When Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a massive affordable housing project over a sprawling rail yard in Queens, critics scoffed that construction costs would be too high to make low-rent housing economical.
The mayor begged to differ, and now has a study to back him up. However, it’s his own study.
The city on Monday released its long-awaited analysis of building a new neighborhood between Sunnyside and Long Island City. It showed that building on up to 85% of the 180-acre site was feasible. At a cost of $16 billion to $19 billion, it would be the largest building project in the city’s recent history.
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“Sunnyside Yard represents one of our greatest opportunities to invest in the affordable housing, good jobs, open space and public transit Western Queens needs,” Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen said in a statement accompanying the report, which was published by the city’s Economic Development Corp.
The rail yard is an open pit that houses tracks and operations for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, none of which is controlled by the city. The study looked at three development scenarios that could rise on a platform built over much of the yard. The first was predominately residential, with up to 24,000 new apartments. The second scenario was a combination of residential, commercial and retail space, while the third scenario would not have commercial space, but would provide space for cultural institutions or retail that would appeal to residents across the city.
Portions of the yard that would be difficult to build upon would be used for 31 to 52 acres of open space, the study suggested.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who controls the MTA and a portion of the development site, threw cold water on the plan when de Blasio first introduced it. He has not indicated a change of heart since then, and the relationship between him and the mayor remain tense.
Sunnyside Yard 2017 Feasibility Study by crainsnewyork on Scribd
When Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a massive affordable housing project over a sprawling rail yard in Queens, critics scoffed that construction costs would be too high to make low-rent housing economical.
The mayor begged to differ, and now has a study to back him up. However, it’s his own study.
The city on Monday released its long-awaited analysis of building a new neighborhood between Sunnyside and Long Island City. It showed that building on up to 85% of the 180-acre site was feasible. At a cost of $16 billion to $19 billion, it would be the largest building project in the city’s recent history.
“Sunnyside Yard represents one of our greatest opportunities to invest in the affordable housing, good jobs, open space and public transit Western Queens needs,” Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen said in a statement accompanying the report, which was published by the city’s Economic Development Corp.
The rail yard is an open pit that houses tracks and operations for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, none of which is controlled by the city. The study looked at three development scenarios that could rise on a platform built over much of the yard. The first was predominately residential, with up to 24,000 new apartments. The second scenario was a combination of residential, commercial and retail space, while the third scenario would not have commercial space, but would provide space for cultural institutions or retail that would appeal to residents across the city.
Portions of the yard that would be difficult to build upon would be used for 31 to 52 acres of open space, the study suggested.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who controls the MTA and a portion of the development site, threw cold water on the plan when de Blasio first introduced it. He has not indicated a change of heart since then, and the relationship between him and the mayor remain tense.
Sunnyside Yard 2017 Feasibility Study by crainsnewyork on Scribd
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