Citywide Administrative Services Renews 43K-SF Queens Testing Center

The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) will renew its testing center inside the former Breyers Ice Cream factory in Long Island City, Queens, according to The City Record.

DCAS will sign a 10-year renewal for 42,818 square feet on the entire ground floor and part of the second floor of First Pioneer Properties’ 34-09 Queens Boulevard, pending a public hearing on April 10, according to a public notice and a spokesperson for the agency.

The city will pay $18.50 per square foot in the first year of the deal, and rent will increase to $22.35 per square foot in the sixth year of the lease, according to the terms described in The City Record.  

The DCAS spokesperson said the agency has been in the four-story industrial building since 1997. There were no brokers involved in the deal, according to the agency.

The site serves as a testing center for DCAS’ Exams Division, which administers about 110,000 civil service exams annually to job candidates for city government positions, according to its website. In addition to hiring city employees, DCAS also manages a portfolio of 55 municipal buildings and oversees other properties the city leases or owns.

The 160,000-square-foot property was once an ice cream factory until Breyers closed in 1982 and now contains a mix of industrial, office and retail space, according to First Pioneer’s website. 

Other tenants in the building include freight forwarding company Atelier 4 and Gamer’s Choice, a store on the ground floor that sells Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering trading cards. 

Abigail Nehring can be reached at anehring@commercialobserver.com.