Long-vacant Long Island City building coming back to life as ‘green’ tower

The long-vacant Apple Tag & Label building in Long Island City will soon be brought back to life with retail and offices topped by a rooftop park and illuminated Apple.

Alma Realty Corp. announced Wednesday that the 213,000-square-foot building located at 30-30 Northern Blvd. would be redeveloped and is expected to reopen later this year.

The eight-story tower, which sat mostly vacant for decades and according to the New York Daily News once housed a topless club, is expected to be home to new businesses such as technology, media and other creative industries.

“We are investing in this community because Queens is our home and we believe strongly in the neighborhood,” said Peter Kosteas, commercial property manager of Alma Realty.

The building will have 7,200 square feet of retail on the ground floor and is expected to feature a park-like roof deck with benches, plantings, and landscaping.

The $60 million project will feature an illuminated apple on the top of the tower, which will be refurbished from the original iconic neon sign that topped the building.

“In a matter of months, the building will become home to what we envision as a world-class group of tenants who will enliven and enrich the community as well as provide further economic development to positively impact the whole area,” Kosteas said.

The site — located near eight subway lines and 12 bus lines — is expected to be a green building with an anticipated LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and will also offer bicycle racks to encourage employees to ride their bikes to work.

Tenants of the building will also have access to a full-service fitness center and office terraces — featuring LED motion sensor lighting — on the sixth and seventh floors.

“Long Island City is definitely on the march,” Kosteas said. “The once great and glorified heritage of the Queens Plaza corridor and greater Long Island City as a home to top tier businesses is being restored and Alma Realty is proud to play a role in that effort.”