sunset park vs the area west of LIC between hunterspoint ave and green point ave

Well, they both have their pros and cons. Sunnyside is more residential while L.I.C. is more business. Citicorp has their building there, which is the tallest building outside of Manhattan. Other businesses are there too. There's also a few swingers and "gentlemen's" clubs there. L.I.C. used to be very seedy but not so much anymore. The train station was redone when Citicorp built there because they were afraid that their employees would get mugged walking the few blocks to it. So there was a tunnel built so they wouldn't have to go outside. My bet would be on Sunnyside only because it's more residential. Years ago, there used to be a place called Sunnyside Gardens which was where most WWF wrestling events were held and they were broadcast on Channel 9 on Saturday nights. Hulk Hogan started out there.

My bet is on LIC. As a Sunset park resident, although I see occasional "hip" people, there are too many very entrenched families and businesses of Latino descent to promote massive gentrification, although I wonder about the area just around the 36 street express train stop.

I like the fact that gentrification hasn't hit here. I'd rather go out to my "entertainment" than have it drunkenly stand and scream at the bar below my window, run me over with a doublewide baby stroller, or charge me 9 dollars for a sandwich, because its RSBt free and organic, rather than horse meat!

Yeah, my flowers are beautiful

I can hear my netflix stream at 3 am

I walk down to my local supermarket in peace

I can buy coffee for 1 dollar

AND

I can still hop on the train wearing my gothic best and dance the night away drunkenly in someone else's backyard.

Also I am like 3 express train stops from the LES where I prefer to do my freakin, drinkin, and thinkin,

I think Sunnyside and LIC will gentrify sooner than Sunset Park. I've been out in Sunnyside a few times - lots of bars and restaurants filled with young hipsters, so the process is well underway.

I don't think that attracting new business is entirely within any mayor's control. Don't state income and other taxes, and waivers therof, play an equally important role in attracting or discouraging businesses to/from New York City?

And then, of course, there is the City Council, which also plays an important role in setting property tax rates and in other tax determinations.

John Beresford Tipton, where are you in our hour of need?

whynot_31 said:

Does everyone think whoever becomes the new mayor will be able to continue to attract new businesses, and thus relatively high earning people who want to live in the city?

New York's success at attracting and maintaining a tax base seems surreal when compared to many American cities....

The key won't be to keep these businesses coming... that's a given. The key will be to keep the city functioning as the income gap grows and the non-high income people get pushed further and further out.

I am in Charlotte NC now with my wife as she has a job interview here... every black person I've talked to here has moved from somewhere else, and many have moved from the NE. NE is getting to the point that if you are not a 6 figure individual the long term prospects of staying are unreasonable. I know a few people who walked away from good jobs to relocate. If wifey gets this I will bounce in a heartbeat.

So the issue isn't retaining the rich, NYC will always be rich. But to a large degree it seems to be rich at the expense of the working poor, which the city needs to function. People are gonna start commuting from the Poconos at this rate. The people in charge need to reverse that trend.

CTK-

I'm with you: The city's long term risk is a situation in which the income gap crows so large that parts of it become ungovernable.

A lot attention seems to be focused on the poor and the endemic problems associated with the traditional "ungovernable" ghettos.

...I'd like more attention to be paid to the "ungovernable" risk posed by the rich. Bascially, the wealthy parts could become so powerful that they thwart any attempt to tax or regulate them.

I do think the next mayorship is pretty pivotal. Poor people and rich people are something we want to balance ...we face big problems if either group becomes too numerous or too powerful.

By attracting and retaining the number of rich people, Bloomberg has maintained the city. It is unclear whether the next mayor will have the ability to keep either class from taking over.

The press and realtors are co-writing articles!

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130407/REAL_ESTATE/304079982

Those who really want LIC to blossom (local businesses, people who own apartment buildings about to come online, city council and planner types) are getting their act together to attract those in the demographic likely to be first time condo buyers:

https://www.facebook.com/events/407846489328950/?ref=2&suggestsessionid=6241fae070ae7d6e45f6a9b187582c77

My cousin, a professional artist, moved with his wife from Greenpoint/Williamsburg to Sunset Park when they wanted to buy a place to have a kid, and has his studio in the waterfront industrial area; he has more than a few neighbors with similar stories.

^^ I've worked near Court Square for the last 5 years & I'm there a lot. Yes, there are new buildings going up, but it's still not a particularly nice area. No real shopping or stores to speak of, and after 5 or 6, it's pretty much dead, same on the weekends.

The change that's happening there is nothing like Greenpoint or Williamsburg. I wouldn't want to live there.