Funds Ready To Rebuild Queens Plaza, Job to Start In 2007
BY JOHN TOSCANO

(L. to r.): Amanda Burden, Department of City Planning director, Joseph Conley, Community Board 2 chairman, Long Island City Business Development Corporation President Gayle Baron, Borough President Helen Marshall and City Councilmember Eric Gioia listen as Congressmember Carolyn Maloney (at lectern) outlines plans for Queens Plaza development.

There is $22 million in the bank to complete the long-awaited renovation of Queens Plaza, which will transform the once-blighted area into a welcoming gateway to Queens. Construction is set to commence next year.

In making the announcement last week, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney declared: "The redevelopment of Queens Plaza will complete the rebirth of Long Island City. Everywhere you look, exciting new projects are either breaking ground or being completed. The redevelopment will be a huge benefit for businesses, residents and commuters alike.

"Queens Plaza has become known for rusty elevated tracks, traffic snarls and take-your-life-in-yourhands crosswalks, but all that is about to change. Queens Plaza will soon become the welcoming gateway that the residents of Long Island City deserve."

An architect's rendering of the proposed Queens Plaza landscaping.

Maloney made the announcement in the plaza last Friday. She was joined by Borough President Helen Marshall, Department of City Planning Director Amanda Burden, City Councilmember Eric Gioia, a representative of Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, Community Board 2 Chairman Joseph Conley, and Long Island City Business Development Corporation President Gayle Baron.

The huge project, Maloney (D-Queens/Manhattan) explained, will beautify the huge expanse of property at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge by creating a new 1.5-acre, landscaped open space at Queens Plaza East, widened landscaped medians and an overall plan for new lighting, tree planting and directional signs throughout the area.

Traffic lanes will also be reconfigured. A new, dedicated bike lane will create a more pedestrian and bikefriendly environment, thereby reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality and encouraging mass transit usage.

Burden said the huge makeover project would create a magnificent public open space for the first time in nearly 100 years. She credited Maloney with being an invaluable partner in obtaining funding for a project that will help Long Island City "reach its potential as one of the great business districts of our city".

Burden said it was expected that the planned transformation would further catalyze investment in a district she called "dynamic, transit rich and culturally distinct" that is a key component of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's five-borough economic development strategy.

Shortly after taking office in 2001, the mayor launched his Long Island City plan, enacting major zoning changes that attracted many new businesses which created hundreds of jobs.

Nolan (D-Ridgewood) noted, "Long Island City is a great place to live and work, and this major effort will make it even better," while Gioia (D-Long Island City) declared that the new project "is yet another sign that Long Island City is truly in the midst of a renaissance."

Gioia continued: "With unparalleled views of Manhattan, easy access to public transportation and an amazing array of cultural institutions, Long Island City is already a great neighborhood.

"Yet what has happened today is but a precursor to the improvements yet to come. From recapturing the waterfront to platforming the Sunnyside Yards and creating brand new neighborhoods, Long Island City has more potential than anywhere else in this city."

Recognizing the importance of the Queens Plaza redevelopment project, Maloney, working with other members of the Queens congressional delegation, began securing funds for the job which eventually added up to $19.05 million. The city will add $3 million more. The project is expected to begin late next year.