By Cynthia Koons
Apart from being neighbors, these companies have another thing in common – they are all new additions (pending approvals) to the burgeoning College Point Corporate Park, a pet project of the city's Economic Development Corp.
“It's the finalization of a long-overdue process of development in that area,” Fred Mazzarello, president of the College Point Board of Trade, said Tuesday. “I'm glad to see it finally developed. It should have been filled up years ago.”
Nearly 200 new jobs could be available in the region if all three projects are approved by the Community Board 7 and Queens Borough Board.
On Monday night, CB 7 unanimously voted to allow New York Sign City and its tenant, Inland Paper Products, to build in the College Point Coporate Park. New York Sign City is now awaiting approval from the Queens Borough Board.
The New York Sign City development initiative will create 50 jobs between the two companies over the next three years, according to the EDC.
New York Sign City, a sign manufacturing company, will build a 155,000-square-foot facility along 31st Avenue adjacent to the Home Depot. The company will rent 40,000 square feet of space to Inland Paper Products, a business that specializes in laminating the film for individually packaged condiments.
At a neighboring parcel, Crystal Window & Door Systems Ltd. is looking to purchase land across the street from its existing facility at 31-10 Whitestone Expressway. A committee of the Community Board is currently reviewing its designs.
Crystal Window & Door Systems will go before CB7 once the committee approves its proposals.
“We're constantly looking for expansion opportunities,” said Robert Nyman, a spokesman for the company.
The company is eying the property for a new plant to redistribute its glass, vinyl and aluminum manufacturing.
“Crystal Windows plans to put up a beautiful (facility),” Mazzarello said. “It's going to enhance the area.”
Nyman said Crystal Window & Door Systems' president, Thomas Chen, makes an effort to employ locally and from the immigrant Chinese-American population. About 150 jobs will be created with the opening of the plant, Nyman said.
An increase in employees inevitably equates to increases in congestion, an aggravation Mazzarello said he hopes the city addresses.
“The only downside would be the additional traffic, but that comes with progress,” he said. “We have no control over that. We can't say, 'stop developing because of traffic.' It just has to be dealt with.”
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said last week he is pursuing a plan to build a road from the Linden Place exit off the Whitestone Expressway that would connect with 20th Avenue. He expects to make an announcement about the roadway initiative within the coming weeks.
Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
