14 minute read
It’s in Queens
By Rob MacKay, Director Public Relations, Marketing & Tourism, Queens Economic Development Corporation
December is special. The year’s final month encompasses an international sun event, a major Christian holiday, and a significant Jewish celebration.
It features gift-gifting for some, and it ends with an all-night party for others. Sometimes it includes snow. Queens is special, too. The borough is full of activity during the entire month with dance, film, music, shopping, and theater. Please read on.
Folds Dec. 7 - Dec. 17
Four Ivy Baldwin Dance members move, molt, and mend a large visual art installation made in collaboration with Ukrainian visual artist Inna Babaeva. Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7 pm.
The Chocolate Factory Theater, 38-33 24th St., Long Island City.
Holiday Historic House Tour Dec. 11 @ 1 p.m.
Four Flushing landmarks will open their doors to the public during this 35th annual event. The participating sites — Bowne House (37-01 Bowne St.), Flushing Friends
Meetinghouse(137-16 Northern Blvd.), Kingsland Homestead (14335 37th Ave.), and Voelker Orth House (149-19 38th Ave.) — will be decorated as they were during their first holiday seasons. Plus, each one will offer time-honored activities and refreshments.
Monthly Jazz Jam Dec. 14 @ 7 p.m.
On the second Wednesday of the month, musicians hone skills and jam with peers and the house band. Don’t play? Don’t worry! Listen! Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
A Christmas Carol Dec. 15 - Dec. 31
Ebenezer Scrooge is unkind to the people who work for him in this classic Dickens play. One cold Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, and then by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. He ends up filled with holiday spirit. Fifteen shows at 7:30 pm and 3 pm.
The Secret Theatre, 38-02 61st St., Woodside.
O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” Dec. 17 @ 1 p.m.
Renowned actor and raconteur Kevin R. Free, who grew up in Queens, recreates O Henry’s 1905 Christmas story “The Gift of the Magi” in a three-acre pasture.
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Glen Oaks.
Oratorio Society of Queens Holiday Concert Dec. 18 @ 4 p.m. Maestro David Close leads a chorus, orchestra, and soloists through selections from Handel’s “Messiah” and traditional Christmas and Chanukah favorites. St. Kevin’s Church, 42-21 194th St., Flushing. Check out “Folds” at the Chocolate Factory until Dec. 17!
Winter Solstice Forest Bathing Walk Dec. 18 @ 11:30 a.m.
Certified guide Linda Lombardo leads a meditative forest bathing walk as per the Japanese ShinrinYoku tradition. The goal is to inspire connections to nature for a range of health benefits.
Alley Pond Environmental Center, 224-65 76th Ave., Oakland Gardens.
NONPROFIT NEWS ‘Reliable Clean City Project’ Moving Right on Track
The electrical grid upgrade, aimed at delivering renewable and clean energy to New Yorkers, is expected to be complete its work in Queens in Spring 2023
If you’re feeling like there’s been more construction than usual in Queens, you’re not wrong. Con Edison has reached the halfway mark of their Reliable Clean City Project – a new infrastructure upgrade which has received support from multiple environmental justice organizations.
The project, approved by New York’s Public Service Commission in 2021, aims to phase out the fossil fuel generators in neighborhoods around New York City and instead allow for a “greater flow of electricity,” which will “deliver increasingly renewable power,” the company said in a statement last week. Con Edison also believes the upgrades will strengthen the reliability of service for customers, as well as help the state to meet its ambitious climate and clean energy goals.
According to the City Comptroller’s website, NYC has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 – a target in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature increases. As you can see in the graph below, most of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the “Buildings,” which are supplied energy from Con Edison.
“The Reliable Clean City projects offer an on-the-ground demonstration of our commitment to building an energy system capable of delivering 100 percent clean power by 2040,” said Richard David, Con Edison’s director of regional and community affairs in Queens.
The Queens portion of the project represents $275 million of the $800 million investment (generated from ConEd customer rates) and will feature the expansion of electric substations along with new underground transmission lines aimed at adding 300 megawatts of transmission capacity across the borough. The added capacity hopes to serve as an off-ramp for renewable energy as New York continues to build its wind and solar resources.
But for some in the affected neighborhoods, the inconvenience of the construction has dredged up ill-feelings towards the company.
“My old place – about a year ago – had a bunch of ConEd guys doing construction on our corner that was rather infuriating,” says Dylan M., of Astoria. “I feel like I’ve seen construction down the block ever since we lost power during the summer. That’s definitely slowed traffic up.”
Others believe it’s all for the best. Henry Trueheart, an actor living in Astoria says, “I live on a very busy street, so construction and general loud activity isn’t anything new to me. If what they’re doing is for the greater goal of weaning off of fossil fuels then by all means, hammer away!”
ConEd has also been facilitating the move to clean energy in New York City and Westchester County in other ways, by introducing customer-owned solar panels, battery energy storage systems and electric vehicle chargers.
“Electricity is the lifeblood of the modern economy and will become even more critical moving forward as more New Yorkers adopt electric vehicles, electric heating systems and other clean-energy technologies,” the company said in a statement.
In total, the trio of projects (Brooklyn and Staten Island look to receive similar upgrades by 2025) expect to result in the end of fossil fuel-based peaking power plants, which currently play a vital role in keeping the lights on during periods of high energy demand. These power plants also create some of the most harmful air pollution and climate change, globally. As we move towards a greener, more sustainable future, their eradication becomes evermore relevant. Hopefully, the traffic and the noise from the construction will soon all be worth it.
QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES
82ND STREET PARTNERSHIP
37-06 82nd Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372 Executive Director: Leslie Ramos 718.335.9421 82ndstreet.org QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $224,000 with more than 200 businesses under its umbrella. The district is on 82nd Street from 37th Avenue to Baxter Avenue. The board meets quarterly with the annual meeting in June.
ASIAN AMERICAN FEDERATION
120 Wall Street, 9th Fl., New York, NY 10005 aafederation.org QUICK GLANCE: The Asian American Federation’s mission is to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness and organizational development. Established in 1989, the Federation is a pan-Asian non-profit organization representing a network of community service agencies in the Northeast. These agencies work in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice.
BAYSIDE VILLAGE BID
213-33 39th Avenue, Bayside, NY 11361 Executive Director: Christine Siletti 718.423.2434 info@baysidevillagebid.com QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $218,000 and over 350 members. Founded in 2007, the BID includes commercial property owners and residents on Bell Boulevard between 35th Avenue and Northern Boulevard, as well as a block east and west on 41st Avenue.
BAYSIDE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
41-16 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361 President: Ed Probst Vice President: Judith Limpert 718.229.2277 info@baysideba.com baysideba.com QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1997, the Bayside Business Association services all of Bayside business to address issues and concerns those businesses have with regards to running their businesses.
ACCOMPANY CAPITAL (FORMERLY BCNA)
78-27 37 Ave., Ste. 1 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 Business Development: Tshering Gurung 347.730.6468 tgurung@accompanycapital.org QUICK GLANCE: Accompany Capital is an award-winning Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Small Business Administration (SBA) micro lender that provides small and micro business owners in New York City with low-cost loans, access to business training & technical assistance, and one-on-one counseling. Accompany Capital has disbursed over $34 million in loans and assisted over 10,000 immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs in New York City since its founding as Business Center for New Americans (BCNA) in 1997, as well as provided workshops and one-on-one advice on business management and marketing to over 10,000 businesses.
BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER NETWORK (BOC, INC.)
85 S. Oxford Street #2 Brooklyn, NY 11217 718.624.9115 bocnet.org QUICK GLANCE: Business Outreach Center Network’s mission is to improve the economic prospects of traditionally underserved groups, with a focus on low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs and their communities, and thereby create genuinely brighter futures. At the heart of our mission is the belief that whatever their differences, people and communities share a common goal: to achieve economic stability and growth. Working in partnership with culturally diverse individuals and organizations in support of this shared goal is the hallmark of BOC.
CHHAYA CDC
37-43 77th Street, #2 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 718.478.3848 chhayacdc.org QUICK GLANCE: Core to our strategy is organizing and advocating for systemic changes that remove the barriers to well-being, housing stability, and economic mobility for our communities. For over 20 years, Chhaya has served tens of thousands of individuals and led the charge on key policy issues for immigrants, such as basement legalization, language access, tenants’ rights, and more.
217 Park Row, 2nd Floor, Suite 9 New York, NY 10038 chinatownpartnership.org QUICK GLANCE: Chinatown Partnership, led by Wellington Chen, was formed in 2006 as new startup from grounds up to bring residents, business owners and community groups together to rebuild Chinatown following 9/11, and to preserve the neighborhood’s unique culture while ensuring its vitality in the future through strategic positioning. With the highly popular Weekend Walks street festive series, Mid-Autumn Festival, One Day in NYC, annual Beautification/Earth Day, East West Parade with Little Italy, Double Valentine’s Day to promote the softer side of Chinatown and the Jewelry District and all the cafes, eateries in the area. Explore Chinatown marketing initiative, Lunar Stages outdoor film screenings, and Taste of Chinatown street events, Chinatown Partnership helps promote the area as a special destination to live, work, and visit.
FOREST HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PO Box 751123, Forest Hills, NY 11375 President: Leslie Brown 718.268.6565 FHChamber11375@gmail.com FHChamber@aol.com QUICK GLANCE: Re-formed in 1995, the group has over 225 members. Chamber meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month at 9 a.m. at the West Side Tennis Club, 1 Tennis Place, in Forest Hills.
GATEWAY JFK
Interim Executive Director: Barbara J. Cohen 516.730.3400 info@GatewayJFK.org GatewayJFK.org QUICK GLANCE: Formerly the Greater JFK Industrial BID and founded in 2016, the group seeks to provide support to the off-airport air cargo and services district through supplemental services and improvements, technical and professional services for its members, and advocacy and administration.
GREATER FLUSHING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
39-01 Main Street, Suite 511, Flushing NY 11354 Executive Director: John Choe john@flushingchamber.nyc 646.783.8985 flushingchamber.nyc QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 2014 and representing over 200 businesses.
GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
90-04 161st Street, Jamaica, NY 11432 President: Hope Knight 718.291.0282 gjdc.org QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1967, the group has 75 members. GJDC’s work expands economic opportunity and improves quality of life for the ethnically and economically diverse residents of Jamaica and for the region at large, which benefits from rational, well-planned, and sustainable metropolitan growth.
84-01 Jamaica Avenue, Woodhaven NY 11421 718.805.0202 gwdcbid@hotmail.com woodhavenbid.com QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $257,000 with more than 350 businesses under its umbrella on Jamaica
QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES
Avenue from Dexter Court to 100th Street. They are providing free benches for store owners along Jamaica Avenue. They also provide 2.5 and 5 percent home improvement loans.
JAMAICA CENTER BID
161-10 Jamaica Avenue, Suite 419 Jamaica, NY 11432 Executive Director: Jennifer Furioli 718.526.2422 jamaica.nyc @JamCenterBID (Twitter) @jamcenterbid (Instagram) @Jamaica Center BID (Facebook) QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1979, the Jamaica Center BID serves over 400 businesses on Jamaica Avenue between Sutphin Boulevard and 169th Street. With a budget of over $1 million, the BID’s goal is to promote and maintain Downtown Jamaica as a thriving business hub and an enjoyable destination to shop, work, live and visit.
JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P.O. Box 300687, Jamaica, NY 11430 Executive Director: Clorinda Antonucci President: Al DePhillips Vice President: Joseph Morra JFKCoCExec@gmail.com jfkairportchamberofcommerce.org QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1978, the group has over 200 members. The chamber was chartered in 1978 by a group of business people in and around JFK Airport. It is the only airport in the nation to have its own Chamber of Commerce. The chamber seeks to create an environment in which members of the business community can work together to enhance the growth, well being and economic development of the airport community and its aviation industry.
LONG ISLAND CITY PARTNERSHIP
718.786.5300 longislandcityqueens.com QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1979, the Long Island City Partnership advocates for economic development that benefits LIC’s industrial, commercial, cultural and residential sectors. The goal is to attract new businesses to the neighborhood, retain those already here, welcome new residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed-use community. The LIC Partnership operates the LIC Business Improvement District and the LIC Industrial Business Zone.
MASPETH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P.O. Box 780265, Maspeth, NY 11378 President: David Daraio 718.335.1300 maspethchamberofcommerce.org QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1953, they have 120 members and a budget of $115,000.
MASPETH INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (MIBA)
BOC: 96-11 40th Road, Corona, NY 11368 Coordinator: Quincy Ely-Cate 718.205.3773 qelycate@bocnet.org mibanyc.org QUICK GLANCE: Covering roughly 600 businesses with 30 active members, the Maspeth Industrial Business Association provides a collective voice in advocating the needs and interests of industrial and manufacturing businesses in Maspeth. They help companies in the Maspeth Industrial District in developing workforce, accessing tax credits, obtaining financing, navigating government regulations and, in some cases, finding real estate.
MIDDLE VILLAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
79-47 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village, NY 11379 President: Salvatore Crifasi 718.894.8700 Sal@Crifasi.com QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $8,000 with 35 businesses under its umbrella. Formed in 1929. MVCC meets annually and focuses on the Metropolitan Avenue shopping district between 69 and 80th streets. The mission is to improve the area and assist local businesses if they have any concerns or needs.
MURRAY HILL MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION OF NY
P.O. Box 1897 New York, NY 10156 212.886.5867 murrayhillnyc.org QUICK GLANCE: Murray Hill is a unique residential neighborhood in midtown Manhattan. While there is no formal boundary for the neighborhood, the area served by The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association and its sister organization the Manhattan East Community Association (MECA) extends from Fifth Avenue eastward to the East River and from 42nd Street down to 26th Street (encompassing the 10016 postal code).
MYRTLE AVENUE BID
62-14 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385 Executive Director: Ted Renz 718.366.3806 QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $500,000 with over 300 retail and service businesses under its purview. Board meetings are held four times a year with the annual meeting in June. The district includes Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood between Fresh Pond Road and Wyckoff Avenue. Program support is provided by the Ridgewood LDC.
QUEENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
12-55 Queens Boulevard, Room 309 Kew Gardens, NY 11424 Executive Director: Seth Bornstein 718.263.0546 queensny.org QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $1.5 million and a resource for over 2,000 businesses in the borough of Queens. Register online for upcoming virtual events, including:
ROCKAWAY BUSINESS ALLIANCE
info@rockawaybusinessalliance.org QUICK GLANCE:Budget of $40,000 and a resource for over 200 businesses. The Rockaway Business Alliance was founded in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy. RBA’s vision is to create business corridors that are clean, safe, and welcoming, with shopping, dining, attractions, and engagement for the local community and the visitors drawn to Rockaway’s beaches and open spaces.
ROCKAWAY DEVELOPMENT & REVITALIZATION CORPORATION
1920 Mott Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691 President: Kevin Alexander 718.327.5300 www.rdrc.org QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1978, the Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation (RDRC) was established to promote the revitalization of the Rockaway’s economic base and neighborhoods by creating long-standing partnerships with city and state agencies.
ROCKAWAY EAST MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION (REMA4US)
1032 Beach 20th Street Far Rockaway, NY 11691 rema4us.org QUICK GLANCE: REMA 4 US, Inc. seeks to engage in economic development and revitalization in the Rockaway Peninsula. To strengthen our community revitalization programs and community development efforts in the Rockaway Peninsula REMA works alongside businesses, civic groups, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. REMA works to inform the public about opportunities that exist to strengthen the community, and to create a welcoming and safe environment to help expand economic opportunity in the Rockaway Peninsula.
STEINWAY ASTORIA PARTNERSHIP BID
25-69 38th Street, Suite 1C, Astoria 11103 Executive Director: Marie Torniali 718.728.7820 info@steinwaystreet.nyc steinwaystreet.org QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1991, the BID has over 300 members. The Steinway Street Business Improvement District encompasses all 300 business located on Steinway Street from 28th Avenue to 35th Avenue. National chain stores such as Victoria’s Secret, The Gap, Benetton, and Express
