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Flushing is a vibrant community that is always "on the move." Along with being home to many, it is a center of commerce and of transportation, and plays a vital role within the Queens and greater New York communities.
The Flushing-Willets Point-Corona LDC is dedicated to the facilitation of development projects that will help Flushing to become an even more exciting commercial and residential center. It is particularly important that initiatives pursued here be synergistic with others undertaken in the neighboring communities of Willets Point and Corona. Two plans that meet these criteria and hold particular promise are those for redevelopment along the Flushing riverfront and modernization of the area between the #7 Subway station (at Roosevelt Ave.), and the Long Island Railroad station, (at Main Street). Associated changes to the street system and infrastructure will also be integral to the overall revitalization and will insure that changes in Flushing are accessible to its neighbors.
[ View the Downtown Flushing Development Framework ]
Although not an LDC project, another exciting and related project under the direction of the NYC Economic Development Corporation is the creation of a new, "Flushing Commons." This will rise on city-owned property and provide both residential and commercial space, (see below).
The Flushing Riverfront Project will create a Special District between Northern Blvd and Roosevelt Ave., and between College Point Blvd. and the Flushing River. This area will be developed in accordance with the goals of the Flushing Framework and Waterfront Access Plans that are contained in current zoning. Other modifications to the zoning will allow an increase in the density of both residential and commercial uses while creating smaller, finely grained urban blocks appropriate to the scale of downtown Flushing.
The Special District will also be home to outstanding public space that includes extended pedestrian access to the Flushing River. A waterfront esplanade and riverside parks will be wonderful outdoor resources for the community, and access will be provided to future residents of Willets Point and Corona via a new pedestrian bridge joining Flushing with the peninsula of Willets Point.
A series of renderings allows us to see how the new riverfront might look following development.
Click on the first thumbnail image to begin and then use the controls at the top.
- Drawings courtesy of Studio V -
The LDC is seeking opportunities to advance the integration of Flushing's various transportation resources, and hopes to create links between infrastructure nodes for the IRT (Subway #7), the Long Island Railroad and the existing bus network. In order to better understand issues and potential opportunities in this arena, the LDC is studying the relationship between existing parking facilities and mass transit hubs, and is exploring ideas for "Transit Oriented Developments" (TODs) adjacent to those hubs. Also of importance are plans devoted specifically to improvements in accessibility.
An extraordinary opportunity exists for both accessibility improvements and a major Transit Oriented Development project at the Main Street, Long Island Railroad station. The existing station is substandard, and the DOT lot, Immediately adjacent to the rail right of way is under utilized for its size, location, and proximity to rapid transit. Modernization of the LIRR station has been envisioned as part of a Public Private Partnership intended to also produce a mixed-use Transit Oriented Development (T.O.D.) over the DOT parking lot.
The proposed T.O.D. would incorporate all MTA properties and right of ways, as well as the DOT lot . Private developers would be invited to upgrade the LIRR facility in exchange for development rights over the DOT lot. The LIRR station would be upgraded to provide handicap access, ease transfer between inbound and outbound trains, and enhance connections to the #7 Subway. Additionally, the DOT Lot would be developed for commercial, residential, and community facility uses, and a parking facility created to serve the commercial development and the LIRR station.
This redevelopment plan supports sustainable land use principles by encouraging commercial development in locations well served by public transit. It also ties the public infrastructure costs to private development incentives. Projects such as this will encourage public transit use and position the Main Street station as a park and ride transit node.
A very important process related to all efforts Flushing will be the rejuvenation of the existing street network and infrastructure. Studies are under way to determine where opportunities exist for the upgrading and improvement of the public streetscape, and to generate plans that will help to connect Flushing projects to the surrounding communities. The Roosevelt Avenue Bridge and College Point Boulevard are the two infrastructural lines that have the greatest effect on the integration and success of all FWCLDC efforts.
Click a thumbnail.
- Drawings courtesy of Studio V -
As the front door to the future Flushing River waterfront, College Point Boulevard is a critical thoroughfare. Working with DOT and the DCP, the LDC will labor to transform the pedestrian streetscape of the Boulevard, improving aesthetics as well as public safety. Streetscape changes such as street trees, center medians, paved crosswalks, etc., will be explored.
The rehabilitation of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge is the single most important step to be taken in the linkage of Flushing and Corona with the Willets Point redevelopment, and is crucial to the integration of the three communities. With plans to encourage more vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian crossings, the FWCLDC will also strive to "reinvent" the bridge as a public space along its span overlooking a revitalized Flushing River. The integration of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge with the planned waterfront esplanades and open spaces along the Flushing River is envisioned, as is the continuation of the esplanade beneath the bridge and into Flushing Meadows Corona Park. (See Plans)
The $500 million Flushing Commons project will be carried out on a five and one half acre, city-owned parcel of land. It will feature
The project is a joint venture of Flushing developer, TDC Development and Construction and The Rockefeller Development Corporation of Manhattan. It is expected to generate 2,000 construction jobs and another 2,000 permanent jobs following its completion.
The bustling neighborhood of Flushing sits at the far end of the 7 train, and has earned a justified reputation for terrific noodle shops, some of the city’s oldest historic sites and a diverse, cosmopolitan atmosphere. Muss Development sees the area as the perfect location for six-tower luxury condo project, that is currently the largest development in New York City.
Sky View Parc is tucked between the Van Wyck Expressway and College Point Boulevard, and will provide 1,100 residential units and some 800,000 square feet of retail space. Along with ready access to the #7 IRT line and the Long Island Railroad, the complex will include an incredible, 4-acre, roof-top park. This unique area will contain tennis and basketball courts, children's play areas, a putting green and outdoor running track, as well as a large swimming pool.
The complex is also just a short walk from Citi Field and the Flushing Meadows Corona Park. LDC-supported projects in Flushing, Willets Point and Corona will dove-tail beautifully with Sky View Parc, and will provide complex residents with access to numerous wonderful retail outlets as well as superb dining and recreational opportunities. The LDC's Riverfront development and plans for improved transportation infrastructure across Flushing Creek promise to give birth to an exciting new cultural and economic hub for north-central Queens, with Sky View Parc near its center.
A series of renderings allows us to see how the new Sky View Parc will look following development. Click on the first thumbnail image to begin and then use the controls at the top.
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