By Patrick Donachie
Downtown Far Rockaway will be receiving an influx of investment from New York City in an attempt to establish the area as the commercial hub for the entirety of the Rockaway peninsula.
City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Arverne), New York City Economic Development Corporation President Maria Torres-Spangler, City Planning Commission Chairman Carl Weisbrod and Department of Housing and Preservation Commissioner Vicki Been were on hand to announce the Roadmap for Action at a news conference held near the Mott Avenue subway station Friday.
The plan would serve as a guide for the allocation of a $91 million investment Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged for the area during his 2016 State of the City address.
“Downtown Far Rockaway was once a vibrant commercial/beachfront business district that attracted shoppers from Rockaway, Nassau County and around the city. But divestment, lack of open space, lack of local employment options, lack of infrastructure and poor pedestrian circulation created not only a recipe for disaster, but hopelessness in this community,” Richards said. “But today, we begin the steps in righting these wrongs by paying our moral and economic debt owed to this community.”
Downtown Far Rockaway is home to 50,314 residents, according to the NYCEDC report, with subway access via the A line, Long Island Rail Road access and several bus lines. Only 12 percent of the residents both live and work in the area.
The process began in November 2015, with Richards commissioning several working group meetings, followed by a public meeting in January. Recommendations were submitted to the mayor’s office the following month. The working group set goals that included encouraging mixed-income housing and improving access to community services, quality education and jobs.
The Roadmap suggests 25 different strategies for approaching Downtown Far Rockaways’ revitalization, including utilizing zoning tools in order to develop affordable housing on private land, the construction of a new public plaza between Beach 21st and Beach 22nd streets and the expansion of a public space at the corner of Mott and Central avenues.
Additional suggested improvements from the report call for assisting in improvements for about 20 existing storefronts on retail corridors in the area that will commence before the end of this summer and a continued focus on refurbishing and supporting existing community services, like the Far Rockaway branch of the Queens Public Library.
The full NYCEDC report on Downtown Far Rockaway can be viewed at www.edc.nyc/downt
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
