We are asking one question, and we have not answered it yet.

Long Island City Initiative is a nonprofit organization formed to determine, honestly and with independent evidence, whether a life-sciences research district should be built in Long Island City, Queens. We have not decided that it should be built. We are testing whether it can be.

About Us

The Long Island City Initiative operates as a nonprofit, utilizing transparent and objective data to evaluate if a life-sciences hub is viable for this Queens neighborhood. Rather than starting with a fixed conclusion, we are committed to investigating the project's actual feasibility.

Our Story

Who we are

A nonprofit, formed to test an idea before anyone commits to it

Long Island City Initiative, Inc. is a New York not-for-profit corporation, organized and operated for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It was founded in February 2026 and is directed by an independent board.

Its purpose is to plan and independently validate — for public benefit — a life-sciences research district in Long Island City that would expand scientific research, create jobs, and add housing that working people can afford. Whether that district is a good idea is precisely what the current work is meant to establish.

The LICI Model

The work underway

Independent engineers, questions asked in writing, answers reported as found. This year the board narrowed its program to the hardest question first: can the site actually be built on? Everything else—tenants, partners, housing, financing—assumes an answer to that question, so it is being answered first. Fifty-nine written questions cover what is under the ground, whether a structure can be built above it, whether it can be built safely, how streets and utilities would connect, and what it is likely to cost. The engineering firms are hired by and report to LICI. Each answer states how confident it is, and a separate reviewer checks the work. Findings go to the board as they are found. The result is a plain recommendation: go, adjust, or stop.

How we work

Evidence before advocacy. Those who support this work may help shape which questions get asked. They may never shape the answers. LICI presents only findings that independent sources can defend. Its governance, funding rules, and disclosures are built to protect its judgment from any single interest, including its founding sponsor. The board has adopted conflict-of-interest, related-party, whistleblower, and gift-acceptance policies, and operates under independent oversight. If the district is eventually built, it succeeds only if Long Island City and western Queens share in the benefits. That standard applies to the work now as much as to anything that follows it.

Community Feedback

"Meyer Marilla's dedication to protecting wildlife is truly commendable."

Diana

"I have seen firsthand the positive impact of Meyer Marilla's conservation efforts."

Alex

"The work Meyer Marilla does for the environment is inspiring and crucial."

Javier

Get in Touch

Feel free to contact us for any inquiries or to learn more about our conservation projects and initiatives.