Opinion: Turning empty lots into opportunity for every family in Queens

A rendering of Metropolitan Park. Rendering via Metropolitan Park

By Saeeda Dunston

I was born and raised in Queens, and I’ve spent more than a decade working to make this community stronger. As the leader of an organization that has served our neighbors for over 60 years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the resilience of our community in the face of ongoing systemic challenges.

We’ve seen a parade of outsiders with big plans for the area come and go. Promising to address local needs, while trying to tell us what our community supposedly wants. The 50 acres of empty parking lots surrounding Citi Field are a perfect example: decades of failed, heavy-handed and top-down proposals with little community involvement have left this area cut off from the community, and a reminder of broken promises and decades of underinvestment.

Metropolitan Park is a project that has been shaped by the people who live here. A steadfast partner of the community and Elmcor, Metropolitan Park has been intentional with its support for putting the community first. The team behind the project has hosted thousands of conversations alongside dozens of visioning sessions and workshops in multiple languages in order to understand what we really wanted and needed from the area. Time and again, our neighbors have said the same thing: We want jobs that let people stay and build their futures in Queens. We want green space where our kids can play and families can gather. We want local businesses to have real opportunities to grow. We want better connectivity to our neighborhoods and better transportation options.

And while it is one thing to hold meetings and say you are listening, it’s another to actually follow through on what people tell you. The vision for Metropolitan Park does just that, and delivers what members of the local community said they want and need: 23,000 good-paying union jobs with a Queens-first hiring approach; 25 acres of new park space, athletic fields and playgrounds; unprecedented support for local small businesses and diverse entrepreneurs; and $1.75 billion in infrastructure updates that will transform the Mets-Willets Point 7 Train station and better connect local neighborhoods. This project has been built from the ground up, driven by the input and energy of the people who will live, work, and play here.

As CEO of Elmcor, we are proud to be partnering with Metropolitan Park to develop programming around local hiring, job training, and ongoing professional development to ensure that the jobs this project creates aren't just temporary positions, but can be gateways to meaningful careers. Additionally, Elmcor will partner with Metropolitan Park on problem gaming education, prevention, and treatment because we recognize the importance of building infrastructure and resources to support the community. I support Metropolitan Park because their commitment to centering community voices is central to building a future together. Their leadership and partnership have been crucial for organizations like Elmcor because they have proven themselves to be a reliable partner and good neighbor to our communities in Queens. Metropolitan Park is a partner that works with us, and we’re excited to meet this moment alongside them to deliver for our communities.

Saeeda Dunston is the chief executive officer of Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities Inc.