Lawmaker: Deal Reached On 5Pointz Redevelopment Plan
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A lawmaker says the City Council has reached a deal on a $400 million project to redevelop several buildings in Queens recognized for their graffiti art.
The owner of the brick warehouses, known as 5Pointz, wants to demolish them to make room for two luxury residential towers. For years, the owners have allowed graffiti artists to use the Long Island City building as a canvas.
Council Member James Van Bramer said under the agreement, there will be a continued commitment to the arts in the building.
The owners have agreed to increase the amount of artists' studio and gallery space and offer 5Pointz artistic director Jonathon Cohen to curate the nearly 10,000 square feet of art panels and walls in the building, Van Bramer said.
Lawmaker: Deal Reached On 5Pointz Redevelopment Plan
"It was important for me to honor the history of the building over the last 20 years and to recognize what it had become to the graffiti and aerosol art world," Van Bramer said.
There will also be an increase in the number of affordable units, as well as a new public park, over 50,000 square feet of retail space and a 250 space public parking garage.
Van Bramer said the project "will give Western Queens residents as well as artists a wide variety of interactive amenities future generations will benefit from."
Van Bramer said the City Council is expected to approve the plan.
On Wednesday, the City Council was also expected vote on a bill that would increase the volume of Staten Island Ferry trips on off hours and make a decision on two controversial building plans, 1010 WINS reported.
The first is a 1.4 million square-foot mall near Citifield and the other is a proposed 35-story luxury hi-rise on the site of Ruppert Playground at East 92nd and Second Avenue in Manhattan.
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