On May 3, 2018, the City of New York and Amtrak announced the Sunnyside Yards master planning process that is expected to begin in the summer of this year. A newly formed steering committee will include community leaders, regional thought leaders, and planning experts. Among these leaders is our very own Executive Director Melissa Orlando, who founded Access Queens and it's popular social media campaigns 7 Train Blues and N Train Blues.

The Sunnyside Yards plan will have a major impact it will have on Queens. Depending on how you feel about residential development in areas where public transit is inadequate, you may be concerned about what this means for you.

Sunnyside Yards is one of the busiest rail yards in the country and functions as a place for train storage and maintenance for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. It also serves New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road.

By now, you may have heard about the handful of residential development proposals that target this area. If all proceeds, over 80,000 residents will be brought to Queens alone. This population growth will put a strain on schools, parks, mass transit, housing, and other civil municipalities we all rely on.

The good news is that with Melissa's involvement, Queens residents will have a direct voice in the planning for Sunnyside Yards.

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Read more about the Sunnyside Yards project on the EDC website