Google is an ambitious company, but are they flying a little off the handle by opening up their Street View mapping feature for Williamsburg and Long Island City? The look of both neighborhoods changes completely every three months or so in these development hot spots, as new buildings climb toward the sky and others get completed. Should Google have waited before sending out their platoon of roving camera cars to snap pictures of these 'hoods? Pictures that now, because it's Google, are outsiders' definitive views of these areas? Perhaps, but it's not like the market is going to collapse in the next couple of years and developers will back off. (Right? RIGHT??? Oh God somebody please tell us if it is!) But since the service is live, we decided to dial up some of Williamsburg's and LIC's most-hyped new developments, just to check up on how recent Google's photos are. Our assessment: not bad, but Google should probably pony up for a new round of photos in a year or so.
· Google Maps [maps.google.com]
HARLEM—After a bit of backlash at new 123rd Street condo development The Dwyer, we knew it was only a matter of time until we heard from a customer again, especially after word came through that appliances had been delivered. Folks, we love a happy ending: "Last week I got the opportunity to walk through my finished apartment at the Dwyer. Must admit I was a little worried the quality would not be there since they had taken what seemed like forever to finish. Luckily my fears were totally unwarranted. Like any new construction there where a few small issues but nothing to lose sleep over. I've attached some pics of the finished product. It's been a long and winding road but it looks like I'll finally be calling 123rd and St. Nicholas home." [CurbedWire Inbox]
LONG ISLAND CITY—Over on the Queens West waterfront, the Jesuscondo known to mere mortals as The View is enjoying a "friends and family" opening, according to a tipster: "I was walking along Center Boulevard in LIC where the new Rockrose Building, The View, is being built. I look to my left a little and I see a glorious sales office open and ready to go. It's located in their rental building at 4720 Center Boulevard which is right on the water. The sales office is glass on all three sides and it faces the actual building that they are selling. Kind of sick. Plus the back conference room has glass that has, of course, beautiful views of Manhattan."
Now that the Long Island City waterfront is charging Manhattan prices (albeit not the fancy parts), the Post looks beyond the tony enclave of Hunters Point and focuses on the boom in the landlocked areas—over by Queens Plaza and Court Square. Old Curbed favorites like Arris Lofts, Crescent Club and the terrifying Kimaya Lofts get shout-outs, but the puff piece is a little soft on compliments. In fact, some of them could be described as, dare we say, backhanded? For example: "Apart from the sprouting condos, there's not much these areas have to offer." What, strip clubs don't count as an amenity? But the best is saved for last, when Arris buyer Irma Zandi—chased off the Lower East Side because of its newfound hellishness—describes what drew her to LIC: "I got off the subway, I saw the [Arris Lofts] building, I saw the vast emptiness around it. I don't know, it really spoke to me." Let's just say we don't think Arris will be using "Enjoy our vast emptiness" as a marketing tagline anytime soon.
· Long Shot [NYP]
· Long Island City is Having an Identity Crisis [Curbed]
In terms of gentrification, Long Island City has the recipe all wrong. It's supposed to go like this: industrial area nobody wants to live in --> hipsters/artists move in for the cheap rent and open hipster/artsy establishments to cater to their crowd --> budding area draws yuppies and uptowners to thriving neighborhood social scene --> new establishments open to cater to new, upscale crowd --> developers build luxury condos --> hipsters/artists priced out, move on. But in Long Island City, the neighborhood went directly from wasteland to luxury condos without any of those steps in between. Now, the confusion has led to situations like this one: the week we find out about Manhattan-priced condos in LIC is the same week we find out about the neighborhood's first hipster rock club, complete with a matching "Downtown Has Moved to Queens" T-shirt campaign. Which is it, concierge service or dudes with tattoo sleeves?
· Long Island Rock City! [NYO]
Now that the cat has been let out of the bag regarding The View, Rockrose's Jesuscondo on the Long Island City waterfront, broker Andrew Fine is no longer sworn to secrecy about his trip inside the unfinished building, as well as other juicy details. So far, the most talked about design element is the terraces-upon-terraces-upon-terraces facing the Manhattan skyline on the southern end of the building. Well, here they are! Yum. Also, of the much-talked-about $1,100/sqft average, Fine says this: "Prices for 'The View,' for now at least, start just below $1000 per square foot. While the average may be at or above $1100 per square foot, none of the prices quoted take into account the outdoor space. Two-Thirds of the units will have outdoor space ranging from 64sf-1500sf." So there you go. Also, the only units that are stuck with eastern views into yucky Queens are corner units that also look at nonyucky Manhattan. The building's eastern glass façade is actually a windowed hallway. We've added some photos of The View's views (say that three times fast!) to the gallery above, as well as some older renderings of LIC's version of 15 Central Park West.
· "The View", LIC: Separating Fact From Fiction [A Fine Blog]
· EastCoast 3 Revealed: This View is Not a Scam [Curbed]
· Feeling LIC's Heat, Part IIII: Beast of the East Getting Glassed [Curbed]
On Sunday, at the New York Observer's Luxury Living showcase at the Puck Building, Rockrose will finally reveal renderings for the company's first condo project along the Long Island City waterfront, the EastCoast building that will either validate or ruin LIC. Except, oops, liQcity already got its hands on some of the images, marked up by a source who really doesn't want other brokers marketing units in the building. The name of the 184-unit building is, ahem, The View at East Coast by Rockrose. The project is designed by Handel Architects, and those early rumors of sky-high LIC prices seem to have panned out. 1BRs will start at $760,000, 2BRs at $1.2 million and 3BRs at $1.465 million. Often referred to as EastCoast 3 to differentiate it from Rockrose's rental buildings at Queens West, The View will boast jaw-dropping views (oh, now we get it) of Manhattan. And Roosevelt Island, if that's your thing.
· Eastcoast 3 debuts as The View; Rockrose broker fees paid to tenants [liQcity]
· Feeling LIC's Heat, Part IIII: Beast of the East Getting Glassed [Curbed]
· Checking In: EC3 & CB2 at Queens West [Curbed]
Comments
Now that the Long Island City waterfront is charging 
