Western Queens neighbors envision new community hub in underused city building
NEW YORK -- Since moving to Long Island City in 1977, musician Ernie Brooks has watched the skyline shoot upward.
"There were a lot of modest apartments and modest row houses," he said. "And then, as the money started flowing in, they started building the waterfront towers. The nature of the community totally changed."
When Amazon prepared to set up a headquarters in an underused city building on public land, locals resisting gentrification fought back and won.
"Amazon finally publicly pulled out," Western Queens Community Land Trust co-chair Memo Salazar said. "At that point, the dust starts settling, and a lot of people in the community start asking themselves, 'Well, what's going to happen to that building that was apparently easily given away?'"
The Queensborough People's Space
On 44th Drive and Vernon Boulevard, the six-story building measures 561,000 square feet. An idea was born for the Queensborough People's Space, a hub with deeply affordable artist studios, workshops, and a rooftop farm. Architect designs went into a feasibility study, and neighbors celebrated the vision at a block party.
Salazar says a community-driven plan should not be considered a long shot.
"Where there's a political will, there's a way," he said. "It may sound like a pipe dream, but it's only a pipe dream because we have stopped thinking about community-led development."
Fellow proponents include Donal Cogdell, Jr., minister of justice at Hope Astoria Church, and Queensbridge activist Lashawn "Suga Ray" Marston.
"We have the most comprehensive plan," Marston said. "It's about sustainability. It's about resilience. It's upward mobility for community."
"I think we have to have spaces for the community, or it's just going to be the rich getting richer," Cogdell said.
One LIC and Long Island City Neighborhood Plan
At the same time, the Department of City Planning has unveiled drafts for rezoning the area with its One LIC and Long Island City Neighborhood Plan. Advocates for the Queensboro People's Space share concerns about the fate of their concept should its block get rezoned.
"The danger with rezoning something to mixed use is that it basically creates a very clear path toward a luxury apartment building," Salazar said.
The Department of City Planning told CBS New York that the rezoning will prioritize affordable housing and sustainability with community feedback. DCP did not address the viability of the Queensboro People's Space but said, in part, "We're still working closely with our city partners, Councilmember Won, and the Long Island City community to engage stakeholders and identify priorities for the neighborhood, including for publicly-owned sites. We look forward to continuing these conversations and exploring ideas that bring the most benefits to the community."
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez shared support for the Queensboro People's Space in a statement to CBS New York:
"In Queens, we need to preserve not only the culture of Long Island City but create communal space for services. This re-imagined and transformed space would create new jobs, and allow small businesses and working artists to remain and thrive in Long Island City. I believe this development would open many cultural and educational opportunities to the community and increase access to NYCHA tenants, immigrants, and residents who have been historically shut out of economic development. This can get done, but we need cooperation from the city and its agencies to commit public land to non-profit development. I have raised this issue with city leaders and will continue to work to make the Queensboro People's Space a reality."
At Monday's city planning scoping meeting for the Long Island City Neighborhood Plan, residents participating remotely made their voices heard. The Department of City Planning will accept comments by email through 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 13.
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