Queens West Queens

The project, spanning 74 acres (30 ha), was initially announced in 1983 by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, signaling a new development initiative along Long Island City’s industrial waterfront, much of which was underutilized brownfield land. While no specific proposals were outlined initially, one plan suggested the construction of 11 residential buildings comprising approximately 4,500 units on 44 acres (18 ha), alongside 13 acres (5.3 ha) designated for state park land, a public library, two public schools, and 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2) of retail space.

Legislation authorizing the development was passed in 1983 or 1984. However, delays ensued due to the need to acquire land from multiple owners, compounded by the challenge that a quarter of the proposed development was underwater. The Empire State Development Corporation became involved in the project in 1989, at which point only about a third of the required land had been acquired by the Port Authority. The plans for the Long Island City waterfront development underwent revisions during the planning process. By 1990, when the project was submitted to the New York City government for review, it was envisioned to include 6,300 apartments, a hotel, office space, and a school distributed across 15 buildings, as well as 19.2 acres (7.8 ha) of open space. Residential space would account for about 80% of the development, with the remainder allocated for commercial purposes.