Skyline Tower transit improvements open in Long Island City
New York, NY TSX, NYSE: STN: In addition to making a mark on the skyline as the tallest building in Queens, Skyline Tower is also enhancing the Long Island City transit experience through a series of critical station upgrades that are now open to the public. These improvements, designed by a Stantec-led team, replaced an existing subway stairway with a new fully accessible elevator now located within the building’s base at 23-15 44th Dr., expanding accessibility and capacity at the Court Square – 23rd Street station.
The transit upgrade project was made possible through a public-private partnership between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Skyline Tower developers, United Construction & Development Group, FSA Capital, and Risland US Holdings LLC.
As part of the project, the existing subway street entrance at the northeast corner of 23rd Street and Ely Avenue was relocated and integrated within the new 67-story luxury residential building, providing a wider transit entrance with a new street-level ADA-accessible elevator from the street with direct access to the Manhattan-bound E/M platform. Resiliency measures were also incorporated into the design to mitigate street-level flooding in this sensitive flood zone. An expanded Manhattan-bound platform provides greater circulation space and ADA accessibility to this highly trafficked station located one stop from Midtown Manhattan on the E/M line.
“The relocation of a subway entrance in a highly dense and established neighborhood like Long Island City requires close coordination and careful planning within a web of vital components – from supporting unified station design and accessibility, to guiding excavation and utility transfer,” said Stéphane Lefebvre, Stantec Principal and project lead. “We are proud to play a role in enhancing New York City’s transit system while marrying this infrastructure into the fabric of new development.”
Stantec’s project role included preparation of all transit-related designs, coordination with MTA New York City Transit, coordination with city utility agencies, and construction support services. Close collaboration with the Skyline Tower design team, which includes Hill West, DeSimone Consulting Engineers, VDA Consulting Services, and Cosentini Associates, was essential to provide a seamless transition between the new transit entrance and the rising luxury tower.
Stantec provides professional consulting services in all areas of design and engineering, with a specialized expertise in assisting private sector clients navigate public and MTA review processes for integrated transit design that satisfies all city requirements and community expectations. Stantec has performed work at nearly all of the subway system’s stations and has designed transit entrances, as well as many other infrastructure elements, for an extensive array of complex development projects, including One Vanderbilt, Times Square Tower, Eleven Times Square, Two Court Square, Moynihan Train Hall, Barclays Center, and One Bryant Park.
The firm’s work in transit-oriented development (TOD) has created compact, walkable, and healthier communities that offer value and a greater quality of life for residents. Stantec’s TOD work has had an impact on New York City through the redevelopment of Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, as well as numerous projects around the world. Find out more about TOD at Stantec.
About Skyline Tower
As the tallest building in Queens, new luxury condominium Skyline Tower soars 67 stories into the sky and brings 802 residences to the heart of Long Island City’s blossoming Court Square neighborhood. The building, which is being developed as a joint venture by Risland Holdings LLC, FSA Capital and United Construction & Development Group, will also offer 841 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Skyline Tower was designed by Hill West Architects with interiors by Whitehall Interiors, and features glass curtain wall-style windows that boast unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline and iconic buildings such as the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center and Rockefeller Center. Queens-based brokerage firm Modern Spaces, which is exclusively handling marketing and sales for Skyline Tower, has successfully sold over 40 percent of homes so far, and began closings in February 2021.
About Stantec
Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That’s why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.
We’re designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe.
Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN.
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