Council unconvinced of city’s plan for major Queens development
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City Councilmember Julie Won made it clear on Wednesday during a Council hearing that she will not approve the OneLIC neighborhood plan if her concerns are not addressed by the city. Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit
By Ryan Schwach
The plan to rezone and redevelop 54 blocks of Long Island City came before the City Council on Wednesday where the local representative whose opinion on the project matters the most still isn't fully onboard.
City Councilmember Julie Won, who represents the entirety of the area slated for the rezoning, had myriad questions for the city on its OneLIC plan.
As the local member, the project could ultimately live or die by Won’s hand.
The city’s proposal would rezone a large portion of LIC, a neighborhood that has already seen a decade of massive development, by encouraging developers to bring 10,000 new units of housing and over 3 million square feet of commercial space alongside open space and other amenities. The plan was crafted in part to correct some of the growth that the neighborhood has already seen over the past 10 years, which has mostly come in the form of luxury high-rise apartment buildings.
But after several public feedback sessions and community board hearings that resulted in conditional approvals from both CBs, Won said she’s not convinced the current proposal will meet its stated goals.
“As it stands, the OneLIC neighborhood plan lacks tangible commitments to address community needs and fund capital investments for critical infrastructure in Long Island City to gain my final support,” she said. “The city must translate community needs into real, concrete commitments.”
Won called for the building of affordable housing, and city commitments on park space, school seats, street safety and flood mitigation projects.
The progressive councilmember has been a major facilitator of the OneLIC project over the last two years, but has made it clear that if her demands, and those made by the community, are not met, she will reject the project.
“Without these commitments to address every one of these priorities, the [OneLIC] neighborhood plan will not have my support,” Won said during her opening remarks. “I will vote no later this fall.”
Over the course of her 95-minute questioning of city officials, Won grilled the agencies on her concerns, ones that are mostly shared by the community boards and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who also approved the project with conditions.
Flooding continues to be a major issue across the borough, and the waterfront areas in LIC are no exception. During the hearing, the Department of City Planning and Department of Environmental Protection said that there are plans to help mitigate the issue through building height limits and some investment in storm surge mitigation.
The bulk of the development that results from the OneLIC rezoning will take place over a number of years and will be left up to private developers. But Won said the clock is ticking when it comes to the neighborhood’s climate needs.
“I just have a concern that new development can take anywhere from 20 to 30 years to complete, while the current flooding issues have been there for decades, and every major hurricane to every major rainstorm, Long Island City continues to suffer,” she said.
City officials did not commit to Won’s request for $90 million in public funding to address sewage and storm water management infrastructure in LIC. The city also would not commit to completing a drainage plan before the Council is set to hold a vote, as requested by Won.
Green space is another serious concern for the lawmaker.
“The environmental impact statement identifies a significant impact to open space in the industrial and the residential study area,” she said.
Currently, LIC has only 0.9 acres of green space for every 1,000 people, which Won called “abysmal.”
The OneLIC plan includes the promise of six acres of additional green space.
“Open space is a key goal here,” said DCP’s Queens Borough Commissioner Lin Zeng. “In addition to allowing for more residential developments, one is creating that continuous waterfront open space and that could create up to six acres of new public open space in this area.”
The OneLIC Neighborhood Plan would rezone 54 blocks of the city’s fastest growing neighborhood. Rendering via DCP
Won said that six acres are not enough, and called on commitments for more greenspace. The councilmember has specifically fought for more green space under the Queensborough Bridge, which used to be a park, but is now used by the Department of Transportation.
DOT, Parks and DCP said that conversations would continue regarding a park on that site.
In the same vein, Won called for more school seats, and said she will not vote yes on the project unless there is a commitment of 1,300 school seats, which no one at the panel could agree to on Wednesday without the School Construction Authority present.
In a statement, DCP said it will continue to work with Won on developing the OneLIC plan.
“The Department of City Planning is grateful to the City Council for a productive hearing on this important proposal to bring thousands of new homes and affordable homes, jobs, public realm improvements, and more to Long Island City,” said spokesperson Joe Marvilli. “We look forward to continuing to work with Councilmember Julie Won to get this holistic plan over the finish line and create an even brighter future for the residents and workers of this vibrant neighborhood.”
In the last decade, LIC has grown and built more rapidly than any other neighborhood in New York City.
DCP’s own data shows that LIC’s population has grown by 78 percent in that time, nearly ten fold the rate of Queens and the city as a whole.
Rents have also gone up in that time, and many longtime LIC locals worry about being priced out if the development continues.
“What the constituents who are here to testify will tell you, is that Long Island City has been the detriment of city development,” Won said to the panel on Wednesday “It has been great that we have been on the forefront to building more housing, but it was to the detriment of social infrastructure as well as basic infrastructure for our community.”
“We don't have enough park space, we don't have street safety, we don't have enough schools, we don't have enough libraries, we don't have enough of much of anything,” she added.
If Won ultimately chooses to cite against the project, it will be the fourth time a massive rezoning of Long Island City failed to to be approved.
“This project has failed four times before me,” she added. “You know, sometimes the fifth time’s the charm. Maybe, maybe not.”
