City Wants Your Ideas For A Sunnyside Yard Megaproject

ASTORIA, QUEENS — If Queens had an open space the size of 180 football fields, what would you do with it?

That's what the city wants to know Tuesday at a public meeting to brainstorm ideas for Sunnyside Yard, a megaproject that envisions a 180-acre parcel of new land built over one of the busiest train yards in the United States. The space is roughly the size of Governor's Island, or 180 N.F.L. football fields.

First, the project's lead consultant, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, will give a presentation. Attendees can then choose to attend two of three breakout sessions on transportation and mobility, open space and urban design. The feedback will inform the Sunnyside Yard master plan, a guiding document that will inform any future development.

"There’s no set plan here," Cali Williams, director of Sunnyside Yard for the NYC Economic Development Corporation, said in an interview.

The three-hour meeting at P.S. 166 in Astoria is the second such gathering co-hosted by the Economic Development Corporation and Amtrak, which owns most of the rail yard. The first meeting in October 2018 saw about 375 attendees, according to Williams.

"We're trying to have this be as inclusive and participatory a process as possible," Williams said. "We’re developing a long-term, generational vision for this site."

A 2017 study showed it was possible to build a deck over the train yard to create a new, fully planned neighborhood. In May 2018, the EDC and Amtrak launched an 18-month process to gather community feedback, which includes one-on-one meetings with local organizations and public workshops this summer and fall.

The master planning process wraps up at the end of 2019, according to Williams.

The Sunnyside Yard public meeting is Tuesday, March 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. The meeting takes place at P.S. 166 Q (Henry Gradstein Elementary School) at 33-09 35th Ave. in Astoria, Queens.

For more information about the project visit sunnysideyard.nyc.