April 22, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Several online fundraisers have raised more than $90,000 for Astoria residents displaced by a four-alarm fire that ripped through two buildings on 31st Avenue on Easter Sunday. The blaze ignited inside a three-story mixed-use building at 21-33 31st Ave. shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, before spreading… Read more »
April 22, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The annual Sunnyside Restaurant Week officially kicks off Tuesday, April 22, featuring deals at more than 50 local restaurants to showcase the neighborhood as a true culinary destination. The two-week culinary celebration, running through Sunday, May 4, allows Sunnyside residents and out-of-towners alike to try new restaurants throughout the neighborhood…. Read more »
April 21, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The OneLIC Neighborhood Plan officially entered the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) on Monday, following certification by the City Planning Commission. The sweeping proposal aims to transform a large portion of Long Island City with new zoning rules that would create nearly 14,700 housing units—including 4,300 affordable… Read more »
April 21, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled a new student-designed billboard in Astoria Monday morning, encouraging motorists to slow down near work zones on city streets and highways as part of National Work Zone Awareness Week. The poster, unveiled at the intersection of 31st Street and Ditmars… Read more »
April 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The Long Island City Partnership (LICP) held its 20th-annual Real Estate Breakfast last week, celebrating how the neighborhood has “surged ahead” from an industrial hub to a “thriving mixed-use destination” over the past two decades. More than 350 business leaders and policymakers attended the Real Estate Breakfast, which took… Read more »
April 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for protected bike lanes and “safety improvements” under the elevated subway tracks on 31st Street in Astoria—just one week after a group opposing the project produced a similar-sized petition. The 31st Ave. Open Street Collective, which launched the dueling… Read more »
April 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Culture Lab LIC will celebrate the launch of its outdoor season at the beginning of May, ushering in a season of outdoor live music performances, cultural festivals and dog-friendly events. The outdoor space, officially rebranded as “The Lot” for the 2025 summer outdoor season, will launch with a grand… Read more »
April 17, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Over 100 New Yorkers flocked to Ditmars Boulevard Wednesday evening as Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony visited local cannabis dispensary Terp Bros as part of the New York launch of his cannabis brand “STAYME7O.” Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star widely regarded as one of the best players to have never… Read more »
April 16, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Senator Jessica Ramos presented a $2.5 million check to Costa Constantinides, CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ), to support the construction of a new aquatic center as part of the organization’s ambitious $293 million redevelopment project in Astoria. The funding will go toward… Read more »
April 16, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Connected Chef, a LIC-based nonprofit that provides fresh produce to families in Queens, held a press conference last week to announce that it is being “evicted” from its current location and seeks support from elected officials and the local community to find a new home. The organization, founded by… Read more »