FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 5, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Sunnyside Yard group holds fi rst meeting on development
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Early last week, the Sunnyside Yard
Steering Committee had its fi rst meeting
to commence planning for the much-anticipated
project.
Th e 35-member steering committee,
which is co-chaired by President of the
LIC Partnership Elizabeth Lusskin and
President and CEO of the YMCA of
Greater NY Sharon Greenberger, gathered
on June 28 to begin the 18-month
master planning process. A spokesperson
from the New York City Economic
Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
said that the details of the meeting are
confi dential.
Members of the project’s steering committee
include local stakeholders, technical
experts and regional thinkers whose
purpose is to help draft the plan for the
project, while surveying the needs of the
surrounding community. According to
the NYCEDC, the committee will specifi
cally establish priorities for a longterm
comprehensive plan and phase one
project.
“We are excited to have offi cially
kicked off the Sunnyside Yard Steering
Committee earlier this week, said Cali
Williams, director of Sunnyside Yard,
NYCEDC. “We are confi dent that the
Steering Committee will help create an
inclusive plan that could deliver on good
jobs, aff ordable housing, open space
and improved public transit in western
Queens. Th is is just the start of a conversation
and we look forward to engaging
New Yorkers in envisioning this unique
site.”
Th e steering committee is slated to meet
quarterly over the 18-month process.
Th ey will also be responsible for hosting
public meetings and workshops, attending
civic meetings and canvassing western
Queens to understand the wants and
needs of people who live and work there.
In May of this year, Deputy Mayor
of Housing and Economic Development
Alicia Glen and Amtrak Chairman
Anthony Coscia announced the agreement
for Th e Sunnyside Yard project
master planning process, in which the city
of New York and Amtrak signed a letter
of intent to formalize their collaboration.
Th e lead consultant for the project
is the New York City-based Practice
for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU),
which will develop the master plan. Other
members of the planning team include
HNTB, Nelson Byrd Woltz and Th ornton
Tomasetti, who are part of a group of
world-renowned engineering, futurist, technical
and community engagement experts.
Th ough the steering committee’s purpose
is to gauge the community’s needs,
elected offi cials have expressed their concerns
that adequate community input
had not been sought before going forward.
Congressman Joe Crowley, New
York State Senator Michael Gianaris,
New York State Assembly members
Catherine Nolan, Aravella Simotas and
Brian Barnwell, and New York City
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer issued
a joint statement in May voicing their
concerns.
“We are deeply alarmed by the city’s
decision to move forward with plans to
build a massive residential and commercial
development in Sunnyside Yard without
seeking adequate community input or
establishing suffi cient infrastructure and
transit options for local residents who will
be impacted by the project,” according to
the joint statement. Th ey also asked that
plans for the project be halted until “our
voices and concerns have been fully considered.”
Photo courtesy of NYCEDC
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