14 June 2016, Hunters Point East. A number of small residential projects are steadily rising in Hunters Point East. One of such projects is the six-story, 24-unit Liv@ Murray Park South, which is located at 11-30 45th Road. The building, owned and developed by the Century Development Group, was designed by architect, Raymond Chan, who is known for numerous projects around the neighborhood. Triborough Construction Services, Inc. is working with them as the general contractor of this project. The building derives its name from the John F. Murray Playground across the street, named after the recreation supervisor of Queens parks that lived between 1889 and 1944.
The building’s name mirrors Liv@ Murray Park North, the six-story property at 11-35 45th Avenue, on the other side of the park. Its 39 units, developed and designed by the same duo of Century Development Group and Raymond Chan, welcomed their residents just a few months ago. The park between the fraternal developments boasts sports facilities, playgrounds, and a dog run, in addition to an oval lawn and landscaped vegetation. It takes up the entire block, making it Long Island City’s single largest green space aside from the parks stretching along the East River waterfront. Renovations in 2010, 2012, and 2013 revamped the park amenities and created performance space with a stage and tiered seating, at the cost of $1.3 million.
While Liv@ Murray Park North is clad in dark brick, the new project on 45th Road would employ a lighter color scheme. Its floor-to-ceiling windows and glass balconies, framed by light-colored, (presumably) metal panels, is more representative of Raymond Chan’s signature design aesthetic that the architect commonly uses in other projects around the neighborhood. This roster includes Jackson West at 27-01 Jackson Avenue and Jackson East at 26-32 Jackson, a pair of high-rises proposed for the Court Square district, 20-story One Queens Plaza at 42-10 27th Street, where foundation work is currently underway, and 27-51 Jackson Avenue, which is scheduled to replace two rowhomes with 34 units spread across 13 floors.
The permits, filed in December 2013, indicate a total height of 70 feet. The main facade would rise six stories and 60 feet high to the shared rooftop terrace, accessible via a seventh floor sky lobby. The terrace would sit high enough to overlook the park’s vegetation, opening towards a panorama stretching from Midtown to the west to the new skyline rising around Queens Plaza and Court Square to the north and east. An on-site rendering indicates a floor-to-ceiling height of 8′-4” for the typical floor. The building would occupy 65 percent of the 75-foot-wide, 7,500-square-foot lot, leaving space for a rear yard. Residences would take up 22,356 square feet of the building’s total 31,729-square-foot area. Fourteen parking spaces would span 4,790 square feet. According to DNAinfo, the mix of studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments would start at $400,000. Notable features include heated floors, bike storage, and free Wi-Fi in the common areas.
