The Observer queried various planners, advocates and economic development professionals on what City Hall could do in the next four years. The responses reveal no dearth of ideas-from cheap to expensive-should the Bloomberg administration opt to freshen its agenda.What follows is a rather random list, without any specific order, value judgment or weight on feasibility.
Filling Vacant Land
One first stop could be a study that the administration itself commissioned in its second term that outlined a long list of large undeveloped sites that could be the launching pads for future growth. The 2006 study, by planner Alex Garvin, suggested ideas like decking a platform over the Sunnyside rail yards or the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Cobble Hill, and developing along the Bronx and Harlem River waterfronts.
Similarly, financial crisis or not, some urge the widespread private development of the often-underused vacant land in the city's Housing Authority projects.
"With existing zoning, you could build on some of those vast empty spaces," said Hope Cohen, associate director at the Regional Plan Association's Center for Urban Innovation.
Building in courtyards of housing projects? Decking over the Sunnyside Railyards? These sound like really bad ideas and I'd go so far as to say they are absurd.
When will enough be enough?
11 comments:
Decking over rail yards or highways seems like a great idea. And why not develop the massive courtyards of housing projects? After all, what makes them so miserable is largely the desolate, windswept suburban environment they are built in.
Why don't we ask the Queens Civic Congress, cozying up to politicans, or the shadowy Queens Perservation Council that meets at Borough Hall behind closed doors.
You aint't gonna get anything going to stop this garbage until we reign in our own 'advocates.'
What is so bad about any of these ideas? Try not to have a knee jerk reaction to anything development.
How about the fact that people who live in housing projects probably are already underserved by parks? How about the fact that the Sunnyside Railyard sits in "asthma alley" and would benefit from a large swath of green space rather than more polluting buildings and streets? How about that Queens needs more trees and open space as evidenced by the flooding experienced 2 short years ago? Short memories you folks have.
How about the fact that more development doesn't benefit anyone except developers who don't live here?
"what makes them so miserable is largely the desolate, windswept suburban environment they are built in."
What an asshole. There are no apartment buildings in the suburbs. Some housing projects have more green space than my whole neighborhood does. If they deck anything over, it should be to provide green space.
They certainly have more green space than all of Sunnyside does.
Let's platform over hizzoner's east side townhouse and build a 50 story high rise!
Bring over development crashing down over mike's head!
Oh....the mayor just screamed out, "NIMBY"!
Would these plans include hospitals? You know, since we lost 3 in less than a year?
"Short memories you folks have."
Remember I'm a fan of filling in the East River for development. Reclaim the land under the sea! Just like in Holland.
Not to worry, there are a lot of things tucked away in my mental file of George The Atheist.
Vat? No commentz about der space between mein earz? I am zo dizappointed in all of you!
Post a Comment