Dec. 2, 2014 By Christian Murray
The drum beat to develop the Sunnyside Yards continues with the latest call to build on it coming from the former Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff.
Doctoroff, in a New York Times op-ed piece that ran Sunday, said that the city needs to build a 3.1 million square foot convention center and that Sunnyside Yards would be the ideal place for it. The center could also be accompanied, he wrote, by nearly 14,000 residential units of which 50 percent would be affordable.
The op-ed stated that Long Island City is a great location for this development since it is “one of the most convenient, transit-friendly areas in the city, served by eight subway lines.” The idea is that the new convention center would replace the Javits Center, which he deemed too small.
However, residents and local officials argue that the concept just doesn’t make sense and that the neighborhood’s infrastructure in terms of schools, parks and subways are already stretched. Many are unsure how the neighborhood will absorb all the new residents coming to the area, with 5,000-10,000 units coming online in the next few years.
“I found some of [Doctoroff’s op-ed] patronizing,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer who opposes decking over the yards. “It revealed to me somewhat of a Manhattan elitist view of Queens.”
Van Bramer said that Doctoroff might find the neighborhood transit friendly when he looks at the area on a map. However, he said, people who live here know that the No. 7 train is not reliable and there are a lot of delays. During morning rush hour, people often struggle to get on at the Jackson Ave/Vernon Blvd. Station, he said.
At the October Community Board 2 meeting, when the idea of studying the yards was raised, several board members wanted to know how the area will cope with all the Court Square/Queens Plaza development coming online—let alone the yards.
Meanwhile, a petition has just been formed, calling on the city not to allow the site to be developed.
Van Bramer viewed Doctoroff’s push for avoidable housing to be disingenuous—arguing that this an argument used to buttress his case to “plop a mega convention in our neighborhood.”
“I am incredibly supportive of affordable housing,” Van Bramer said, but using affordable housing as a tool is “offensive.”
Councilman Van Bramer
Furthermore, Doctoroff in his op-ed, said that the Yards represented a “nasty scar through the heart of Queens.”
Van Bramer took exception to this viewpoint. “I have lived in these neighborhoods my entire life and it is not a scar. It’s a patronizing to say we have this awful thing and that they have to come here and make it better.”-
However, Doctoroff is not alone in suggesting the Yards should be developed.
In October, the chairman of Amtrak, Anthony Coscia, said that the company was considering developing sections of the Yards. The company said it could turn to investors as early as spring and that it had been in talks with the mayor’s office over its use.
Representatives for the mayor said at the time that the site could be used to advance the mayor’s affordable housing goals.
Meanwhile, the Daily News reported that the Department of City Planning Commissioner Carl Weisbrod said at a meeting Monday that the he and the Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen are studying the site.
However, nothing is planned at this point, Van Bramer said. However,” I think we need to remain vigilant because it is in the minds of some wealthy and powerful people,” he said. “We need to watch out and be careful.”
“What we really need are more schools, green space and better transportation—not a convention center,” Van Bramer said.
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6 Comments
I read the op-ed and agree with most of it, the rail yards are a wasted opportunity in their current state and the possibility of developing into a viable resource for the city should be considered. A couple months ago there was an interesting article in NYT about proposing a transit hub providing monorail services to LGA & JFK with connections to both the MTA & LIRR, another interesting proposal. But yes, the yards are an unpleasant property that keeps several neighborhoods divided.
Come on Jimmy let the entire waterfront become soulless Disneyland garbage. Do you really believe him?
A single person was not responsible for the waterfront development.
I do believe Van Bramer’s remarks.
LICPost: Thank you for writing this. Also, would be interesting to hear an explanation of the logistical role this rail yard serves. I would want to know how our trains might be affected before even considering adjusting how the space is used. Maybe a post addressing that is called for?
Glad Van Bramer is reacting with healthy skepticism.
Build a park over top of the yards.
I agree. Build a platform over the yards and make much of it greenspace. I do think, however, that adding in a decent number of new buildings makes sense given the yards’ proximity to the E, M, G, 7, N, R, and Q trains. How about some amenities too?