NY Times Comes Out in Suport of The QueensWay

In very exciting news to close out the year, the NY Times in an editorial has carefully weighed the two options for the 3.5 mile stretch of abandoned railway that runs from Rego Park—and through a section of Forest Hills—to the Rockaways and come out in support of a High Line-like park which would be called The QueensWay.

I think this is the most important part of their analysis of the two options, the other of which is reviving the rail link to the Rockaways:

A Green Line Through Queens

....they may be understating the difficulty of reviving those rails for trains. Of the QueensWay’s 47 acres, seven are parkland. If the city, which owns the land, was to return it to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for transit, it would have to find replacement parkland somewhere else. Then there is the question of when the M.T.A. would get to this capital project, which would be one of many on its overflowing, underfunded to-do list.

The likeliest answer is never. The M.T.A.’s capital plan is only half-funded; the agency is strapped by debt and is hard-pressed to protect the infrastructure it has.

Many naysayers have dismissed the possibility that The QueensWay will ever come to fruition. They point to the hurdles that the High Line had, which were overcome with the help of big celebrity donors. It reminds me of the same dismissive tone I heard about the possibility of ever reviving Forest Hills Stadium for music concerts.

And we all know how that turned out:

QueensWay Community Workshops This Week

Last Wednesday, The Friends of the Queensway Steering Committee co-hosted its first community workshop to discuss the QueensWay vision and gather input from Woodhaven residents. The organization's next two workshops will be happening this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in Forest Hills and Ozone Park.

Workshop II - Tuesday, November 19, 7-9 pm

Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School (MELS)

91-30 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills, NY

(two blocks east of Woodhaven Blvd)

Workshop III - Wednesday November 20, 7-9 pm

Ozone Park Senior Center

103-02 101st Ave, Jamaica, NY

(at 103rd Street)

RSVP is greatly appreciated. You can do so by contacting:

Shelma Jun

QueensWay Plan Engagement Manager

shelma@hesterstreet.org .

212.431.6780 x110

What is the QueensWay?

The QueensWay is a community-led effort to transform a blighted, 3.5 mile stretch of abandoned railway in Central Queens (Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, and Ozone Park) into a new linear park and cultural greenway. At this time,   consultants are initiating a feasibility study and planning process, to convert the abandoned railway into a pedestrian and bike path, incorporate cultural and community programs, and connect the adjacent neighborhoods to each other and to Forest Park.   The QueensWay is supported by many Queens residents , and spearheaded by Friends of The QueensWay (FQW) and the Trust for Pubic Land (TPL) the nation's leader in creating urban parks.

What will happen at the public workshops?

These workshops will give residents an opportunity to share their ideas, suggestions and concerns   for the project. Your input could help create a vision for the QueensWay that  would identify potential recreational and educational activities, economic opportunities and addresses safety and security concerns.

The Queensway Visits the Forest Hills Greenmarket

I was happy to see QueensWay representatives with a stall at the market a few weeks ago, discussing with residents the proposal for the borough's very own elevated Park. (I am planning to do a post focusing more on the Queensway soon, with additional information, since there were some interesting developments just before the visit from Mumford overshadowed everything.)

It was great to see residents really seemed interested in the idea for this new elevated park, as you can see from the photos:

More About the "Queens High Line"

A good article about the proposed Queensway in today's Times. If this happens it would really be awesome. Why? Because there's so few places to go for a long walk in our area without having to also inhale a constant supply of car exhaust.

In Queens, Taking the High Line as a Model
The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit group, has joined with local residents to promote the idea of a park for Queens, like Manhattan’s High Line, where unused train tracks lie.

Wall St. Journal: Queens 'High Line' On Track

New 'High Line' on Track
Grant Jump-Starts Plans for Abandoned Rail in Queens

I have to say the amount of coverage of this in today's Wall St. Journal caught me by surprise. The chances of it happening have always seemed like such a longshot to me just because if it happened it would be so awesome and how often do awesome things happen?

True, this grant is just for a study. It doesn't mean it's actually going to happen. But put it together with the Journal's fantastic coverage of the possibility and I am suddenly thinking this just might come together.

There is one part of the article today which I found really interesting and which I am so glad they point out, the part when they talk about how so much of the public park space in Queens is virtually impossible to get to on foot, unless you are brave enough to trek across busy highways. This Queensway would be a solution to that, giving easier access by foot to Forest Park, for example. That alone is why I truly hope this project succeeds.

From the article:

Queens enjoys an image as a bucolic borough where even neighborhood names evoke a pastoral pride: Fresh Meadows, Woodside, Floral Park. The streets of Sunnyside Gardens and Forest Hills are dotted with small private gardens.
But the borough ranks third out of five for parkland per resident, and much of the green space—particularly Forest Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park—can't be reached by pedestrians who are unwilling to cross busy roadways in what can amount to an act of bravery.

Coverage of Queens High Line Meeting

Here's a good article about the meeting Monday night to discuss the possibility of creating a High Line, or QueensWay as they are calling it, running through Forest Hills. Personally, I don't quite get why the other party wants to reactivate it for trains again. We already have the rail link to Kennedy Airport (which actually is a lot of fun to take and is pretty easy.) Now, if this thing can get me from the LIRR station to the beach in the Rockaways in 20 minutes, that would be fun too. But not sure if that's what they have in mind, or is it? Do any of you know? Groups Tangle Over Creating Queens 'High Line'

Queens High Line Meeting Tonight

There will be a meeting in Kew Gardens tonight about the possibility of creating our very own High Line, right here in Forest Hills and neighboring communities in Queens. Here is some more information from a Facebook page about the meeting:

The Queens Civic Congress will be hosting a forum on proposals to either reactivate train service on the ROW or develop it into The Queensway - our envisioned world class linear park and bike way - on Monday,June 18th at 7:00 PM at the Maple Grove Center located at 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens. As members of Friends of the QueensWay please join our Steering Committee and The Trust for Public Land in presenting our vision alongside our friends in what we hope will be an informative and spirited debate on improving the quality of life and options for the entire borough of Queens. It is so important that we show the business, community and political leaders in attendance that there is Broad Support for the QueensWay ----------------- Directions to the meeting at 127-15 Kew Gardens Road on Monday, June 18, 2012 by public transit from Manhattan, South Queens & the Rockaways. ( Please note that all the gates the cemetery will be closed and the main entrance to the building is near 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road.). Directions via auto can be found at various websites such as google, mapquest, yahoo etc. - or bring your bike! From Manhattan: Take the "E" or "F" Line to the Kew Gardens Station staying in the front three cars and exit near Kew Gardens Road along the south side of Queens Blvd. (A sign leading to the Q10 bus will direct you to the south side of Queens Blvd. {Do not exit at the north side which is the Queens Borough Hall/courts side}). Walk along Kew Gardens Road about eleven blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. From Jamaica: Take the "E" or "F" Line to the Kew Gardens Station staying in the rear three cars and exit near Kew Gardens Road along the south side of Queens Blvd. (A sign leading to the Q10 bus will direct you to the south side of Queens Blvd. {Do not exit at the north side which is the Queens Borough Hall/courts side}). Walk along Kew Gardens Road about eleven blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. From Points South: Q21, Q53 Ltd./Q21Ltd. bus to the Woodhaven Blvd. Station of the Jamaica Avenue "J" subway line. Transfer to the "J" train and take the "J" train to Sutphin Blvd. and than transfer to the "E" Line. Take the "E" Line from Sutphin Blvd. Station to the Kew Gardens Station staying in the rear three cars and exit near Kew Gardens Road along the south side of Queens Blvd. (A sign leading to the Q10 bus will direct you to the south side of Queens Blvd.) Walk along Kew Gardens Road about eleven blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. -- OR -- Q21, Q53 Ltd./Q21Ltd. bus to the Woodhaven Blvd. Station of the Queens Blvd. Subway Line "M" & "R" subway line. Transfer to the "M" or "R" train eastbound to the Forest Hills Station and than transfer to the "E" or "F" Lines. Take the "E" or "F" Line to the Kew Gardens Station staying in the front three cars and exit near Kew Gardens Road along the south side of Queens Blvd. (A sign leading to the Q10 bus will direct you to the south side of Queens Blvd. {Do not exit at the north side which is the Queens Borough Hall/courts side}). Walk along Kew Gardens Road about eleven blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. -- OR -- Q113/Q113Limited bus to Parsons Blvd./Archer Avenue and transfer to the "E" Line at Parsons Blvd./Archer Avenue. Take the "E" Line (Manhattan bound) to the Kew Gardens Station staying in the rear three cars and exit the Kew Gardens Station along the south side near Kew Gardens Road. (A sign leading to the Q10 bus will direct you to the south side of Queens Blvd. {Do not exit at the north side which is the Queens Borough Hall/courts side}). Walk along Kew Gardens Road about eleven blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. -- Note -- Q22 local bus connects to the Q53Ltd./Q21 Ltd./Q21 bus routes and to the Q113 /Q113 Limited bus routes. See http://www.mta.info/ for more information and to see a Queens Bus Map for more specific transfer locations. From other locations in Queens: Q10, Q10 Limited and Q37 buses to Kew Gardens Station. Walk along Kew Gardens Road about eleven blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. If on Q10 you can get off at 83rd Avenue/Kew Gardens Road. If on Q37 when exiting at Union Tpke/Queens Blvd. walk along Queens Blvd. to the east until you see Kew Gardens Road near the Q10 bus terminal. Also many local buses transfer with both the Q10, Q10 Limited and Q37 buses such as Q7, Q9, Q41, Q112, Q8, Q24, Q55, Q56, Q54 routes. Q60 bus to 83rd Avenue/Queens Blvd. Walk along 83rd Avenue south to Kew Gardens Road. Turn left and walk about ten blocks to 127th Street/Kew Gardens Road. Numerous buses transfer to the Q60 route. See http://www.mta.info/ for more information and to see a Queens Bus Map for more specific transfer information and locations.