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Queens Mulls Opposing Visions of Its Own High Line and a Commuter Rail Line

Queens Mulls Opposing Visions of Its Own High Line and a Commuter Rail Line

Two competing plans for an abandoned rail line in Queens, New York—a linear park and a commuter rail line—have neighborhood groups scratching their heads. Advocates for the proposed High Line-esque park called the QueensWay are slowly making some headway, but are still facing an uphill battle against a few community groups. The organization, Friends of the QueensWay, is pushing to transform the defunct LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch into 3.5 miles of new parkland that would stretch from Rego Park and Forest Hills down to Ozone Park. The Regional Rail Working Group, however, has another vision for those tracks, proposing a commuter train service to the Rockaways.

[Above, a video traces the route of the proposed QueensWay park.]

The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association announced in October on their website that they would not support either plan. Their list of grievances included concerns about high costs potentially imposed on residents in addition to privacy and parking issues.

Andrea Crawford, a member of Friends of the QueensWay, said that in spite of some opposition, several community groups have expressed their support of the park proposal. Community Board 9 officially endorsed the QueensWay, and Crawford said the response from Community Board 6 is positive, “What we are doing now is to keep explaining what the project is and try to raise money for a feasibility study.”

The QueensWay has only just started to make a dent in their fundraising efforts for the feasibility study, which will be used to assess structural and environmental conditions, prepare a master plan, and find funding. So far, the group has raised about $6,000 out of their $50,000 goal on an online crowd-sourcing website.

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