Bikes, buses & business: Queens BP Richards outlines policy and funding plans
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Queens Borough President Donovan Richards delivered his first state of the borough address Wednesday. Photo courtesy of the Queens Borough President’s Office
By David Brand
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards marked his first 100 days in office Wednesday by delivering his first “state of the borough” address, a speech in which he mapped out his commitments on healthcare, land use and transit.
Richards took office in December following his victory in the election to replace former borough president Melinda Katz. His tenure has coincided with the second wave of the coronavirus and the introduction of three vaccines to prevent COVID-19.
He leads a borough hard-hit by the pandemic, particularly in immigrant communities. And despite the arrival of the vaccines, low-income residents and people of color are getting their shots at disproportionately low rates.
Queens is also home to deep unemployment fueled by the pandemic, an affordable housing crisis and transportation network plagued by problems. Richards addressed these issues in his speech.
A borough president has limited actual powers, but does make recommendations on land use, appoint community board members and control a significant capital budget. Most of all, the borough president has a bully pulpit from which to advocate for the needs of the borough.
Here’s how Richards said he will use his office to affect change in Queens.
Hospitals and health care
Richards said he will advocate for a new hospital in the Queens — no easy task, particularly as the state considers cutting beds at the lone medical center left in the Rockaways, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital.
In the past, Richards has called for the expansion of St. John’s and the introduction of a new city-run Health and Hospitals facility on the Rockaway Peninsula, which he represented in the city council.
He has also described the need for a trauma care center in Southeast Queens, where shootings have been on the rise.
“My administration is going to fight with the same zeal of our healthcare heroes to greatly expand access to healthcare — especially in communities that have long felt the sting of inequity,” he said Wednesday.
Small business support
Hundreds of small businesses in Queens have closed permanently during the pandemic. Thousands more are barely hanging on as a result of the financial crisis.
Richards said he has structured his office to provide support for small businesses and touted a partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen to create a $17.5 million small business grant program.
The “no-strings-attached grant funding” is intended for minority-owned businesses in communities most affected by COVID-19, he said. So far, he said, 126 businesses in Queens have received grants of up to $20,000 through the program.
He also said he will continue to host the virtual job fairs started by his predecessor, Acting Borough President Sharon Lee, which have helped 1,400 Queens residents find employment.
Land use and housing
Richards said he will take an active role in the rezoning process in order to create more affordable housing for Queens and accomplish four “key priorities.”
Those priorities include creating at least 2,000 units of affordable senior housing; identifying new sites for senior housing, particularly on city-owned land and parking lots; ensuring that new buildings are sustainable and environmentally friendly; and securing supportive housing for veterans.
He said his office will also unveil plans to use his budget to invest in NYCHA campuses and to “fight for a Green New Deal for public housing” by reviewing sustainability of NYCHA capital projects in Queens.
Transportation
Richards backed plans to improve cycling infrastructure throughout the borough and said he will fund safer street redesigns while advocating for projects that make bikers’ lives easier.
He said his mission is to make “the bicycle a legitimate mode of transportation, no matter what neighborhood you call home.”
“You should be able to ride from Forest Hills to the Flushing Bay Promenade or pedal from Glendale to Glen Oaks without fear,” he added.
He specifically called for a network of “bike storage hubs” outside Queens subway stations to encourage people to cycle to the train. And he said he wants to establish a scooter-sharing program throughout Queens, especially in the Rockaways, while expanding Citi Bike into Northeast Queens.
Richards also outlined four proposals to speed bus service, though one contrasts a New York City Department of Transportation proposal.
He said he wants to create “busways along center medians with all-door boarding, speeding up commutes and making our commercial corridors more accessible, starting with Archer Avenue in Jamaica.” The city plans create a busway along Jamaica Avenue, which runs parallel to Archer — a proposal panned by local elected officials with whom Richards has sided.
He called for expanding the Jamaica Bus Depot, electrifying the MTA bus fleet and redesigning the Queens bus network — an MTA plan unveiled in late 2019.
Community Boards
Richards said he plans to unveil a plan to diversify the 14 Queens community boards, which skew far older, whiter and more male than the borough or the districts they represent.
That announcement comes in the wake of the Eagle’s in-depth analyses of the deep demographic disparities affecting every community board. The Eagle worked with the organization Measure of America to examine board composition based on reports compiled annually by the borough president’s office.
“Most of you who have attended a community board meeting know there needs to be a makeover from top to bottom,” Richards said. “My office is spearheading several reforms that will not only empower the borough’s boards but will help deliver a level of transparency our boards desperately need.”
In addition to representation, he said he will prioritize member conduct, transparency and modernization of bylaws.
Sustainability
As Queens confronts the impact of the climate crisis, Richards said he will initiate several sustainability projects and use his budget to fund green energy plans.
He outlined four short-term proposals, in particular.
He said he will partner with colleges, private entities, and the Queens Economic Development Corporation to create “sustainability innovation labs.” He said he also will fund solar panels on city-owned buildings in Queens.
The two other proposals rely more on his role as advocate than policymaker. He said he will “ensure all new developments are sustainable” and back “public/private partnerships to help make private homes more sustainable.”
