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Mayor Adams announces quality-of-life-improvements,
affordable homeownership opportunities in SE Queens
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 18 - MARCH 24, 2022 19
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Mayor Eric Adams on
Wednesday, March 9, announced
two major milestone
projects that will improve
infrastructure and quality
of life while tackling the
affordable housing crisis in
southeast Queens.
The mayor and New York
City Council Speaker Adrienne
Adams — both of whom
grew up in the area — celebrated
the completion of a
$50 million project delivering
more than six miles of new
sewers and water mains to alleviate
flooding of homes and
streets in Rochdale under
budget. They also kicked off
the construction of “Habitat
Net Zero,” a project that will
turn 13 dilapidated homes
previously owned by the NYC
Housing Authority (NYCHA)
into 16 green homes for
affordable homeownership.
“This community represented
the promise of a better
life for my family, and I am
going to keep that promise
for generations of New Yorkers,”
Adams said during a
press conference outside of
a dilapidated house at 126-01
116th Ave. in south Jamaica
that will be transformed by
Habitat for Humanity. “The
government has ignored this
community for too long, denying
them their fair share
of investments and services
— that ends in my administration.
These projects will
make life better for the residents
of southeast Queens
today and those who will
be able to move here in the
future, and I’m proud to
say that this is just the
beginning.”
For far too long, southeast
Queens has endured systemic
disinvestment and neglect,
resulting in widening disparities
that persist today, Council
Speaker Adams said.
“With the completion of
the $49.3 million water infrastructure
project in Rochdale
and the start of construction
for Habitat Net Zero — a project
to deliver new affordable
homeownership opportunities
— our communities
are seeing the investments
and improvements that we
have always deserved,” the
speaker said.
The New York City Department
of Environmental
Protection (DEP), New York
City Department of Transportation
(DOT), and New
York City Department of Design
and Construction (DDC)
completed the $49.3 million
project under budget, bringing
more than six miles of
new sewers and water mains
to Rochdale — improving
street conditions, alleviating
flooding, and upgrading
infrastructure, while staying
$5.7 million under budget.
Work began in March
2018 and took place on 78
individual blocks.
“Ever since the residential
development of southeast
Queens more than 50 years
ago, neighbors have worried
about any threat of rain in
the forecast, because there
were no catch basins or sewers
built to drain the roadways,
resulting in chronic
flooding and property damage,”
said Meera Joshi, deputy
mayor for operations.
“With a commitment of $2.5
billion for a comprehensive
drainage system, we are now
correcting that past failure
block by block.”
More than 1 mile (5,535
feet) of new storm sewers
was added to the neighborhood,
and an additional 2,265
feet of existing storm sewers
were replaced. To better capture
stormwater and direct
it to the new storm sewers,
55 new catch basins were installed,
and 53 old ones were
replaced.
The holding capacity
of the local sewers was increased
with the installation
of three new underground
chambers and replacement of
an old one. During construction,
9,235 feet of sanitary
sewers were replaced, and
595 feet of new sewers were
installed. More than 3 miles
(16,160 feet) of water mains
were replaced to improve water
infrastructure reliability.
As part of the final street
restoration, 490,240 square
feet of asphalt were laid down
over a new concrete base.
Throughout the project area,
65,840 square feet of sidewalk
and 19,370 feet of curbs
were reconstructed, and 890
square feet of new sidewalk
and 995 feet of new curbs
were added.
The new curbs and sidewalks
were graded to help
guide stormwater to the
area’s new catch basins and
ensure adequate street drainage
during storms. Fire protection
was enhanced with
the installation of six new
fire hydrants and the replacement
of 33 existing ones.
Compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities
Act was improved
with the installation of
four new pedestrian ramps
and the replacement of 158
existing ones.
The project is part of the
ongoing $2.5 billion Southeast
Queens Initiative, in
which the city will build a
comprehensive drainage system,
improve street conditions,
and alleviate flooding
in neighborhoods throughout
southeast Queens.
The program — the largest
of its kind — consists of 44
projects overall, including 18
substantially completed, 14
in design and three in active
construction.
Southeast Queens residents
William West and his
wife praised the city agencies
upon the completion of
the new drainage system on
Baisley Boulevard.
“We’ve lived in the neighborhood
for 40 years, so we’ve
seen and experienced flooding
in streets and basements.
We were both delighted and
relieved when we heard
about the Southeast Queens
Initiative, so much so, that
we decided that I should photograph
this historic event,”
West said.
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards noted
the issue of flooding for nearly
40 years in the community,
disinvestment and environmental
racism. According
to Richards, these issues
are finally being addressed
to correct the inequities in
southeast Queens.
“The people in this community
are taxpayers just
like anyone else. They get up,
they drive your buses, they
drive your subways, they
work in NYCHA housing and
run the city, and they deserve
nothing less but to make sure
to have investments like
what we are seeing today,”
Richards said.
Read more on QNS.com.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
Mayor Eric Adams announced a pair of projects that aim to improve infrastructure and quality of life
while tackling the affordable housing crisis in southeast Queens. Screenshot via Twitter
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