Walk this way, just for a day.
On Saturday, August 25, the Department of Transportation (DOT) set up a temporary pedestrian plaza in Astoria, allowing residents to relax, stroll and sample their neighborhood with more open space, after locals expressed mixed feelings about the proposed piazza.
DOT officials set up tables, chairs, umbrellas and planters along the intersection of 30th Avenue and Newtown Avenue. Residents sat at tables, sipping coffee and chatting with friends while enjoying the sunny summer weather.
“I feel like Astoria lacks outdoor spaces where people can sit around,” said local resident Bryan Cronk, who was spotted sitting in the pedestrian plaza. “If it’s kept clean, it could be kind of cool.”
Cronk said he avoids the nearby Athens Square Park — another outdoor space — because of its lack of cleanliness and upkeep.
Passers-by had mixed feelings about the shut-down street, however.
“Is this permanent?” shouted a man walking by, who said he was skeptical of how traffic patterns would be managed in the already somewhat congested area.
“This one-day event provided Astoria residents and visitors the opportunity to experience a plaza in the neighborhood and to see for themselves the benefits that safe, accessible pedestrian space can provide,” said DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel.
Community Board 1 District Manager Lucille Hartmann said the group supported the trial run but could not comment on her opinion of the plaza. She said the possibility of installing a permanent plaza would be discussed during a public hearing on September 11.
