KNR AutoRepairs, the family-run garage with the red roll-up doors that has sat near 49th Avenue and Fifth Street in Long Island City for decades, has been told by its landlord to clear out by late March. Owner Rickford Dhoman says he has worked at the spot for more than 30 years, and the order to leave blindsided his staff, customers and neighbors who see the shop as a rare, practical service in a fast-changing corner of the neighborhood.
“It’s just sad for me to close the shop and move out of the neighborhood, because I been here such a long time,” Dhoman told Spectrum News NY1. NY1 reports the landlord told Dhoman and his wife, Katie, they must leave by late March and that the couple are hunting for a new site, including potential locations closer to their home in Kew Gardens.
The shop’s roots in the neighborhood run deep. A 2021 profile in LIC Talk lists the business at 49-03 5th Street and describes KNR as a family operation that does everything from state inspections to full engine overhauls. Longtime customers say the personal touches, from jump-starts to after-hours help, are what keep people coming back even as high-rise towers stack up around the single-story garage.
Rezoning and development pressure
The neighborhood’s recent rezoning has sharply changed the math for property owners. The City Council approved the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan on Nov. 12, 2025, rezoning roughly 54 blocks and opening the door to about 14,700 new homes, including thousands of permanently affordable units, according to the New York City Council. That vote came after months of negotiation over schools, parks and infrastructure meant to keep pace with the area’s rapid growth…