Sunnyside Yard panel highlights potential for public space

Adrian Benape led a conversation on the potential for the public spaces of Sunnyside Yards with panelists Emily Walker, Mary Alice Lee, Ruben Ramales and Frank Wu. Eagle photos by Rachel Vick.

By Rachel Vick

Western Queens residents and urban design enthusiasts united Tuesday at MoMA PS1 to discuss the importance of community-led efforts to develop public space at the site of the proposed Sunnyside Yards development project. The event, which featured a panel of local leaders, seemed staid in comparison to recent project hearings disrupted by opponents of the plan.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation has proposed building a deck on top of train tracks and depot at Sunnyside Yard — a plan that developers and city leaders have considered for decades — and constructing what would amount to a new neighborhood six times as large as Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. The total price of the deck could cost between $16 billion and $19 billion, according to a feasibility study commissioned by the city. Opponents say the project would create a luxury city where high rents would ripple through surrounding neighborhoods and displace long-time residents.

“Community involvement in deciding what goes in that space is really important,” said Emily Walker, the director of outreach and programming New Yorkers for Parks. “There are [a lot of people] who haven’t had their voices heard and I think that’s extremely important during this process in order to figure out what's needed for the existing residents and eventually the people who might move in.”

Walker said the long-term success of open space depends on the continued commitment of the city and property stewards. 

“You can invest millions of dollars on building beautiful new open spaces for communities, but we often don’t see the commensurate investment in the maintenance and operations of those spaces in the long term, which is a major concern,” she said. “We know an open space is only as accessible and good as its ability to be safe and clean for its users

Architect Rueben Ramales, executive director of the American Institute of Architects Queens, said he has seen firsthand the impact that community engagement can have on a project. Ramales is part of a team working on the Queensway, a Highline-style park project proposed for an old railroad track in central Queens.

“When outreach and engagement are done properly, you get people to be consistently involved,” he said. “You want to make sure that [engagement] is a permanent fixture.”

Sunnyside Yard Director Adam Meagher acknowledged the concerns of residents who fear rising rents and displacement related to the project. But he said the project was a framework for creating a utilitarian space to unite neighborhoods. 

“I think there are a lot of legitimate concerns and fears, particularly with Hudson Yards rising around us about what new places feel like, who they belong to, whether they are truly public and who they are serving,” he said.

Despite the lofty goals for the site and the commitment to community efforts discussed by the panelists, some forum attendees highlighted the potential impact on infrastructure, housing and gentrification.

“This is little more than a distraction, at best, and astro-turfing at worst,” said Gil Lopez, a longtime Long Island City resident. “They know what our issues are [with the project] and are doing this instead of addressing them.”