LIC Neighborhood Plan

LIC Rezoning Wins Council Approval

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

The New York City Council on November 12 approved the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan, a sweeping rezoning of 54 blocks in Long Island City that is expected to bring nearly 15,000 new homes and more than $900 million in community investments to western Queens. The action represents the city’s largest neighborhood rezoning in more than two decades and the fifth major rezoning approved by the Council in the last two years.

The plan will create roughly 4,350 permanently affordable units through Mandatory Inclusionary Housing requirements and the development of public sites. It will also enable 3.8 million square feet of commercial, community-facility, and light-industrial space in Council Member Julie Won’s district.

Speaker Adrienne Adams played a central role in negotiating the community investments tied to the rezoning, framing OneLIC as a key piece of the Council’s broader housing agenda.

“To confront the city’s housing crisis, the Council is proud to once again advance another historic neighborhood rezoning in Queens, just weeks apart,” said Speaker Adams. “This plan, shaped and strengthened by community input and the Council’s role in land use negotiations, delivers nearly 15,000 new homes alongside significant investments to improve neighborhood parks, schools, and neighborhood essentials. The level of housing affordability and funding commitments, including for public housing residents, would not have been possible without the Council’s voting power on behalf of communities in the land use process. I thank my Council colleagues for their partnership and Council Member Won for her leadership throughout the process to deliver an outstanding plan for her district, Queens, and our entire city.”

Council leaders said the package reflects growing urgency around the city’s housing crisis. The approval comes as Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office as mayor, placing responsibility for implementing the rezoning — and addressing the city’s wider housing shortage — in his administration.

Won served as the plan’s chief negotiator for the district, securing major investments for schools, NYCHA campuses, parks and waterfront access.

“Today’s vote passing the OneLIC Plan brings us closer to an integrated Long Island City,” said Council Member Won. “Over the last three decades, the City has allowed developers to dictate what is built in our neighborhood. These past two years, thousands of residents came together to envision our future. Through our advocacy, persistent community engagement, and disciplined negotiations, we secured historic investments in LIC to fund a connected waterfront, a restored park underneath the Queensboro Bridge, over 1,300 new school seats, sewage and plumbing infrastructure, NYCHA investments, and so much more—all that is long overdue. Finally, we will be one Long Island City, for current and future residents.”

The OneLIC plan is paired with substantial capital commitments secured through Council negotiations. More than $905 million in funding is guaranteed, with additional investments likely as plans for new schools and infrastructure advance. An online public tracker, expected to launch in December, will offer biannual updates on timelines and spending.

A significant share of the funds will support upgrades at NYCHA’s Queensbridge Houses, the nation’s largest public housing complex. The commitments include $102 million to modernize plumbing systems and install new water lines, and another $98.3 million for elevator replacements, sinkhole repairs, new playground space, and improved lighting. The Jacob Riis Community Center will receive more than $5 million for renovations, and vacant apartments at the development will be expedited for restoration.

The plan also expands open space in an area long constrained by industrial use and limited parkland. The Council secured $95 million to convert space under the Queensboro Bridge into new public areas and $30 million to overhaul Queensbridge Park with new playgrounds, adult fitness areas, upgraded lighting, and a destination water-play zone. A new waterfront esplanade, supported by nearly $90 million in funding, aims to create a continuous public shoreline.

Transportation and safety improvements total nearly $60 million. They include upgrades along the 44th Drive corridor, pedestrian and cyclist improvements near the Queens waterfront greenway, enhancements to the transit hub at 21st Street and 41st Avenue, and a lighting study in the Long Island City Industrial Business Zone.

To prepare for population growth, the Council locked in nearly $310 million to complete two new 547-seat elementary schools — one opening in Hunters Point in 2027 and another in Court Square in 2028. The administration will also begin acquiring private land for additional schools and pursue a new facility for the Baccalaureate School for Global Education to ease chronic overcrowding.

Cultural and community investments include funding for arts organizations, upgrades to the LIC YMCA, and planning for a potential new community center with a gym and swimming pool. Small businesses will receive support through lease assistance, regulatory guidance, and legal help.

“In our not-too-distant past, we have seen fear and division can stall progress for Long Island City. This rezoning demonstrates what can happen when we work together toward shared goals. By welcoming thoughtful private investment and ensuring community voices are heard, we are laying the foundation for a stronger, more equitable, and more affordable city,” President of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Tom Grech said.

Last Wednesday’s legislative session also saw movement on several citywide measures. The Council voted to expand trash containerization, add sidewalk lighting to improve public safety, and — one day after Veterans Day — extend a property-tax exemption to Cold War–era veterans.

The OneLIC plan will now return to the City Planning Commission for a scope review of the Council’s modifications before heading back for a final Council vote at a future stated meeting. Under Speaker Adams, the Council has advanced land-use actions projected to enable more than 146,000 housing units citywide, including the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan and the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning reforms.

Evening passersby in front of a fleet of Lime e-scooters parked on College Point Boulevard near Citi Field in Flushing, Queens. Photo: Nicholas Gordon

Electronic scooters are having a moment in the Bronx and Queens. It is a moment both celebratory and fraught, with soaring ridership and sobering pushback.

The New York City Department of Transportation Shared E-Scooter Program has seen record ridership since its launch in the East Bronx in August of 2021. As the program expanded into Eastern Queens in 2024, the three companies in the pilot program—Lime, Bird, Veo—logged more than two million total rides for the year. Lime alone reported over 1.1 million trips through June 2025, double the number from the same period the previous year.

Yet even as ridership climbs, New Yorkers are divided on the idea of having e-scooters in their city. Those in favor of e-scooters say they provide accessibility to mass transit hubs, reduce congestion and pollution, and come in handy while running errands around the neighborhood. Skeptics and naysayers report safety concerns, parking problems, and congestion, too.

A Transportation Necessity for Some

For Lime rider Anthony Rodriguez, e-scooters fill a transportation gap in his Bronx neighborhood. “Growing up in Soundview, the public transportation was horrible,” Rodriguez said. “We needed more options.”

Rodriguez, who now lives in Jersey City and works in Soundview, uses Lime everyday for the last leg of his commute after hopping off the ferry. “The e-scooter changed my experience, and it actually helped me determine if I’d take my job,” said Rodriquez, director of performing arts at Kips Bay Boys and Girls club in Soundview.

After raising concerns about haphazard parking, Rodriguez said Lime set up a designated parking area in the neighborhood. He has plans to collaborate on a community art project to paint the parking area “with some Bronx style.”

Anthony Rodriguez rides a Lime e-scooter for his daily commute to work in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx. Photo: Anthony Rodriguez

Lime Aims for Sustainability and Accessibility

Lime’s mission to provide transportation that is “shared, affordable, and carbon-free,” gels with DOT’s goals of encouraging micromobility and reduced car dependency.

Nicole Yearwood, Lime’s Senior Manager of Government Relations, noted that Lime is seeing some of its highest numbers of rides during commuting hours. “We’re connecting people to their local bus routes and train stations, in the first and last mile of their commute,” Yearwood said. “We also help connect New Yorkers in those hours when transit slows down, after late-night work shifts.”

The company estimates that the 2 million e-scooter trips by New York riders have saved over 500 thousand vehicle trips and over 24,000 gallons of gasoline. Lime aims for sustainability through using renewable energy for its facilities and fleets, and reducing emissions through durability and recycling.

City Officials Push Back in Queens

Several city officials in Queens remain vocal in their opposition to e-scooters. They complain that DOT lacks transparency in dealing with complaints about e-scooters, and has been a no-show for Town Halls to discuss concerns with community members.

“This program has been a total disaster,” said Councilmember James Gennaro in a statement. “The community does not want these scooters here. We call on this Administration and DOT to terminate this program in Northeast Queens immediately.”

Assemblymember David Weprin echoed those concerns, stating, “This e-scooter program is not the right fit for our neighborhoods. As elected officials and local community leaders, we were not consulted for input on the program and our residents’ voices are not being taken into account. There must be more stringent rules on who can operate these scooters and better education about where they can be used and stored.”

Assemblymember Sam Berger of Queens has urged DOT to terminate the e-scooter program in District 27, arguing, “This program has a need and a place but it is not here.”

Councilmember Sandra Ung introduced a bill last fall to ban e-scooters from areas in Eastern Queens, including Flushing, citing safety concerns, existing traffic and pedestrian congestion, and “chaotic deployment.”

The DOT did not respond to multiple requests for comments.

An e-scooter parking corral in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. The corrals have pleased some locals by curtailing wayward parking, while others find the corrals an inconvenient restriction. Photo: Nicholas Gordon

Addressing the Concerns

Lime, for its part, has addressed these concerns with additional community outreach. Over the summer, the company piloted a “Parking Wardens” program, rewarding riders with free rides and prizes for proper parking.

Lime also continues to partner with community members for new events and initiatives. The company renewed its program connecting baseball fans to Citi Field on game days for the “subway series” between the Mets and Yankees, and sponsored Prime Month festivals in the Bronx and Queens. For New York Fashion Week, Lime collaborated with a Bronx-based jewelry label on a collection including a choker, bracelet, ring, and earrings made from retired scooter parts.

“We want to participate in any community event where we have the opportunity to demonstrate the vehicle to people and show the safety measures and answer questions,” Yearwood said, welcoming invitations to join new community events.

“I’m a lifelong New Yorker but every community is different, so it’s really important for us to create these kinds of local partnerships and get feedback from residents,” she said. “No one knows their community better than the people who are living there day to day.”

Mixed Feelings Persist

On a recent Friday night, Bryan Glenn and Mike Quinteros ventured from New Jersey to Queens for a Mets game. They picked up Lime e-scooters on College Point Boulevard to ride to Citi Field. Upon arriving, they discovered they weren’t allowed to park the e-scooters near the stadium, and had to backtrack. On their return, the e-scooters’ batteries died, forcing the two men to walk their machines through the crowded sidewalks to get to the parking corral.

“For me this is a deal-breaker,” said Glenn, a first-time Lime rider who was overheated from the ordeal on the warm night. “I thought we’d save time getting to the stadium with the scooter but the parking restrictions made us late.”

Quinteros, who has used e-scooters while visiting other cities, said he wasn’t going to give up on them. “Sometimes the no-go zones are massive with these things,” Quinteros said. “It’s just part of the program. We didn’t know the zones around here, but we do now.”

Cheryl Taylor, a passerby on College Point Boulevard observing the scene, said she’s not a fan of e-scooters. “I have small people I take care of and I don’t want them getting hurt,” Taylor said, with her two young sons by her side. “I’m a driver too and it feels dangerous with the scooters on the roads.” Taylor works on College Point Boulevard and lives in the Bronx, where she sees the scooters everyday, she said.

“Some people might like the scooters, they might be fun to ride on a nice day,” Taylor said. “But in my view, some neighborhoods are just too crowded already.”

Community Rallies in Queens to Support Hungry Families This Holiday

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

As grocery prices climb and food insecurity affects more households, community members across Queens are turning to neighbors and strangers for help this Thanksgiving. Local organizations and residents are launching GoFundMe campaigns to ensure families in need can still enjoy a holiday meal.

One of the city’s longstanding efforts comes from Keller Williams Landmark II in Jackson Heights, whose annual “Basket Brigade” provides Thanksgiving baskets to families facing hardship. This year, organizers hope to raise $20,000 to serve even more households than the 250 families they helped last year.

Seema Kothari, a Forest Hills real estate agent with Keller Williams Landmark II, said the campaign is a deeply personal effort for her and her colleagues. “At my office, every year they have a fundraiser called Basket Brigade,” Kothari said. “It’s for people who are facing food insecurity. We raise funds and provide recipients with a full Thanksgiving grocery bundle — turkey, vegetables, fruit — everything they need to have a warm meal with their family.”

The initiative has grown over the years from a small office project into a larger community effort. Kothari said it began before she joined the office in 2021, but she became actively involved this year, helping to organize donations and spread awareness. “It’s really different getting out there and talking to people in the neighborhood about it,” she said. “Just last weekend, someone I went to junior high with donated $50 after hearing about it. Another donor gave $1,000. It’s really heartwarming to see the community come together.”

Kothari said the need has increased this year amid recent SNAP benefit cuts, which have left some households struggling to put food on the table. “We really want to make sure that every family who signs up for a basket has everything they need for Thanksgiving,” she said.

Volunteers will gather at the Keller Williams office on Nov. 25 to assemble and distribute the boxes, which are then hand-delivered to families or made available for pick-up. Kothari described the work as “more than just handing out groceries — it’s building a sense of community, showing people they’re not alone, and giving them a reason to smile during the holidays.”

Donations can be made through the campaign’s GoFundMe page, and local residents can also volunteer to help pack and deliver baskets. Each contribution, organizers say, ensures that a family in Queens can enjoy a proper Thanksgiving meal despite the financial pressures of the season.

Readers can donate by visiting tinyurl.com/kellerturkey or sign up to volunteer at tinyurl.com/kellerform.

Building on community-led initiatives across Queens, Quadrant Engineering’s Construct a Dream Initiative (CADi) is teaming up with the Astoria Food Pantry to help families celebrate Thanksgiving with a full meal. The initiative seeks to help those facing food insecurity amid rising grocery prices and cuts to government assistance programs.

Rafiqul Chowdhury, founder of Quadrant Engineering and CADi, said the partnership grew out of a desire to expand the company’s philanthropic efforts. “Giving back is important to us,” Chowdhury said. “We’ve been doing book bag drives for years, giving kids school supplies and free haircuts so they can start the school year confident. This Thanksgiving initiative felt like a natural next step to support families with food scarcity.”

The program will distribute meal packages that include a $40 turkey voucher and assorted canned and boxed goods, with an initial goal of assisting 30 to 35 families. “We would love to do more,” Chowdhury said. “Turkeys are expensive, and with the support of more sponsors and donors, we can help even more families. Everything goes directly to the families in need.”

Community members interested in contributing can donate food items at Supreme HeadcutterZ Barbershop, 222-17 Braddock Ave. in Queens Village, or make a monetary contribution via the QR code provided by the initiative. The distribution will take place on November 25 at the Astoria Food Pantry.

Astoria Food Pantry serves as a hub for distributing food, clothing, hygiene products, books, and other essentials, while also supporting community-led events. The partnership with CADi provides a ready-made venue and trusted network, allowing organizers to move quickly and reach families in need.

Chowdhury said he hopes the Thanksgiving initiative will become an annual tradition. “This is part of our philanthropic DNA,” he said. “If we can create a small gesture of support that brings comfort and sustenance to families, that’s what matters most. Next year, we hope to grow this even bigger.”

Readers can donate to this campaign or get involved by visiting tinyurl.com/queensharvest.