Long Island City is at a crossroads...
 

The City’s  OneLIC Neighborhood Plan  is moving toward a final City Council vote on October 29. Despite strong community input, arts and culture are still not meaningfully included in the plan.
 

Without dedicated space, investment, or structural protection, the creative organizations, artists, and cultural workers who made LIC vibrant and desirable are at risk of being displaced—and forgotten.
 

We are fighting to change that.
 

This is more than zoning. This is about the future of our creative community. If we don’t speak up now, the story of LIC’s arts scene could be erased from its next chapter.
 

Join artists, cultural organizations, and allies across the city to demand that the OneLIC Plan include real, structural commitments to arts and culture. We are calling for:
 

• Dedicated, free and affordable space for artists and arts organizations through city incentives for developers 
 

• A developer funded Art Fund, administered by a 3rd party nonprofit
 

Although Culture Lab LIC will have a future home with Plaxall, we need to take action for the entire neighborhood. This is about safeguarding the entire arts ecosystem of Long Island City.
 

This is about more than zoning, it is about the future of our creative community. If we do not speak up now, the story of LIC’s incredible arts scene could be erased from its next chapter.
 

For More Information:
As made public by Queens Community Board 2, here are the recommendations of Community Board 2 in support of the plan with conditions, with the general sentiment being the current OneLIC Neighborhood Plan proposal does not go far enough in certain areas, including the arts for community investments. Please see the Arts and Culture presentation deck here, including a map of arts and culture entities inside of the proposed zoning area. The deck addresses the severe lack of arts and culture protections, including specific recommendations of collaborative actions for developers and the city.
 

Add your voice. Share the letter. Show up.  Let’s build a future that includes all of us.

Karesia Batan
Queensboro Dance Festival

Edjo Wheeler
Culture Lab LIC

Eric Narburgh
Western Queens Arts and
Culture Advocate and Consultant

Norma Homberg
LIC Artists