Quiet Queens No More

This is Queens as it once was. Local farmers took their grain to this spot, the Jackson’s Mill, where it was processed. Whether cultivating crops a century ago, or constructing skyscrapers today, Queens residents have always invested their time and energy to stimulate the local economy and improve their quality of life.

Though the only tract of undisturbed farmland today is at the Queens County Farm Museum, many New Yorkers still consider Queens to be a quiet, bedroom community – practically a suburb. But the seemingly sleepy borough is poised for
significant growth.

Developers are eyeing the borough, lured by the three transit hubs of Long Island City, Flushing and Jamiaca, and driven by the momentum of the world’s most diverse population. As the rest of the nation stands on shaky ground, Queens is breaking it.

“We’re going to return the favor to the people of Manhattan,” Alexandra Rosa said from her Borough Hall office. “They can look east and get a great view.”

Mayor Mike Bloomberg recognizes Queens’ potential; he delivered his State of the City address from Flushing Meadow Corona Park. This week he announced the Department of City Planning would be initiating the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure for Willets Point, Hunter’s Point South and the Rockaway Peninsula. The plans will go through a series of public hearings and will be reviewed by the community boards, the Borough President, the City Planning Commission and the City Council.

It’s a lengthy process. It takes time and energy. But if there’s one thing we know as a borough, it’s how to grow.