2012Rajs Indian Kitchen (27-18 Queens Plaza South) - December, 2012See.Me (26-19 Jackson Avenue) - January, 2013Re:Sources headquarters (27-01 Queens Plaza North) - April, 2013 Commissary Market (25-15 Queens Plaza North, Second Floor) - April, 2013

A new restaurant is expected to open on Queens Plaza South in summer, featuring diner food during the day and tapas an night, with a full bar. Under construction in the BID is a Hilton Hotel at 29-21 41st Ave., a mixed-use building with 97 residential units at 26-14 Jackson Avenue and a mixed-use tower at 43-25 Hunter St. with 975 residential units. More projects are being planned in the BID including: Marriott Hotel, Aloft Hotel, Toyoko Hotel, a mixed-use project with approximately 450 residential units and a mixed-use project with 700 - 1,000 residential units. Just outside of the BID in the Court Square area, we will see major additions in the next year including a new grocery store, residents to fill 709 units at LincLIC, the opening of M. Wells Steakhouse and and public art curated by Socrates Sculpture Park.

Neighborhood Growth

Long Island City Partnership

MarketingDigital CommunicationsOur digital outreach has grown significantly over the past year. We

promote area businesses and happenings daily through our website and social media platforms, while our weekly

newsletter delivers the information

directly to thousands of recipients. This

year we grew our social media presence substantially on Facebook and also with a

newly launched Instagram account.

restaurants and amenities. We have also worked with NYC & Company, the citys official marketing and tourism

organization to promote LIC as a visitor destination, both

through the press and through presentations we provide to

tour operators. We lead walking tours for area employees, as

well as for those seeking to invest in Long Island City.

LIC has received significant positive press in the past year,

most heavily focusing on the booming residential market,

the expanding tech-sector, the growing tourism and hotel

industry as well as LICs renowned cultural destinations.

Summer in the City: LIC StyleThis spring, the BID worked with New York Daily News to produce a special insert entitled, Summer in the City: LIC Style, an update

of Long Island City is Hot This Summer, published last year. The

section features a variety of restaurants, cultural programming and

attractions in the neighborhood, and incorporates contributions from

several community members. The section was distributed throughout

western Queens, in portions of Manhattan and Brooklyn and is

also available on the New York Daily News webiste. LIC Partnership is continuing to distribute an additional 1,000 copies to District

employees and at area restaurants.

There is a positive buzz about Long Island City!Major corporations and smaller firms continue to express interest in Long Island City and are moving to the

neighborhood. The LIC Partnership is welcoming them to the neighborhood and offering our services.

Over the past year, we have prepared presentations for company employees and hotel staff on area In July of 2012, we tracked pedestrian foot traffic on Queens Plaza South, and found that foot traffic had nearly doubled during the morning and lunch time hours since 2010.

We continue to market this growth and trends to potential retailers and others looking to invest in the future of LIC.

2013 BID Annual Meeting

Snapshots of progress since the BID was formed

2013 BID Annual Meeting

Welcome new companies, employers and students to Long Island CityAs the daily population in Long Island City grows, it will remain our duty to welcome these individuals and let them know what the area has to offer. We will continue leading walking tours as well as giving

orientations to incoming employees.

Attract New Services and Retail to Long Island City Although Long Island City is developing a critical 24/7 mass of residents, workers, students, and first time visitors, many regional and national retailers remain unaware of the neighborhood and do not understand its potential value. Through targeted outreach to retailers and by providing specific demographic information showing the recent transformation of Long Island City, we will continue our efforts to increase

the amount of daily services and retail amenities available in the District.

Provide Programming and Events for New Residents & EmployeesWe are attracting newcomers to LIC and we want to provide plenty of options and opportunities for people to get out and enjoy what the neighborhood has to offer. We look forward to continuing to partner with arts groups, businesses and other community members in order to provide new activities, unique programming and networking events for stakeholders in the District. In addition to our weekly newsletter highlighting these events, we maintain an events calendar on our website.

The Long Island City BID continues to...

Attract & welcome new businesses

Long Island City Partnership

Develop neighborhood programming

Generate ideas for new marketing programs and District beautification

Distribute promotional collateral

Maintain the streetscape & improve infrastructure

Provide advocacy and support to promote economic development that benefits the District.

2012-2013 Long Island City BID Board of Directors

Class A - Property Owners Michelle Adams Tishman Speyer Craig Axelrod Emmy Homes David Brause, Chair Brause Realty Patricia Dunphy, Vice Chair Rockrose Development Corporation Leonard GeroAndover Realty Vivian Meyers Gotham Realty Edward Piccinich SL Green Realty Corp. Marcello Porcelli LargaVista Companies Carlos Salmon Jr. Allan Briteway Electrical Contractors Inc. Alan Suna, Treasurer Bridge Plaza Associates Gretchen Werwaiss, Secretary Werwaiss & Co., Inc.

Class B - Commercial Tenants Elliot Lubitz Citibank N.A. Gary Kesner, Nominations Chair Silvercup Studios

James Pileski The Burger Garage, LLC John Chambers MetLife

Martin St. George JetBlue Airways Corporation

Class C - Residents Christopher R. Lynn

Class D - Elected Officials Office of the Mayor Andrea Buteau, NYC Dept. of Small Business Services Office of the Comptroller Mabel Law, Office of John C. Liu Office of the Borough President Melva Miller, Office of Borough President Helen Marshall City Council Member Joe Kenton, Office of Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer

Class E - Non-Voting Members Queens Community Board 1 Vincio Donato Queens Community Board 2 Joseph Conley

Long Island City Partnership

Get Connected

Facebook.com/LICPartnership

@LICPartnership

@LICPartnership

Long Island City Partnership

www.licpartnership.org

Photo: Jesse Winter Photo: PODtography Photo: Jesse Winter

We are eager to assist any business that now calls Long Island City home, or would like to move here in the future.

For More Information About the Long Island City BID, Please Contact Us:

27-01 Queens Plaza North, 9th FloorLong Island City, NY 11101

718-786-5300 x30dfrankel@licpartnership.org

www.licpartnership.org