Queens residents still in the dark on Sunnyside Yard

Locals crowded into Sunnyside Community Services on Monday to get more information about a proposal to build housing at Sunnyside Yard.  Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach

By Ryan Schwach

Long Island City residents say they are still in the dark about Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump’s $21 billion plan to build over ten thousand homes atop Sunnyside Yard, a proposal that caught many by surprise when it was announced in February.

Locals in Western Queens want more information about the future of Sunnyside Yard, and if, when and how Trump may pony up the billions to construct a deck and build 12,000 units of housing on top of the busy rail yard.

They also wonder if the president will slap his name on the finished product.

For such a major project, that, if built, would reshape a massive section of Western Queens, residents say they deserve more information about how it’s being shaped.

“It seems like no one really knows what's happening,” said Vishnu Reddy, a Long Island City resident. “This is internal between Mamdani and Trump. We'll see if the Trump administration gives us the money. My guess is we're not getting the money.”

Reddy was one of the nearly 200 local residents who ventured to Sunnyside Community Services on Monday night for an informational session hosted by City Councilmember Julie Won in the hope of getting some answers.

Won, admittedly, did not have much to give them.

“I'm just being honest with you, I don't have any answers for you other than what I know, which is pretty much what you know,” Won said. “We had asked for a briefing with the mayor's office, and we finally were able to get one this past week, and all we know is that currently, there is no funding that is trackable. “

“There is no plan,” she added later.

Won has made a habit of questioning massive housing proposals in her district, and also has questions about this one. She has already called for more opportunities for community input on any future proposals for Sunnyside Yard.

She said the informational session held on Monday night was organized in response to a litany of calls to her office from people wanting to know what was going on with the proposal.

What is known is that in January, Mamdani was pictured alongside Trump – in what was the second meeting between the two Queens men – behind the president’s desk, flaunting a mock Daily News tabloid headline.

“Trump to City: Let’s Build” it read, with the subheadline reading, “Trump delivers 12,000+ homes.”

The number of proposed homes was reminiscent of a stalled plan for Sunnyside Yard proposed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, which faced significant pushback at the time, and ultimately fizzled out.

Mamdani, with the help of his unlikely ally in the Oval Office, proposed resurrecting the project.

But, the pair have not shared any information about what it would look like, the timeline to build or if the president will actually dole out the initial $21 billion that would be needed to make it happen.

“The president shared his interest in the proposal, and I am encouraged by the fact that we will continue to talk about this proposal,” Mamdani said last month. “It is going to be a long process.”

City Hall confirmed the mayor’s meeting with local officials that Won mentioned, and said meetings have begun with partners to figure out the next steps for Sunnyside Yard.

"Housing is the most urgent crisis facing our city, and the Mamdani administration is using every tool at our disposal to confront it head-on,” said City Hall spokesperson Matt Rauschenbach. “We’re encouraged by the early signs of interest in securing a historic level of federal investment in affordable housing here in New York, and continue to have conversations with partners across city, state, and federal government about what it would take to deliver 12,000 new homes, tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, and a once-in-a-generation investment in open space, transportation and infrastructure in Queens."

Sunnyside and Long Island City locals are no stranger to dealing with massive development plans, like OneLIC, which passed the City Council last year.

But, they have long been burned by major developments that ultimately led to a scourge of luxury units that priced out locals. The history has left them wary of throwing their support behind a new plan, especially one they know little about.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a plan to collaborate with President Donald Trump to build 12,000 units of housing in the World’s Borough at Sunnyside Yard. Eagle file photo Jacob Kaye

“It's a project that really needs to be studied in detail,” said Paul Poris, a 66-year resident of Sunnyside. “There are so many facets to a major project like this that it involves not only economics.”

“I think it's a major undertaking that's going to require a lot of studying before anything is presented to move on, because once you start moving on something, it's hard to pull it back,” he added.

Other locals were concerned about the massive cost of building the deck above the train tracks, which preempts any housing. Others wanted a promise the homes built there will be affordable.

“I'm a very strong advocate for affordable housing. It's a real crisis,” said Christine Hunter, a member of the local community board who attended Monday’s session as a private citizen. “I think we need to build as much as we can and so, but the units that they build here overall are going to be extremely expensive, so I don't really support building a few very expensive units versus trying to use that money to develop more cost effective housing.”

While skeptical, many of the locals the Eagle spoke to on Monday welcomed at least the prospect of more housing being built, especially if the city isn’t left with the bill.

“If the mayor can talk an a–hole as large as Donald Trump into giving us money to build affordability and infrastructure, my hat off to him,” said Dan Miller, who lives 10 minutes by bike from Sunnyside Yard.

Miller, like many others, were skeptical of the president’s involvement.

“I do worry about what his involvement entails,” said Miller. “But ultimately, he's the president, and we have to deal with that. At least if he's doing this, he's distracted from many of his other terrible desires.”

Many who spoke to the Eagle said they expect that if the project goes through, the area will one day be dubbed Trump Yard.

“My hope would be by that point, he's in jail,” said Hunter.

Reddy, who is still relatively new to the LIC community, hoped that such a name would be short-lived.

“I think history is not going to look kindly upon him, so when he's gone from this earth, I feel like there will be the political will to change the name,” he said.