Mayor de Blasio is moving ahead with a plan to redevelop the Sunnyside rail yards in Queens into affordable-housing, despite objections from Governor Cuomo.
Just 17 days after Cuomo said the yards were off-limits, the city’s Economic Development Corporation issued a notice seeking a feasibility study of the nearly 200-acre site, according to the New York Post
De Blasio has proposed building 11,250 units of affordable apartments over the rail yards, but Cuomo insists that the MTA needs the property for other uses.
“It is not available for any other use in the near term,” Cuomo’s spokesperson, Melissa DeRosa, said.
Nevertheless, the mayor is pushing onward.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to deliver on our vision of a more affordable city and smart development that responds to the needs of surrounding neighborhoods,” De Blasio said.
The study will look at 113 acres owned by Amtrak, and another 44 acres where the land is owned by the MTA, but the city owns the air rights.[NYP] – Christopher Cameron