The Long Island City waterfront. (Photo by Michael Dorgan)
Oct. 3, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
Council Member Julie Won has announced a new season of public engagement for the One LIC neighborhood plan, starting with a waterfront walking tour on Sunday, Oct. 20.
Won and Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick announced Monday that the waterfront tour will begin at noon starting in Queensbridge Park and end at Gantry Plaza State Park.
Won said the walking tour will explore how to connect the LIC waterfront better, building on her commitment to connect Queensbridge Park to Gantry Plaza State Park as part of the One LIC plan.
“I’m thrilled to jumpstart our fall public engagement for the Long Island City Neighborhood Plan with this Waterfront Walkshop. We must deliver on our shared commitment to creating a unified neighborhood and expand waterfront access to our neighbors in public housing,” Won said in a statement.
She also encouraged members of the local community to take part in the walking tour.
Garodnick said the walking tour was an opportunity to explore how best to connect the LIC waterfront and receive feedback from local community members.
“This tour offers a unique opportunity to explore Long Island City’s varied waterfront spaces and discuss ways to make them more interconnected and accessible to everyone who calls this neighborhood home,” Garodnick said in a statement.
The tour marks the beginning of a full lineup of waterfront-focused activities this fall and winter, which will build on feedback from previous public engagement events held for the One LIC neighborhood plan.
The Long Island City Neighborhood Plan aims to bring 16,000 new homes to the neighborhood, 4,000 of which will be affordable, and create 16,000 new jobs.
DCP officials have previously said that the the plan will also create 7-9 acres of public space on the LIC waterfront, several new schools, safer streets, support for existing businesses and protection for existing tenants.
The neighborhood plan encompasses the area from Gantry Plaza State Park on the East River to Queensbridge Houses and the Long Island City Industrial Business Zone in the north. It also stretches east to Court Square and 23rd Street and recommends investments and programming for all of Long Island City, including Queensbridge.
Full details of the full fall and winter public engagement events will be released in the coming weeks.
