Sunnyside Yards, via EDC.
Aug. 29, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
Officials continue to work on drafting a master plan for the massive Sunnyside Yard and the city is hosting yet another public meeting where residents can get to weigh in.
The meeting will take place at Aviation High School at 45-30 36th St. in Long Island City on Monday, Sept. 16 and is the third in a series of public meetings organized by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Amtrak, which owns the majority of the site.
The city has been working on a master plan for the 180-acre site since May 2018 and expects to complete it by the end of the year.
The master plan will lay the groundwork for future development, which is likely to involve building a deck over the railway yard and constructing thousands of housing units, commercial space and community facilities. The plan will address the area’s transportation, school and green space needs.
The September meeting will focus mostly on open space and infrastructure. The announcement/invitation for the meeting reads:
“For the past several months, we’ve gathered your insights and input at a variety of events, and we’ve done extensive research to help form a vision for the Sunnyside Yard Master Plan. Come be a part of the conversation that will continue to shape the future of this area.
“Based on input from public meetings, workshops, and hundreds of interviews, there will be some early concepts to help address open space and infrastructure needs and better connect existing neighborhoods. This is part of an iterative process with opportunities for ongoing feedback.”
The master plan is being developed by a team of architects, engineers and urban experts–among others–who have been working with a local steering committee.
The committee, called the Sunnyside Yard Steering Committee, is made up of about 40 local leaders and stakeholders who are helping to shape the plan.
The EDC said that the Sunnyside Yard site presents an opportunity for the city to provide housing and industry for New York’s growing population.
The EDC anticipates that New York City’s population will grow by 500,000 within 20 years, with Queens’ population set to rise by 80,000 during that period. It says that the growth will place additional strain on the city’s infrastructure and housing supply–and that Sunnyside Yard will help the city address these challenges.
However, the population of New York City has been on the decline in recent years, according to census numbers that were released in April.
The population of New York City shrank by nearly 40,000 people between 2017 and 2018, while the population of Queens County fell by 18,000 in the same period. New York City has not experienced population growth since 2013, according to those figures.
The EDC’s meetings have generated a lot of interest since the master planning process began. Hundreds of people attended the previous meetings that took place in March 2019 and October 2018.
For more details on the meeting or to RSVP visit www.sunnysideyard.nyc
Attendees at the first public meeting for the Sunnyside Yard Master Planning Process in October 2018. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
21 Comments
There are multiple articles going around today about the number of people and businesses leaving NYC on a daily basis. The local government needs to start listening to the people and wake up before we become another Detroit. No one but the real estate developers (and the people they pay) actually wants more luxury housing. We need more green space and schools. Adding a couple of trees to a parking spot does not equal adequate green space. Green space and schools for Sunnyside Yards or nothing. No more luxury housing.
We need new elected leaders in NYC. Leaders who actually care about the future of this city. And ones who aren’t delusional enough to think they can become President of the U.S.A.
This will virtually render the 7 train useless to LIC riders who will see more than the trains are packed now coming into Court Square. If you wait 2-3 trains now add a couple of more to wait when this goes through. Truly Overkill for LIC / Sunnyside area.
It’s a shame you voted for one. The massive tax breaks he gave them makes it a lot easier to build more buildings here.
Have you nothing else to say. You are just DUMB. What about KING Bloomberg’s Favorite Developer Related Cos. How about Modern Spaces, Corcoran Group etc….Keep your anti Trump rhetoric to yourself for once, you are like a broken record. Come up with something new for once. TRUMP 2020.
You make a great point–you voted for a billionaire NY state real estate luxury condo developer. Also, some other people did things, but you “don’t” like them because they did what Trump did?
No one’s buying it. You have no integrity.
I think they should build a communication hub. Penn Station is a such a mess. We need a modern 21 century station for LIRR & Amtrak with a shuttle to Metro North.
Hmmm…no growth since 2013. Wasn’t that the year DeBlasio was elected? I wonder how much of this shrinkage is due to people declaring residency outside city limit to keep their money out of his grubby hands. Or maybe it is people fleeing his soft on crime policies.
Making unfounded assumptions is fun!
This is because most if not all of development is luxury apartments. If properties for rent or sale were affordable for middle class people l, more people would be buying and renting. Not everyone can afford to spend $3200 in rent a month for a small studio, or $420K to purchase a small 1 bedroom. These prices are ridiculous…
Please…. Queens can’t build new schools fast enough and we’re supposed to believe these “census” figures that says we’re losing population? And what about the thousands of residents now living in Long Island City? Or the fact that our subway lines are more overcrowded than ever during morning rush?
The city and state gubmint don’t like to count illegals, because they don’t want us to know how many there really are (simple math: whatever number they give you, it’s three or four times more, at least). Not that there are any “illegal” people! But there sure are a hella lot that shouldn’t be here, but are, and more arrive every single day.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/03/11/us-metro-areas-unauthorized-immigrants/
Oops, you’re completely wrong.
What a shocker. A conservative has no idea what they’re talking about!
Lol! You probably believe what you read in the NY Times too. Pew is fake news. The article you link starts off with: “Most of the United States’ 10.7 million unauthorized immigrants live…”
10.7? Laughable. It’s at LEAST 30 million, probably a lot more. How exactly do you “count” all those millions of people? Answer: you don’t. It’s just people with a political agenda spitting out fake numbers. They’ve been pushing the “11 million illegals” for DECADES, yet every year another couple of million show up. But the number never changes? It’s astonishing how naive people are.
Except it’s not. It’s astonishing how stupid you are. FOH
I shared my evidence, still waiting on yours. I’m sure you have tons of it, otherwise this would be blind speculation we could dismiss immediately…?
Why waste your time going to these meetings? It doesn’t matter what the public thinks. The fate of Sunnyside Yards has been decided long ago. The meetings are just window-dressing. In the end, the development interests will get exactly what they want and nobody will stop them.
Yup, just like the MTA meetings
I’m going to guess that the decline is due more to wealthy people owning mostly unoccupied apartments then the desire to live here. Also the “affordable” apartment program may need to review their definition of affordable.
Hmmm, sounds like a typical “progressive” response… Or, maybe the decline is due to policies that continue to drive up taxes without and meaningful investment in infrastructure or job creation (in fact, our politicians have been chasing jobs away). Meanwhile, our “progressive” government continues to push large residential re-development projects like this one. Pretty pathetic actually … especially to try to spin the blame on wealthy homeowners (the only healthy tax base left in NY).
True, population growth or decline is always happening. What is 40,000 means for city over 8,4 million, nothing!!!