A significant housing initiative in Queens aims to convert the long-vacant Flushing Airport into 3,000 new homes, as Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday.
The proposal targets the 80-acre city-owned site in College Point, which has remained inactive since 1984.
This mixed-income development will feature a combination of affordable and market-rate workforce housing, according to the initial report by amNY.
The land, currently owned by the city’s Economic Development Corporation, has transformed into wetlands, which will be preserved as part of the new development plan.
Flushing Airport, operational from 1929 until 1984, was once New York City’s busiest airfield before LaGuardia Airport opened in 1939.
At its peak, the airport facilitated small planes and police and television helicopter flights, and it was notably home to the Goodyear Blimp in the mid-1960s, as detailed by the Guardian.
Efforts to revitalize the site have been made in the past.
In 2004, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed constructing a 585,000-square-foot distribution center targeted at Korean wholesalers facing displacement from Midtown Manhattan.
However, this plan fell through due to significant pushback from local residents concerned about the anticipated heavy truck traffic in their neighborhood.
Local protests escalated, with demonstrators rallying to obstruct access to the expressway, leading to traffic congestion extending back to the toll booths on the Bronx side of the Whitestone Bridge, as shared by historic preservation activist and longtime Flushing resident Paul Graziano.
Almost a decade later, in 2013, Bloomberg put forth a proposal to convert the site into a park.
This plan also faced criticism and was ultimately abandoned in favor of a deal involving Flushing Meadows–Corona Park for a NYC FC soccer stadium.
Currently, the site represents one of the last significant large-scale development prospects in Queens.
In November, the NYCEDC issued a request for proposals to redevelop the property.
The winning proposal, put forth by New York-based firms Cirrus Workforce Housing and LCOR Incorporated, is anticipated to generate an economic impact of $3.2 billion over the next 30 years.
Additionally, the project is expected to create over 1,300 construction jobs along with 530 permanent job positions.
In keeping with contemporary sustainable design principles, the proposal includes several eco-friendly elements.
There will be a focus on exploring mass timber construction and incorporating high-quality, publicly accessible landscaping.
To enhance the connection between the development and surrounding wetlands, the plan includes nature walks, seating areas, meandering paths, open space vistas, and wildlife habitats.
In collaboration with the NYC Building Trades and Mayor Adams, Cirrus and LCOR have committed to utilizing 100 percent union labor for the construction and operation of the development while integrating workforce housing.
The construction will be executed by Building Trades members utilizing investments from union pension funds.
Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, expressed positivity about the project, noting its potential to deliver thousands of affordable homes financed, built, and inhabited by union workers.
He remarked that this initiative exemplifies labor’s pivotal role in enhancing the middle class and creating careers capable of supporting families while providing economic stimulation to local communities.
Despite the ambitious plans, local residents are expressing concerns about the new project’s potential impact.
During an April meeting of the College Point Civic & Taxpayers Association, over 30 members raised alarms regarding the potential effects on adjacent wetlands.
Erik Menjivar, the group’s environmental chairman, emphasized the crucial role wetlands play as natural filters and essential wildlife habitats.
He raised concerns that the site sits atop freshwater aquifers, which could serve as an emergency water source for the city, fearing that development could jeopardize them, as reported by the Queens Chronicle.
In addressing these concerns, the NYCEDC clarified that less than 30 of the 80 acres are legally developable.
Due to the presence of state- and federally recognized freshwater wetlands, developers will be required to adhere to stringent protection and permitting requirements.
Andrew Kimball, the CEO of NYCEDC, assured that the wetlands, which naturally mitigate flooding, will be preserved.
This redevelopment is part of Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes” housing strategy, aimed at implementing innovative zoning tools to facilitate new housing construction throughout the five boroughs.
The initiative builds upon an executive order from last August, which directed city agencies to assess the viability of constructing housing on city-owned properties.
“For 40 years this land has just been sitting around,” Adams noted.
“When we were talking about needing new housing, we weren’t looking at locations like you see here.
We’re turning over every opportunity, including outdated office buildings, city buildings, and requiring all of our agencies to review their portfolios and find city-owned sites for housing.”
image source from：6sqft
