DOT completes first phase of Queens greenway workshops, but community still split on plan
/The city is continuing to get feedback on its plan to put a massive greenway along the water in Northern Queens. Photo via the Department of Transportation
By Ryan Schwach
The New York City Department of Transportation wrapped up the first phase of community input sessions for the planned Queens Waterfront Greenway on a high note Tuesday night, but the communities along the proposed greenway are still split on the idea.
It is a game of East versus West in the fight to build a 16-mile greenway from Long Island City to Fort Totten, with neighbors west of Willets Point mostly in support of the DOT’s proposal, and communities to the east a bit more wary.
On Tuesday, the DOT held its final meeting of its first phase of public input. The meeting, held virtually, was the last for the agency to garner feedback on “existing conditions” around the planned greenway site before collecting actual ideas on what the project should look like.
“We want that path to be continuous, safe and accessible, and we're going to do that by developing short- and long-term projects,” said Emma Maniere, a project manager at DOT. “We want to do that with community input along the way, at various touch points. We know this is a really massive undertaking, and we know that the greenway might look different in different communities.”
Some of the previous feedback sessions have been contentious, fueled in part by City Councilmember Vickie Paladino, who strongly opposes the plan.
During the DOT’s last in-person meeting for the greenway in Douglaston, Paladino stood atop a chair and addressed the crowd, then walked out with many of her supporters.
One local resident alleged the Republican councilmember’s son, Thomas Paladino, who also works on the lawmaker’s staff, told a constituent to “f— off” during a particularly heated moment.
Seemingly in direct response to tense meeting, DOT this week took the time to fully read out the code of conduct for the meeting, a rarity for these types of forums.
“Let's listen intently and without judgment, so we may learn from one another's experiences and perspectives, even if they differ from our own,” a DOT staff member said. “Treat each other with respect and dignity as well as show empathy. Let's respect one another's perspectives, our opinions are what make our city so special. Will not tolerate hate speech, discrimination, harassment, violence or any kind.”
The majority of the meeting took place in individual breakout rooms, where locals gave feedback to DOT.
The breakout room the Eagle was randomly placed in briefly included Paladino – who did not speak – and her deputy chief of staff, Eric Forte.
Forte tried to express the worries of some residents from Paladino’s District 19, who are hesitant to support the greenway.
“We have a lot of people coming into the district office and say, ‘Look, it's a low density zone, a lot of car culture. We're not near public transportation. Do we get a say?’” he said.
The meeting also came just a few days after Transportation Alternatives released data showing Paladino’s district had the most traffic fatalities – 12 – of any in the city in 2024.
The DOT will schedule workshops for the greenway toward the end of the summer and address “route alternatives” according to their presentation, with more opportunities for public feedback coming next year ahead of a draft plan.