DUSP Alumni Lead 2018 Sunnyside Yard Master Planning

Please join us in congratulating the many DUSP alumni who are involved in the summer of 2018 master planning of Sunnyside Yard. 

Sunnyside Yard, a NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak co-owned site, services trains from a variety of lines and includes the Harold Interlocking, the busiest rail junction in the US. “Sunnyside Yard is an untapped resource, situated within and across LIC, the geographic center of NYC.  The Yard has great potential as a regional and locally significant transportation hub.  This planning effort provides an opportunity to provide employment, recreational, educational and housing prospects for the next century for the people of Sunnyside, LIC, the borough of Queens and NYC,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the LIC Partnership.

On May 3rd, 2018 Alicia Glen ,the Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development, and Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia announced a new agreement for a master planning of Sunnyside Yard. The planning process - which will include community leaders, regional thought leaders and planning experts - will direct the impact of potentially billions of dollars in new infrastructure investments to Western Queens. This investment and the collaborative planning for their impacts present a unique opportunity to envision a new future for Western Queens, that both builds an innovative, equitable, and tech-enabled neighborhood in the middle of the most diverse county in the nation while also including advancing local and regional transportation solutions and neighborhood services.

The master plan efforts leadership is filled with DUSP alumni including:

• Sharon Greenberger (President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York New York City's YMCA, MCP '93)
• Deborah Alexander (Co-President of Community District Education Council 30, MCP '80)
• Lynne Sagalyn (Professor at Columbia University in the City of New York, PHD '80)
• lead consultant developing the master plan, Vishaan Chakrabarti (Founder of Practice of Architecture and Urbanism, MCP '93)
• and project director, Cali Williams (Director of Sunnyside Yard at New York City Economic Development Corporation, MCP '08).

To learn more about the master plan efforts read the full press release by NYCEDC here.