Alma Realty is nearing completion of a redevelopment of the former Apple Tag & Label building in Long Island City.
The eight-story, 213,000 s/f building at 30-30 Northern Boulevard has been transformed to appeal to technology, media and other creative industries. The floor plates range from 26,000 to 30,000 s/f and the ceilings are 12 to 15 feet high, able to accommodate a diverse range of businesses and office configurations.
The Queens Plaza South building, which has sat mostly vacant for decades, will have 7,200 square feet of retail on the ground floor, reinvigorating the block and helping to connect it seamlessly into the surrounding neighborhood, which has seen significant residential and commercial development recently.
“We are investing in this community because Queens is our home and we believe strongly in the neighborhood,” said Peter Kosteas, Commercial Property Manager of Queens-based Alma Realty, which is developing the project.
“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 added. “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.”
A tower topping the building has long been recognized for its iconic neon Apple Tab & Label sign and logo.
The development, which is expected to receive LEED certification, will offer bicycle racks to encourage employees to cycle to work, a full-service fitness center that is free and for the exclusive use of tenants, LED motion sensor lighting and office terraces on the sixth and seventh floors. The property is a two-minute bike ride and five-minute walk from the Ed Koch 59th Street Bridge pedestrian walkway connecting Queens and Manhattan.
The roof deck will be a park-like setting and feature benches, plantings, landscaping and views of the Manhattan skyline. The $60 million project is expected to open in fall 2016.
