22 THE QUEENS COURIER • 2020 PREVIEW • JANUARY 2, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
2020 preview
Three big stories to watch in northwest Queens
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th ere’s quite a lot to look forward to in
2020, but there are some stories in particular
that we know will develop even further
in the coming months. Transportation
and developments are the main focus in
northwestern Queens — take a look at
some of the main stories ahead.
Will plans for the Brooklyn-
Queens Connector
(BQX) move ahead?
Th e city’s Brooklyn-Queens Connector
(BQX), a zero-emission streetcar that
would connect some of Queens and
Brooklyn’s waterfront neighborhoods, has
been in the works since 2015. While BQX
is projected to connect about 400,000 residents
throughout the two outer boroughs,
the de Blasio administration also sees it
as a way to address the changing needs
of commuters and the Manhattan-centric
subway system.
The City Council discussed the
Economic Development Corporation’s
(EDC) plans and setbacks for the project
in a hearing last May, a few months
aft er the EDC released their conceptual
design report.
Th e project will cost $2.7 billion, funds
that de Blasio initially said would be paid
for through value capturing (which may
involve increasing tax revenue and rising
property tax values along the streetcar’s
route) but, according to the EDC’s
2018 report, they’ll need more funds from
the federal government. But Councilman
Jimmy Van Bramer questioned whether
the federal government would grant the
funds needed for BQX under the Trump
administration.
Larry Penner, a former Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) offi cial, told QNS
he isn’t convinced the project will receive
federal funding from the FTA’s New Starts
program either. “Th e odds are slim to
none that the project will get out of the
barn,” Penner said.
Th e EDC’s 2018 report also outlined 11
potential stops from Astoria to Red Hook
— with a single ride set at $2.75 — but
some critics of the plan said that the stops
are similar to those on the G train.
If City Council approves the project
the way it is now, construction would
begin by 2024 and completed by 2029.
Th e city’s conducting an environmental
impact review for the project, which will
then go through the Uniform Land Use
Review Procedure (ULURP) before it goes
back to City Council for a vote.
Astoria residents want a ferry
connection to Upper East Side
Th e Hallets Point Alliance, which is
a coalition made up of residents of the
Astoria Houses Tenants Association and
the Durst Organization, are urging the
city to expand the NYC Ferry service to
Astoria by providing a direct connection
to Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Although a landing already exists at
90th Street and the EDC added a new
Brooklyn Navy Yard ferry stop to the
Astoria line that will connect residents to
the city’s premier manufacturing hub, the
Hallets Point coalition said that doesn’t
help them.
Many of the residents of the Astoria
Houses currently work in the Upper East
Side’s medical sector, which is 1,515 feet
across the East River. Th e nearest subway
station to Hallets Point is more than
a 20-minute walk, and a train trip to the
Upper East Side can take up to an hour.
City Councilman Costa Constantinides
advocated for the current ferry service
since he took offi ce in 2013, and told QNS
he understands his constituents’ current
proposal.
“Th e distance is just 1,515 feet away. If
you want to get people out of cars and take
public transportation if it’s something that
will accomplish that goal it would be a
good one but right now it’s not an option,”
Constantinides said.
Old Astoria Neighborhood Association
even created a petition in order to get the
city to provide a direct connection from
Hallets Point to the Upper East Side,
which already has more than 1,100 signatures.
Th e EDC committed to another feasibility
study, but that will take place only aft er
the agency launches its proposed routes in
2021. But we will see if the community’s
concerns help speed up the process.
The EDC’s plan to develop
Sunnyside Yards gets bumpy
Th e EDC has another big development
project in the works that’s getting lots
of attention from the community — the
Sunnyside Yards.
Th e city agency has proposed new land
built atop of one of the busiest rail yards in
the country in order to create a whole new
neighborhood, but they haven’t released
a fi nal master plan. An earlier feasibility
study placed the Sunnyside Yards project
between $16 and $19 billion, but the price
went up to $22 billion.
Th e EDC is currently conducting outreach
interviews and meetings with the
community in order to get their feedback
on the project. But in September,
one of their in-person meetings became a
demonstration against the EDC and their
plans for Sunnyside Yards. Community
activists don’t believe the EDC will keep
true to their promise of off ering aff ordable
housing and public amenities. Some
residents say the city should instead invest
that money in existing issues in the neighborhood,
such as NYCHA maintenance
and aff ordable housing.
In November, several community
watchdog groups, including Justice for
All Coalition, Stop Sunnyside Yards and
Woodside on the Move, held a rally outside
of the rail yard in order to call for
the city to stop all plans for the project.
Th ey also presented a petition that calls
for a moratorium on all developments in
Queens, the abolishment of the EDC and
alternative ways to use the project’s funds.
Senator Michael Gianaris, Council member
Jimmy Van Bramer, Assemblywoman
Cathy Nolan and Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have also sent
letters to the EDC so that they address the
concerns raised by the community.
Th e EDC said the offi cial plan for
Sunnyside Yards will be released in
Winter 2020.
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Queens Connector
Photo by Bill Parry
Astoria residents are fi ghting for a ferry connection to the Upper East Side.
Photo credit: Angélica Acevedo
Nicholas Velkov of Justice for All Coalition leads a Sunnyside Yards protest on Nov. 25.
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