Mayor Eric Adams and Council Member Julie Won have announced a preliminary plan to build a new public school in the heart of Long Island City as part of the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan.
Adams and Won joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) President Nina Kubota and Director of City Planning Dan Garodnick on Sept. 17 to announce plans for a potential new school at 5-46 46th Ave.
Elected officials and city agencies have announced that Plaxall has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the SCA to potentially acquire a portion of the site at the address and convert it into a new school for the community.
Officials said the site is large enough to house a K-8 school, an elementary school or a middle school and said the potential development is contingent upon the passage of the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan, which is currently making its way through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).
OneLIC, a comprehensive rezoning plan that targets 54 full or partial blocks in Long Island City, aims to deliver approximately 14,700 new homes for the neighborhood, 4,300 of which would be affordable.
The plan also aims to deliver 14,400 jobs, over 3.5 million square feet of commercial and industrial space and expanded access to the East River waterfront.
OneLIC is currently making its way through ULURP, with Community Boards 1 and 2 granting their conditional approval of the plan in non-binding votes held in June. Richards also offered conditional approval in a non-binding vote in July before the City Planning Commission voted 11-1 in favor of the plan in the first binding vote of the ULURP process.
OneLIC will next go before the City Council, which will decide the fate of the project.
Won, who represents the area covered by the rezoning, has outlined that she will vote against the plan unless the city provides iron-clad commitments to specific community priorities. Among many other priorities, she has outlined the need for at least 1,300 new school seats to ensure that capacity keeps pace with the anticipated population growth that the plan will precipitate.
Won welcomed news of the MOU between Plaxall and the SCA, stating that the school, which is referred to as the Vernon Boulevard Middle School, represents a “step in the right direction” toward addressing a shortage of seats in the district.
She said the school will compliment the Court Square 547-seat K-8 school currently under construction at 23-10 43rd Ave., adding that she hopes to see the completion of the Court Square school during her time in office. The Court Square location is currently scheduled to open in September 2028.
Won added that her office has consistently heard calls for increased school seats throughout the lengthy public engagement process tied to the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan.
“From early childhood education to middle school, we heard from many parents that they would have to leave the public education system or the neighborhood entirely to continue their child’s education,” Won said in a statement.
Adolfo Carrión Jr., the deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce, said the OneLIC plan must include a “holistic approach” to improving the lives of current and future residents if it is to be successful. Carrión added that the potential development would help ensure that young students in the community are well-served.
“I look forward to working with both stakeholders to continue delivering for residents and getting this proposal across the finish line,” he said in a statement.
Garodnick, meanwhile, said OneLIC was about far more than just housing and said the Vernon Boulevard Middle School will help keep the area vibrant.
“(OneLIC is) a proposal that looks at this Queens community holistically to provide it with the services it deserves. With today’s announcement, we’re one step closer to bringing a new school to the neighborhood and giving future students great access to the arts and culture, green spaces, and small businesses that will help keep this area so vibrant,” Garodnick said in a statement.
Paula Kirby, managing director of Plaxall, said the company is pleased to provide an opportunity to create a new public school in Western Queens.
“The OneLIC Plan will generate much needed housing, new open space, and other community benefits, and this school site will help the City mitigate the expected need from this future development,” Kirby said in a statement.
Founded in 1938, Plaxall has had a presence in LIC since 1940 and was previously best known for industrial design and the invention of the thermoforming manufacturing process. In recent years, the company has shifted its focus to real estate.
