Ed Jaram, King Street Properties

Boston-based King Street Properties may be new to New York City, but the company made a splash with Innolabs, its first project in Queens.
Innolabs offers state-of-the-art lab and office space in the heart of Long Island City, just a few blocks away from the Court Square Subway Station. Ed Jaram, senior director at King Street Properties, discussed the process of finding a home in Western Queens and bringing a massive new life science building to the borough.
“We were agnostic as to where to build a lab in New York City when we first started looking at the project,” Jaram said. “Queens and Long Island City ended up making sense to us for a few different reasons. The proximity to major New York institutions, like hospitals, universities, and good transport is extremely good.”
Innolabs is within walking distance of seven different subway lines, which supply easy access to Manhattan and JFK Airport. Jaram explained how easy access to these amenities is especially important for a lab building.
“The ability to easily work throughout the city and world is very attractive and helps retain life science staff,” he said. “Long Island City is also a really excellent mixture of a work/play environment. It’s a place where people want to be and live, but also has great access to other spaces and amenities.”