Long Island City is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in New York City. Located in the southwest corner of Queens on Long Island, this mixed-use central business district boasts one of the highest concentrations of art galleries of any neighborhood. Long Island City is easy to access from most of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and The Bronx, and is home to more than 6,600 businesses that have more than 106,000 employees.
Long Island City is home to the JetBlue corporate headquarters, the largest fortune cookie factory in the United States, and numerous other legal, advertising, internet, financial, and technology firms. Some of the most notable employers in the area include Citibank, NYC Department of Health, MetLife, Publicis, Silvercup Studios, and Kaufman Astoria Studio.
What Our Brokers Say About Long Island City Office Space for Lease
Long Island City, which locals sometimes call “LIC,” offers affordable office space rental rates and plenty of options, such as locations with waterfront views, offices featuring open warehouse lofts, and smaller spaces with flexible lease terms. Long Island City’s 2001 rezoning project brought significant residential and commercial real estate investments in Long Island City and Hunters Point, with a range of office space options for companies of all shapes and sizes.
Long Island City is in the midst of significant development. In particular, healthcare companies have played a major role in office market growth here. For example, Catholic Health Services of Long Island rented 40,000 square feet at 4 Ohio Drive in New Hyde Park. In addition, EmblemHealth lease at 1055 Stewart Avenue in Bethpage for 75,000 square feet. This trend is expected to continue through the end of the year. American daily newspaper Newsday recently leased 6-8 Corporate Drive in Melville.
Lots of buildings in Long Island City—especially former factory buildings—have been repurposed and are now used for something wildly different. In particular, Long Island City used to be full of factories and bakeries. One of the last major factories in the area was Eagle Electric, which eventually moved to China. The former site of Silvercup bakery now houses the similarly named Silvercup Studios. The studio produced NBC’s 30 Rock and HBO’s Sex and the City. LaGuardia Community College now uses buildings formerly occupied by the Ford Instrument Company, as well as a building where the Sunshine Bakery used to operate. Another example is the Standard Motor Products headquarters, which was originally a manufacturing site; in 2014, the property changed hands and is now the site of the Jim Henson Company, Society Awards, and a commercial rooftop farm operated by Brooklyn Grange.
Long Island City office space provides businesses and employees a range of work/life balance amenities. There are more than 20 local art galleries, a vibrant mix of Michelin Star restaurants and cheap eats, and dozens of bars and coffee shops. Looking for lunch? Don’t miss Mexican restaurant Casa Enrique, Indian restaurant Adda, BBQ stop John Brown Smokehouse, and Japanese restaurant Mu Ramen. For coffee, be sure to visit Partners Coffee, Brookside Market, Baruir’s Coffee Store, and Etto Espresso Bar. Employees can sit outside at John F Murray Playground, take in scenic views of Manhattan from Gantry Plaza State Park or Hunters Point South Park, or check out an exhibit at MoMA PS1, The Museum of the Moving Image, or the Noguchi Museum.
Long Island City Commercial Space For Lease | By the numbers
| Office Space for Rent | Price per square foot |
| Class A | $33 |
| Class B | $24 |
Long Island City Office Space | Lease Data and Trends
Long Island City is one of NYC’s eight Central Business Districts. Its convenient location, excellent transportation, and reputation for Class A office towers make the real estate here very valuable. Despite these attractive features, the average Long Island City office space leases for much less than most of Manhattan and trendy Brooklyn areas such as DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, or Williamsburg.
On average, Long Island City office space costs just under $29 per square foot to rent. In Suffolk, some spaces rent for $25 per square foot. Long Island City has slightly more Class B space than Class A. Class A office spaces rent for an average of just under $33 per square foot. Class B space in Long Island City rents for an average of just under $24 per square foot.
Office space is relatively easy to find in Long Island City. Currently, the neighborhood houses more than 40.6 million square feet of office space. The vacancy rate is around 12 percent, but demand should continue to grow with new, high-quality inventory hitting the market in the next few years.
Getting Around: Transportation in Long Island City
Long Island City rests at the western edge of Long Island. Astoria borders it to the north; Newtown Creek to the south; Hazen Street, 49th Street, and New Calvary Cemetery to the east; and the East River to the west. Long Island City residents have access to convenient public transportation and bike paths. Notably, the neighborhood is more easily accessible by car than most areas of NYC.
The New York City Subway stations located in or near Long Island City are Queensboro Plaza, 39th Avenue, Vernon Boulevard—Jackson Avenue, Hunters Point Avenue, and Court Square. Passengers can use trains 7, E, F, G, M, N, R, and W. Long Island Rail Road stations bring in workers along the Babylon, Far Rockaway, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, and Ronkonkoma lines. Commuters can also take the 7 train directly to and from Grand Central Station, making Long Island City an accommodating office location for many urban and suburbanites. Thirteen different bus routes also run through the area.
As with most of NYC, Long Island City is extremely walkable, and boasts a WalkScore rating of 95. With more than 150 restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the neighborhood, companies and employees have plenty of options for meals, meetings, and happy hours within a 5-10 minute walk radius.
Employees who commute by bike should welcome a move into a Long Island City office. Both the Pulaski Bridge and 59th Street Bridge have protected bike lanes, and Long Island City has several streets with bike lanes. The neighborhood also has more than 25 CitiBike docs, with more under construction.
Commuters can also catch East River Ferry rides to Long Island City from Astoria, Roosevelt Island, East 34th Street, or Pier 11 off Wall Street, a short walk away from the Staten Island Ferry. While we don’t recommend driving if it can be avoided, compared with other neighborhoods in New York City, Long Island City is quite accessible by car. Drivers can take the 59th Street Bridge (no toll) or Queens Midtown Tunnel (toll) from Manhattan, the Joseph Pulaski Bridge from Greenpoint, or highways 278 or 495. The neighborhood even has more than a dozen parking garages and some street parking.
Those who need to fly can use LaGuardia Airport, the John F. Kennedy International Airport, or the Newark Liberty International Airport.
Top Commercial Properties For Lease In Long Island City
Businesses considering renting some of the most cost-effective office spaces in New York City will want to explore options in Long Island City. Begin by evaluating 31-00 47th Avenue, 4301 22nd Street, and 10-27 46th Road, three SquareFoot-recommended office buildings:
31-00 47th Avenue: 31-00 47th Avenue, known as the Falchi Building, is an enormous industrial-style office building that spans a full block of Long Island City. Built in 1922, the Falchi Building has five stories and 711,194 square feet of space. This Class B office building currently has a wide range of rental options. Eleven units ranging from 2,047 to 94,010 square feet in size are available to rent. Contact us for pricing, details, or a tour. Notable tenants working in the Falchi Building include Uber Greenlight, Swiss Post Solutions, TLC Oath, and Doughnut Plant. The 33rd Street—Rawson Street station is less than a five-minute walk away for those who want to use public transportation to get here. 31-00 47th Avenue also has more than 200 parking spaces for tenants. Get coffee at the nearby Doughnut Plant or lunch at Pizzeria Prezzemo.
4301 22nd Street: 4301 22nd Street is a renovated office building located in the heart of Long Island City. It primarily attracts small and medium-sized companies. The building has high ceilings, long windows, and wonderful views of Manhattan. Originally built in 1925, this 222,000 square foot building has a lot of vacant space right now. Twenty-one units ranging from 903 to 15,916 in size are currently available to rent. Ask us about pricing and tours. Tenants at 4301 22nd Street can walk to Court Square in four minutes or to Queensboro Plaza in seven minutes. The building has a Walk Score of 97. The closest food options are Gordo’s Cantina, Triple Short World Atlas, and LIC Market.
10-27 46th Road: Building 10-27 is a 60,000 square foot industrial building located at 10-27 46th Road between Vernon Boulevard and 11th Street. It features tons of natural light, high ceilings, wood floors, 24/7 building access, and a recently renovated workspace. This Class B building currently has 45 units available for leasing, so now is the time to get a wide range of choices. The units range from 1,356 to 16,001 square feet in size. Use trains E, G, M, or 7 to get here.
Long Island City Neighborhood History
As the name suggests, Long Island City used to be its own city. In 1870, the Town of Newtown merged the Village of Astoria and the hamlets of Ravenswood, Hunters Point, Blissville, Sunnyside, Dutch Kills, Steinway, Bowery Bay, and Middleton to incorporate Long Island City. During that time, around 13,000 people lived in Long Island City.
When New York City annexed Queens in 1898, Long Island City became part of the City of Greater New York. Even today, some sources call it a “city within a city.” Long Island City became more connected to the rest of NYC with the establishment of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, the Queensboro Bridge, and three subway tunnels.
Gentrification and rezoning in the early 2000s helped Long Island City transform from a mostly industrial neighborhood to a residential and commercial district. Between 2010 and 2017, developers added 41 residential apartment buildings to Long Island City. In addition, it gained a reputation as a haven for artists and millennials.
Today, many of its old factory buildings have been repurposed for other uses. However, Long Island City does have a few historic landmarks and areas, including the Hunters Point Historic District, the 45th Road—Court House Square Station, Long Island City Courthouse Complex, and the Pepsi-Cola sign next to the East River. The sign commemorates the last vestiges of the Pepsi-Cola site that used to be there. Developers have converted most of the site into space for high-rise housing.
