The former Apple Tag & Label building in Long Island City is nearing completion on its redevelopment by Alma Realty. Located at 30-30 Northern Boulevard, the eight story, 213,000 square foot building has been redeveloped to appeal to technology, media, and other creative industries. A diverse range of businesses and office configurations can be accommodated by the floor plates with their range of 26,000 to 30,000 square feet and 12 to 15 foot high ceilings. Mostly vacant for decades, the Queens Plaza South building, will have 7,200 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, helping to reinvigorate the block and connect it to the surrounding neighborhood, which has recently undergone significant residential and commercial development.
Peter Kosteas, Commercial Property Manager of Queens-based Alma Realty, said, “We are investing in this community because Queens is our home and we believe strongly in the neighborhood.”
Kosteas went on to say, “In a matter of months, the building will become home to what we envision as a world-class group of tenants who will enliven and enrich the community as well as provide further economic development to positively impact the whole area.”
He observed, “Long Island City is definitely on the march. The once great and glorified heritage of the Queens Plaza corridor and greater Long Island City as a home to top tier businesses is being restored and Alma Realty is proud to play a role in that effort.”
The iconic neon Apple Tab & Label sign and logo which topped a tower of the building has been a fixture of the area for years. A refurbished version of the original neon sign will illuminate the top of the redeveloped TAMI (technology, advertising, media, information)-friendly building, echoing the charm of the old sign and recalling the history of the building and the area.
Expected to receive LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design), the development, will offer bicycle racks to encourage employees to cycle to work, a full-service free fitness center for the exclusive use of tenants, LED motion sensor lighting, and office terraces on the sixth and seventh floors. Only a two-minute bike ride and five-minute walk from the Ed Koch 59th Street Bridge pedestrian walkway connecting Queens and Manhattan, the property is conveniently located for those living and/or working in either borough. The building is also close to public transportation, and is just a short walk from the 39th Avenue N/Q station. Features including benches, landscaping, and views of the Manhattan skyline will offer a park-like setting from the roof deck. The $60 million project is expected to open in the fall of 2016.