You might have lost track of the Sunnyside Yard Master Plan—a proposal for 12,000 new housing units in Queens—because it was announced to the public in March 2020 and has since been shelved.
An article by Samar Khurshid for the Gotham Gazette checks-in with the massive Sunnyside Yard Master Plan, announced in March 2020 with plans to spend $14 billion on a railyard deck, tens of thousands of new homes, new public and green space, and a new regional rail hub.
“But the plan was released at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, just before the city and state went into lockdown, economic activity slowed to a crawl, and every city infrastructure project was put on pause,” writes Khurshid. “The Sunnyside Yard Master Plan, a product of an announcement that de Blasio first made in 2015 during his State of the City address, was shelved.”
There have been a few signs of life for the master plan, according to Khurshid. “The MTA recently included a new ‘Sunnyside Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Station’ in its 20-year needs assessment of transit infrastructure, beginning the process of studying the proposal before deciding whether it can be funded down the line,” but, adds Khurshid, “the entities involved in the overall Sunnyside Master Plan don’t seem to be making any progress.”
Yet, as detailed, in the article, many advocates and economic development experts say the project is an idea fit for the needs of the city, as shared in the source article, linked below.
FULL STORY: What Happened to the Sunnyside Yard Master Plan?
Details of the 12,000-Home Sunnyside Yard Project
A proposed development project in Queens would be the largest housing project built in New York City since the 1970s.
$1 Billion Redevelopment Planned for a Former Mall in Cutler Bay, Florida
Mall not making money like it used to? How would a $1 billion redevelopment sound?
2,000 Units of Privately Funded Affordable Housing Approved for Queens
A large affordable housing development will be built on the former site of a hospital in the Rockaway Peninsula neighborhood of Queens.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
