Flushing Bay Promenade set to undergo major
renovation as part of LaGuardia AirTrain Project
(L. to R.) Jonathan Marvel, founder and principal of Architecture and Landscape
Architecture Firm Marvel. Yadiel Rivera-Díaz, ASLA, PLA, partner-in-charge of the
project for Marvel. Photos courtesy of Port Authority NY/NJ
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.10 COM | FEB. 26-MARCH 4, 2021
meetings later this month. The committee
includes representatives from
more than 20 local civic, environmental,
recreational, and business community
stakeholders to provide critical input
in designing a park that will meet the
needs of local residents and park users
well into the future.
Yadiel Rivera-Diaz, partner-in-charge
of the project for Marvel, said they look
forward to collaborating with neighborhood
residents to design a vibrant public
space that fulfills the diverse social, cultural,
and environmental needs of the
community and the city at large.
“We hope that the Promenade will be
Queens’ next great place. Through our
timeless design, we will seek to bring
positive impact to the local community
for both the near- and long-term futures,”
Rivera-Diaz said.
According to Seth Bornstein, executive
director of the Queens Economic
Development Corporation, not only
will AirTrain LaGuardia be a boost for
the Queen’s economy, it will also pump
millions of dollars into improvements
at the Flushing Bay Promenade, which
hasn’t seen any major investment since
he worked for the late Queens Borough
President Claire Schulman 20 years
ago.
“The Queens community deserves a
great waterfront park and now they’re
going to have a hand in designing it,”
Bornstein said.
Rick Cotton, executive director of the
Port Authority of NY/NJ, said AirTrain
LGA is essential to extend rail mass
transit access to the new LaGuardia
Airport, and its benefits will extend to
the parkland and communities it abuts.
“The AirTrain will reduce congestion
on roads and air pollution in the
neighborhoods surrounding the airport.
With Marvel’s expertise in attractive,
accessible, community-focused design,
and with the breadth of the newly-formed
Community Advisory Committee, the
LaGuardia AirTrain Project will also
drive the top-to-bottom renovation of the
Flushing Bay Promenade – a renovation
that would not happen without the Air-
Train project,” Cotton said.
AirTrain LGA
Today, LaGuardia is the only major
East Coast airport without a rail link
to the city center. Construction of Air-
Train LaGuardia will create a reliable
trip between Midtown Manhattan and
the airport of less than 30 minutes. The
AirTrain LaGuardia Plan has been the
subject of an exhaustive and independent
environmental review by the FAA.
It has emerged as the FAA’s preferred
alternative.
A Record of Decision is expected
from the FAA this spring, after which
AirTrain construction can move forward,
completing the transformation
of LaGuardia Airport into a world-class
gateway to New York.
LaGuardia Airport
Redevelopment Plan
In 2015, Gov. Andrew Cuomo first unveiled
his vision for the comprehensive
redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport.
Under his plan, a whole new LGA will
provide a world-class, 21st century passenger
experience featuring modern
customer amenities, state-of-the-art
architecture, more spacious gate areas
and a unified terminal system.
The $8 billion project, two-thirds of
which is funded through private financing
and existing passenger fees, broke
ground four years ago in 2016.
The selection of Marvel represents
the Port Authority’s continuing commitment
to Minority and Women-Owned
Business Enterprise (MWBE) participation
during the construction of a ‘Whole
New LaGuardia Airport.’
To date, more than $1.6 billion in
contracts have been awarded to MWBE
firms at LaGuardia, more than any other
public-private project in New York state
history. Overall, the LaGuardia project
is expected to generate $10 billion in economic
activity and $2.5 billion in wages
over the life of the project.
Following Cuomo’s vision for ‘A
Whole New LGA,’ the Port Authority is
working hand in hand with local elected
officials, stakeholders and Queens residents
to ensure local businesses, MWBEs
and jobseekers take advantage of
new opportunities as part of LaGuardia
Airport’s redevelopment and economic
growth.
Since the beginning of the project,
nearly $700 million in contracts have
been awarded to local businesses based
in Queens.
George Dixon, president of the
NAACP-Corona East Elmhurst
Branch, said a renewed Flushing
Promenade will be a great benefit
for the community while advancing
economic equity.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As part of the LaGuardia AirTrain
project, the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey on Wednesday, Feb. 17,
announced the award of the design contract
to develop a specific design plan
for the top-to-bottom renovation of the
Flushing Bay Promenade.
The contract was awarded to the architecture
and landscape architecture
firm Marvel, a certified minority-owned
firm. Through this contract, Marvel
will work with the Port Authority and
the New York City Parks Department
to create a plan that dramatically improves
the green space and amenities of
the Flushing Promenade based on input
from the local community.
“Today’s announcement of a new
design consultant builds on the Port Authority’s
commitment to diversity and
inclusion in our capital construction
projects that fuel the regional economy,”
said Kevin O’Toole, chairman of the
Port Authority of NY/NJ.
Jonathan Marvel, founder and principal
of Marvel, said the firm is delighted
to work with the Port Authority, city
Parks Department and all stakeholders
on the Flushing Bay Promenade project.
“It’s a great opportunity to build a
welcoming place where New Yorkers
can connect with the beauty of nature.
Using our interdisciplinary approach
— and our skills in architecture and
landscape architecture — our team will
create a transformative experience that
brings great design to everyone, everywhere,”
Marvel said.
In 2019, the Port Authority had committed
to make significant improvements
along the full 1.4 mile length of
the Flushing Bay Promenade as part
of the AirTrain LGA project. The Air-
Train would run from LaGuardia Airport
in East Elmhurst alongside the
periphery of the park beside the Grand
Central Parkway to Willets Point, where
it would connect the 7 subway line and
the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington
Branch.
While specific improvements will be
guided by community input, the agency
committed through the AirTrain LGA
project to rebuild promenade walkways
and railings, invest in appealing landscaping,
create new public activity areas,
install public art, upgrade lighting,
and improve public access — such as the
Ditmars Boulevard entrances to the two
pedestrian bridges located at 27th Avenue
and 31st Drive.
Last fall, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), the federal agency
leading the independent environmental
review of the LaGuardia AirTrain
project, held a series of public hearings
as part of a 60-day public comment period
on its Draft Environmental Impact
Statement.
Following the FAA hearings, the city
Parks Department, working closely with
the Port Authority, held a series of virtual
visioning sessions to guide the vision
for the improvements to the promenade
with community members, park users,
and local stakeholders.
The Port Authority and the Parks
Department will build on those sessions
with the newly created Community
Advisory Committee that will begin