Gantry cranes in Gantry Plaza State Park on the Long Island City waterfront (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Steep rents in Manhattan’s tech-oriented Chelsea, SoHo, and Flatiron have already pushed the startup scene into parts of Brooklyn, and now effort’s are underway to turn Long Island City, Queens, into the new “silicon silver.” Mayor Bloomberg has already voiced his feeling that Queens will see a future boom with the close proximity to the new CornellNYC Tech. Plaxall Inc., a manufacturing company, told the Wall Street Journal it has already applied for state funding to convert a building in Long Island City’s Hunters Point section into an incubator in order to speed up the process.
However, some startups still feel the area lacks the vibe and amenities of Brooklyn and Manhattan. But, monthly tech meet-ups and new construction projects hope to bolster the community and slowly move the tech scene into Queens.
