Queens has a bright future, officials say
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Queens leaders spoke at a forum about the future of the borough and big things happening in Queens this summer and beyond. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
Borough, city and state officials said they were optimistic about the future of Queens at a forum held at New York Law School on Wednesday.
With major housing development projects underway, the World Cup on the horizon, two new casinos gearing up for operation, and more, there’s a lot to look forward to, they said.
“It’s Queens’ time,” said Tom Grech, the CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “We're the place to be.”
A lifelong Queens resident, Borough President Donovan Richards said it's the best time to live in the borough.
“In case you've been living under a rock, the Queens of five or 10 years ago, it's not the Queens of today,” he said.
Richards pointed to the creation of a new neighborhood in Willets Point, along with planned neighborhood redesigns in Long Island City and Jamaica. He also noted upgrades to both local airports and the construction of two new casinos at Resorts World and Metropolitan Park.
“It's through this work that we become a magnet for global attention,” he said. “When you invest in the potential of your people, the rest of the world can't help but to notice.”
This summer alone is poised to be one of note for Queens.
In the next few days, the world will start coming to the World’s Borough and the city at large to attend the World Cup.
Queens, known for its diversity and soccer-loving population, will be the centerpiece of the city’s World Cup programming.
The flagship watch party event for the World Cup will take place in Queens at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, and in the coming weeks, City Hall will bring its “Soccer Streets” program to Queens’ pavement in Corona and Jamaica.
“Everything that we are doing, we are doing bigger in Queens,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s World Cup Czar Maya Handa, who spoke at the forum. “This borough is a microcosm of the world and its beauty.”
Handa said that the administration hopes to draw World Cup visitors away from some of the city’s more trafficked tourist attractions like Times Square.
“We want to make that very, very clear to everyone who enters our city, visiting New York City is not just about visiting Times Square, the Empire State Building, it's also about spending an afternoon in Flushing, trying food from six different countries, and then taking the 7 to Jackson Heights for an evening,” said Handa.
