Just on the other side of the east River, directly across from the new Cornell Tech Campus, developer Stuart Match Suna imagines huge opportunity for Long Island City.
“Giving the public back the waterfront. I mean it’s more than 100 years since New York City used its waterfront,“ said Suna, president of SilverCup Studios.
Suna is developing prime real estate in the shadow of the Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge.
He said with the new campus opening up so close he imagines turning the empty lot into a world class hub to accommodate the needs of the students and faculty.
His approved plans include 2.1 million square feet of mixed use space; both residential and commercial.
“Retail, restaurants right on the river with the public esplanade so it’s a prime opportunity for one of the applied sciences or for museums are part of our plan,” said Suna.
The new campus comes as Long Island City has seen exploding growth. Numerous new developments as well as thousands of residential units are opening in the coming months.
“Just as we have housing here for people at every income level. There is the kind of space for every kind of company and that means that there’s jobs at every level,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, president of LIC Partnership.
But, with those jobs, also comes the need to get around.
The partnership said that’s being addressed by fixing the current infrastructure as well as adding more ferry lines in the area.
Last month, the Roosevelt Island Ferry opened up just blocks from the new campus.
The partnership envisions even more opening up along the East River, as the neighborhood prepares for a new era.
“People have said will this be as big as Silicone Valley and I think it’s actually going to be better and different with all respect to them,” said Lusskin. “When all those great companies that they're building need a place to grow and land were going to be the place to do that. “