Six Months After Amazon: A Call to Develop in Long island City

Carlo Scisurra, president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, pens an opinion piece for Crain's New York Business that calls for a new comprehensive plan for Long Island City, six months after Amazon cancelled its plans to build a second headquarters in the New York neighborhood.

The key now is to create a comprehensive plan for the area to ensure the site that Amazon targeted is used intelligently to better Long Island City, the borough and the entire region. To develop this blueprint, all stakeholders must come together—the private owners, city and state officials, and, of course, the local residents. It is essential that the community is involved throughout the entirety of the planning process to ensure that whatever is built benefits the people and businesses that call the neighborhood home.

According to Scisurra, most New Yorkers supported the Amazon plans, reflecting a desire for development in Long Island City. Now the city has to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the site, and "return to a spirit of aspirational planning":

Just imagine: LIC could be the home of what would be New York’s only dedicated soccer stadium, creating a new, vibrant cultural landmark in Queens. It could include other venues and amenities as well, such as a new museum, a much-needed second convention center (to complement Manhattan’s Javits) or a modern park or public space.

Scisurra offers other ideas for how the former Amazon site could be developed, and why it can and should be.