You are reading

TF Cornerstone Demolishes Buildings By Newtown Creek to Make Way for 1,400-Unit Development

TF Cornerstone is currently demolishing two sites, pictured, by the Newtown Creek to make way for a 2-tower development (Photo: courtesy of Bob MacLagger)

Sept. 14, 2021 By Christian Murray

A large warehouse in Long Island City that was once home to City Harvest is currently being demolished to make way for another two-tower TF Cornerstone development on the waterfront.

The demolition of the warehouse—along with adjacent buildings—will clear the way for a 1,400-unit development on two contiguous parcels directly behind the massive Hunters Point South affordable housing development. The buildings currently being demolished are at 54-01 and 55-01 2nd St.

TF Cornerstone filed plans with the Dept. of Buildings in December to develop the two towers: one to be 39 stories with 812 units, and the other at 34 stories with 575 units. The sites both face the Newtown Creek.

The development will also include public waterfront access, linking the Newtown Creek waterfront with Hunters Point South Park, according to the company.

TF Cornerstone is a prolific builder in Long Island City. It transformed the Hunters Point waterfront by building six residential towers on Center Boulevard (by Gantry Plaza State Park) over a 10-year period, comprised of 2,615 rental units and 184 condominiums.

The company is also close to completing its 1,194-unit project on Parcel C of the Hunters Point South development. Parcel C backs onto 2nd Street.

TF Cornerstone is developing the two sites on the bottom right in red. The sites are part of the Special Southern Hunters Point District established in 2008 (Source: City Planning)

TF Cornerstone is permitted to build the two towers where the warehouses were located—since the lots are part of the Special Southern Hunters Point District that was created in 2008. That district was established with the sprawling Hunters Point South development in mind, although these two parcels were not part of that 5,000-unit mega plan.

The company bought the two sites on 2nd Street in November 2018 for $285 million. The purchase appeared well timed, since it came days before Amazon said it planned to move to Long Island City. The Amazon plan, however, was abandoned in February 2019 following push-back from a number of elected officials and community groups.

TF Cornerstone had floated the idea in 2019 of creating a special district on 2nd Street that would incorporate the two sites. The rezoning area proposed would have roughly gone from the Newtown Creek to Borden Avenue—between 2nd Street and 5th Street.

The proposal involved rezoning some manufacturing space surrounding the LIRR tracks and decking over a 3 1/8 acre section of the Yard between 2nd and 5th Streets. The deck was to be used for park space and would connect to Vernon Boulevard.

The plan, however, was not embraced by Community board 2’s Land Use committee in a meeting in 2019.

In terms of its current plan, the company has yet to provide a timeline as to when it aims to break ground or complete construction.

TF Cornerstone is currently demolishing two sites by the Newtown Creek to make way for a 2-tower development. (Photo: courtesy of Bob MacLagger)

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Disgraced former Queens Council Member Dan Halloran arrested on child porn charges

Former Queens Council Member Dan Halloran, who was convicted in 2014 for his role in two bribery and corruption schemes and served five years in federal prison, is in trouble with the law again.

Halloran was arrested at Miami International Airport on Saturday, March 29, and charged with possessing child pornography and transporting child pornography after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspected his Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and an Apple iPad 6th Generation tablet and discovered several videos of suspected child pornography located in a hidden folder album on the phone’s photos application, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida.

Southeast Queens man convicted of triple murder in 2022 stabbing rampage that killed girlfriend, her son and cousin: DA

A Jamaica man was convicted at trial Tuesday of murder in the first degree and other crimes for the vicious stabbing deaths of his girlfriend, her son and a visiting cousin during a bloody rampage in June 2022.

Travis Blake, 31, of 155th Street, faces up to life in prison at sentencing following the three-and-a-half-week-long trial. The jury deliberated for just two hours before reaching the guilty verdict in Queens Supreme Court.

Op-ed: The crisis facing immigrant gender-based violence survivors

April 2, 2025 By Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, Zeinab Eyega and Yasmeen Hamza

As advocates who have dedicated our careers to achieving gender equity and justice, and as the representative of and service providers for some of the most culturally diverse districts in the country, we know firsthand the importance of ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence receive support that speaks to their specific needs. In Queens, where nearly 300 languages and dialects are spoken and we face the third-highest rate of reported domestic violence in New York State, the call for culturally specific services is urgent—and it is time for us to act.