Anyone who keeps up with the news in the “World’s Borough” knows that Queens has become a hot spot for tourism and is a popular destination for people and families looking for a more affordable option.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz spoke about the borough’s recent popularity and more in her State of the Borough address on Jan. 27 at York College in Jamaica.
During her speech she listed a number of changes in Queens including the transformation of the skyline along the East River, the improvements to the New York State Pavilion, Arthur Ashe Stadium and the investments in Jamaica through the Jamaica Now Action Plan and LaGuardia and JFK Airports.
“We have been through some extraordinary changes,” she said.
She also highlighted the 5 percent increase in jobs since 2013, 34 planned hotels in the borough and $60 billion in economic activity from both airports. LaGuardia Airport is currently going through a $4 billion construction project, the first complete rebuild of any airport nationwide in more than 20 years.
In addition to LaGuardia Airport, JFK Airport will receive a $10 billion overhaul.
“It’s a new day for infrastructure in Queens, and we’re all on our way to creating best-in-class entry portals befitting of the international capital in the world,” Katz said.
Since the theme of the speech was “The Borough of Growth, The Borough of Families,” Katz also touted a number of programs implemented to aid families in Queens.
She highlighted the state of public schools. Two high schools – Townsend Harris High School and Queens High School for the Sciences – are ranked among the Top 10 in New York state. Katz also pointed out challenges – Queens still has the highest overcrowding rate, as elementary schools are at 119 percent capacity and high schools are at 111 percent capacity.
“So naturally, to stay competitive and meet growing demand, we’ve been pretty busy building up our schools,” she said.
Since 2013, 11 new schools were created and six existing schools have been expanded. A 461 percent increase in pre-K seats has resulted in 20,000 seats for toddlers and 43 classroom trailers have been removed.
Transportation options have also grown in the last few years, with Citywide Ferry Service being expanded through Long Island City, Astoria and the Rockaways. A new LIRR station will run through Elmhurst and the Main Street LIRR stop in Flushing has been renovated.
But she called on the Department of Transportation to come up with a borough-wide plan to make it easier for residents to travel on bicycle, train, bus and ferry.
“Queens is a transit desert,” she said. “Our subways reach only a third of the borough. The subways and buses we do have are overflowing due to ever increasing ridership. While I commend the governor and the mayor for putting forth ambitious transportation agendas, those individual projects shouldn’t be done in a vacuum.”
She requested a “comprehensive plan with a macro view, a citywide, coordinated transportation agenda for tomorrow that also addresses the unique challenges of each borough.”
Housing has also been a challenge in the borough, with rising rents and a growing population. Katz addressed the large homeless population in the city and the city’s reliance on hotels to house homeless families.
“The impact of this in Queens has been substantial,” she said. “In addition, we should also require a special permit to place hotels, which we don’t currently have. This would mean a mandate public review through ULURP, help guarantee community input and allow government to better monitor all hotel growth, citywide.”
Lastly, she called for leaders to “be unafraid to think bigger, bolder and more comprehensively” in terms of expanding Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Willets Point.
“We need to review positioning ourselves for success by thinking creatively about further options that address our changing borough’s needs – like a new school, an eco-recreation center, more parking to accommodate simultaneous events, because all those big events that we have now are wreaking havoc on the soccer fields and grass in Flushing Meadows for parking,” she said.
Public Advocate Letitia James and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz were in the audience, along with former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, for whom Katz served as director of community boards. Almost all of the 14 Queens City Council representatives and various commissioners from city agencies were in attendance as well.
