By Tammy Scileppi
An eclectic mix of arts people, business owners, elected officials and an activist comedian gathered to weigh in on the future of their thriving Astoria and Long Island City communities during a panel discussion and Q&A held earlier this month at the Greater Astoria Historical Society. A diverse audience made up of area residents from different walks of life filled the crowded room.
Moderator and Queens-based journalist Adrienne Onofri, a NYC tour guide, led the animated group of participants, who offered enlightening perspectives and highlighted the area’s positives and negatives. After the discussion, Onofri had a book signing for her recently penned guide, “A Walking Tour of Queens.”
Addressing the audience, she said, “We are thrilled to have representatives from all those sectors to talk about what’s going on in Astoria and Long Island City and what might happen in the future.”
It was clear that Councilmen Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) and Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), who also chairs the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries, were both passionate about the arts. They brought clarity to a variety of issues and concerns, which ran the gamut from rising rents to the area’s ongoing cultural transformation. Both spoke about their own experiences as community leaders and provided information from a budgetary and funding standpoint.
The rest of the dynamic panel included lifelong resident Meg Cotner, who publishes We Heart Astoria (www.wehea
Artist Salvador Espinoza, a photographer whose work is on display at the Queens Collective on 36th Avenue in Astoria, has documented some of the recent changes in the Dutch Kills section of Astoria, where he grew up and is living again.
Sarah Obraitis, owner of M. Wells Restaurant, runs the Michelin-starred LIC steak house with her husband. They were an almost instant success with their first eatery, M. Wells Diner (in 2010), but moved to a new location and are now operating the diner at PS 1 in LIC.
Astoria resident and activist Ted Alexandro, a popular comedian, is a fixture on the comedy club circuit and late night TV scene. And another participant was Secret Theatre owner Richard Mazda, as well as Partridge Realty and QED: A Place to Show & Tell (the owner described it as “an after-school space for grownups in LIC”).
All seemed to agree that change is in the air and is inevitable, as much as locals yearn for a better community where businesses thrive and rents stay moderate. LIC’s transformation was cited since the area has exploded in recent years, pushing out a percentage of individual artists and studios as rents have risen. And in Astoria, several mom-and-pop businesses are sadly, no more.
On a positive note: Partridge Realty pointed out that years ago, few people seemed to know where Astoria was, but happily, that has changed as most people do know and what to go there and live there. Families, artists, musicians, business owners have all chosen Astoria. And its status as a restaurant destination has put it front and center on NYC’s foodie map because there’s something for every palette.
One panel member remembered a time when Queens residents had to travel to Manhattan for entertainment and to see top movies because places like Astoria didn’t offer that.
Despite progress, the multicultural mosaic that makes the borough unique is best represented in neighborhoods like Astoria and LIC, where it’s comforting to know that you can still find small business shops in many neighborhoods.
