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The Center will be located at 94-15 100th St. in Ozone Park.
By Forum Staff
The City Economic Development Corporation last week announced the selection of Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, a nonprofit developer of industrial space in the five boroughs, as the first awardee of NYC’s Industrial Developer Fund.
“Now more than ever, we must ensure that our economy is diverse, equitable, and provides opportunity for all New Yorkers. Supporting the industrial sector is critical to that effort, said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “Today, I’m proud to announce the first award of the City’s Industrial Developer Fund, which will help create affordable space for small industrial businesses so that they can create good paying jobs in neighborhoods across the city. GMDC has a successful record of supporting quality industrial jobs and we are proud to partner with them on this important project.”
With the support of the IDF, GMDC will develop 90,000 square-feet of industrial space at 94-15 100th St. in Ozone Park, with capacity for 24 businesses and 80 living wage jobs.
Selected through a competitive bidding process, GMDC will redevelop a property in Ozone Park to create a multi-tenant space for small and medium-sized industrial and light manufacturing businesses. The modern industrial workspace will be LEED-certified, partially solar-powered, and equipped with new freight elevators and new electrical infrastructure, among other features, according to NYCEDC. The agency is awarding a $10 million grant through the IDF and providing a $3.7 million loan for the $37 million project.
The new space will support approximately 80 workers making an estimated average of $51,500 per year, consistent with tenants in other GMDC-developed sites. GMDC has a goal of paying 20 percent of total construction costs and 5 percent of soft costs to certified and non-certified M/W/DBEs as consultants, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers.
“GMDC is a great model for how to better assist smaller manufacturing companies and keep those jobs in New York,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “GMDC’s first-class industrial work space in Ozone Park will create dozens of living wage jobs right here in Queens. Congratulations to GMDC for winning the EDC’s Industrial Developer Fund package, which will help enable the ambitious project to get off the ground.”
The IDF is a public-private fund designated to catalyze and support industrial development across the city. The Fund includes approximately $60 million in public funds, leveraging $90 million in private financing. Selected through a rolling RFP process, eligible projects must include the redevelopment of a minimum of 20,000 square feet to create industrial workspace and quality industrial jobs. Projects must also include M/W/D/BE components in their proposals.
“As the State Senator and life-long resident of Ozone Park, I am thankful that the NYC Economic Development Corporation has sought to invest in the Ozone Park Industrial Center to create manufacturing businesses and jobs at the site,” said Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “When businesses are able to operate in Queens, employment opportunities are created right here in our own backyards. I strongly believe in making use of the space we have available to help our borough and our city grow, and this industrial center will do just that. By keeping manufacturing operations in Queens, businesses will be able to keep their costs down, benefiting both the business owner and the consumer in the long run. I look forward to working closely with the NYCEDC, as well as Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, to see this project become a reality in my district. With more than 80 jobs to be available once this project is complete, I encourage the two dozen businesses that will take over this space to hire local residents who can help keep Queens’ economy thriving.”
