Despite Power Struggle, Construction Continues At NYPA’s Vernon Blvd. Site

But Silvercup officials insist that they have every intention to remain in Queens and have plans to build a new production facility in the same area. "I want to work in New York, not New Jersey," said Sopranos star James Gandolfini at Silvercup. "This city direly needs studio space. It would be detrimental to Long Island City to see Silvercup go."
Queens Borough President Clair Shulman said she has been supporting the expansiopn of the studios and the development of the waterfront from the beginning. "New York City has a 6.3 billion dollars movie studio industry," said Shulman. "We need to make sure the waterfront is clear for development and that Silvercup Studios continue to flourish in the area."
An engineer at KeySpan says he understands Silvercup’s concerns, but warns that it is essential that these generators be up and running before summer. "Energy price spikes, rolling brownouts and blackouts will occur if the plants aren’t built by June 1," said the engineer, who wished to remain anonymous. "Every day is one day closer to a power crisis like the one in California."
Studio representatives, politicians, and cast members of HBO’s award winning gangster series, "The Sopranos," began battling the power company when they announced it was locating a plant in the area where plans were made for the construction of 6,000 homes, tow million square feet of office space and 21 acres of waterfront promenade. The building of the generators along the waterfront was also met with opposition by Silvercup executives who said the generators, which would have been built right next to the studio building, would cause noise problems and move its operations to New Jersey, causing the community to fear that over 2,000 people might lose their jobs.