An open discussion of and proposal to transform the abandoned LIRR tracks in South Queens into a public space that captures the gritty, earthy beauty of Queens and serves the community with a bike path and walking trails, native plants to attract local bees, edible trees and plants to provide sustenance, where children can play safely and elders have a place to gather, where artists and musician share their talents, where the community grows.
Getting all verklempt while reading the reasons why individuals are signing the petition for a Queens (High) Line :) Take a peek!
Michael Perlman At the NYC High Line, some only saw a structure unkempt for decades and called it an eyesore, calling for its removal, but beneath the grime there is detail that reads N-Y-C all over it. With a creative vision and teamwork, there is proof that a mission can be accomplished, and the same can be achieved for the envisioned "Queens High Line." Some people want the easy way out, and fail to explore, but my colleagues and I are some of the insiders with the discerning eye. I have long admired the NYC High Line. It makes a great case study and is an inspiration. It initiates greenery, spares a historic site from demolition, provides some recreation, hosts historic tours, connects and bonds our communities, creates jobs, and enhances community character and property values. It is a backyard treasure that becomes easily accessible. Queens deserves its role in the spotlight. As a historic preservationist and conservationist, As Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council serving Rego Park and Forest Hills, which are 2 communities the conceived Queens High Line would run through, I am willing to lend my expertise, and explore and further develop the visions of my colleagues and I. The trestles were designed by the well-known American Bridge Company in 1908, and we need to appreciate our industrial history while sensitively and creatively reusing this long-abandoned stretch as a park and trail with native vegetation and restored architecture.
manny steier Capital improvements for Queens taxpayers is the best use of public revenue, too much has been diverted to private sports facilities, media corporations, and campaign contributors.
Rockaway Beach Branch Greenway Committee (Petition Organizer) Urban green spaces are rare and precious. This abandoned right-of-way is destined to sit unused, to be filled with garbage and continue to be a hazard in the middle of our communities. Rather than let this land sit unused for another 60 years, we feel an opportunity exists to provide the residents of Queens with a world-class Greenway and Linear Park.
Matt Maiorana Green spaces are vital to our communities particularly where we can reclaim and open up unused areas. It is also important to add more areas for bicycling.
Richard Polgar The abandoned tracks have been a dumping ground and is an eyesore.Cleaning it up will improve the beauty of Forest Park and encourage more people to walk,jog and bike.
Tom Russack For the children
Murray Berger Such a Greenway would be an enhancement not only foer the contiguous neighborhoods, but also for nearby communities (such as Kew Gardens).
James A. Gillin LIRR history needs to be preserved.
Andrea Gruber I am a public school teacher in Rego Park and would love to see this happen for the families in this wonderful neighborhood!
Monina Cabanada I believe that this will bring the Queens community together as no other activity ever has. Working together to make this happen will be the best gift that each member of the community can give to each other.
William Kleiman Increase the quality of life
Paul Mc Evoy This will clean up this area and give people a chance to use this area as a recreational path. More areas should be transformed for same such reasons.
Michael Gallagher The Rockaway Beach Branch Greenway needs to happen -- it's a simple project that's long overdue that would result in a tremendous quality of life boost for the community. Let's put this precious neighborhood resource to better use.
Rachel Stewart Long a supporter of rails-to-trails, I heartily agree that converting an urban blighted area into a linear park improves and connects neighborhoods. Where I live, a rail-trail has also enhanced property values.
Diane Leibowitz I'm signing this petition because I completely agree that this is a fantastic opportunity with the potential for great benefit to many people, communities, businesses and the environment.
Harry Raff As a past resident of Forest Hills and a current property owner there, I think a developed greenspace would add value to the community and rehabilitate an underused urban landscape.
Helen Day This is a positive, productive use, that will benefit everyone with more parkland.
Adam Miller I lived in NYC (Brooklyn) for many years. Queens absolutely needs the effort to greenspace. This could transform the experience of living there.
Michelle Rosado I believe that no traces of Earth's environment should be abandoned or forsaken for its location. We are all responsible to conserve our own well-being, as well as the place we inhabit.
Gerald Posley I think that this idea makes perfect sense. It has proven to be successful in other areas.
Corey Groom This will help preserve landmarks of Old New York and create greenspaces for our future generations.
Gail Becker I live in Rego Park and see first hand the disgrace of these abandoned rails. Not only would this project beautify our community and the connecting communities, but maybe it would give some of the children in the community a sense of pride to be involved in such an inspiring project. Our children need this project! The community needs this project to become a reality.
Victoria Steinberg This is a wonderful opportunity to add a first-class amenity to the borough of Queens, too often treated as an unimportant stepchild in New York City affairs. Why wouldn't everybody support this?
Kathleen Gouveia It's a good project. I'm always in favor of using abandon areas for something the community can use.
Erin Garner History has a place today and no place is safe (or beautiful) when left dilapidated and run down. Make it a healthy place once more.
Russell Nelson I would like to ride this. It will be one of the few rail-trails on Long Island.
Anandi Premlall I'm taking an active role in transforming this disused railway into a public space that captures the gritty, earthy beauty of Queens and serves the community with a bike path and walking trails, native plants to attract local bees, edible trees and plants to provide sustenance, where children can play safely and elders have a place to gather, where artists and musician share their talents, where the community grows. I certainly miss the days when children played hopscotch, basketball, hide-and-seek and other games with each other in the streets, when the ice cream truck could be heard blocks away, and we lined up for what seemed like forever with sweaty dollars and hungry bellies awaiting swirly cones with rainbow sprinkles. Shall we, once again, embrace the beauty of the slow life, where we stop to savor the sweet moments, among the blur of this fast-paced city? All in all, we're re-creating the community life that has been dwindling over the years with busy households who have hardly any time to enjoy a meal together. This is especially poignant right now where the new graduates, unemployed and underemployed (aka the 99%) are searching for something more substantial in their lives. Thank you all for sharing the vision, for using your voice for good and to create a cleanER, greenER, more sustainABLE Queens. Join our facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/queenshighline Follow us on http://www.twitter.com/queenshighline And please share this with all your friends.
Bill Orme For a relatively minimal one-time up-front job-creating investment, New York City gains a great permanent community-building amenity and rids itself of an unsightly and insecure stretch of linear urban blight. What's not to like?
Ian Hardouin To put underutilized public property to great use and increase access to green space for Queens residents. May I also add that this helps tie an expansive, very diverse boro together, bridging several unique communities.
Dennis O'Brien This is a wonderful idea and can only result in positive results on every level for all of us.
Christian Kellberg Lets hope that the the Rockaway Beach Branch railway ROW does not continue in be on the the list of squandered Queens resources.
Lily Erdy The one in Manhattan is excellent, adds value to the neighborhood, not to mention functional beauty. Would be great in this location too!
Christopher Toole I believe that public space should be used to grow food. www.savefarms.org
Ruth Rogers You could put solar panels in one area. The solar panels could help support the plan for the park.
Maureen Guido Right now this is a dumping ground and eyesore, but it could be a great greenspace and connect neighborhoods.
susan tunick I grew up in Rockaway and it would be wonderful to see this RR Line reused for a public purpose!
Sasha Parmasad For the the health and well-being of our community, present and future generations...
lianna gomori we need more green space, anywhere, any how!
Len Maniace Not only would this be an environmental and a recreational benefit, it would be an economic benefit to Queens, making it a more attractive place to live.
Kathryn Mets Queens deserves a "high line" too.
Ruth Rogers You could put solar panels in one area. The solar panels could help support the plan for the park.
Anita Miller I think this would be a great way to use this now abandoned eyesore for something good not just as a dumping ground
Maureen Guido Right now this is a dumping ground and eyesore, but it could be a great greenspace and connect neighborhoods.
Wayne Sosin Our company ( http://www.worksmancycles.com ) has fought for a better environment through greater use of pedal power. In NYC, with bike paths now on the rise, it's still not the most bike friendly place to ride. Our factory has faced an abandoned railroad elevated track for the past 35 years. Imagine how this eyesore could become a city gem, with walkers, joggers and cyclist having a safe environment. What a wonderful improvement this would be for residents of south queens and for that matter tourists as well. The NYC Highline project should prove the incredible value of such a transformation. Worksman Cycles and all New Yorkers should support this project.
I think this project is well overdue. I moved to Rego Park five years ago and noticed the potential for the abandoned railroad. Bringing a true greenway into this part of the city could only have positive implications both for the wellbeing of its residents and economic power of the neighborhood. I'll be especially interested in participating in this project.
Getting all verklempt while reading the reasons why individuals are signing the petition for a Queens (High) Line :) Take a peek!
ReplyDeleteMichael Perlman
At the NYC High Line, some only saw a structure unkempt for decades and called it an eyesore, calling for its removal, but beneath the grime there is detail that reads N-Y-C all over it. With a creative vision and teamwork, there is proof that a mission can be accomplished, and the same can be achieved for the envisioned "Queens High Line." Some people want the easy way out, and fail to explore, but my colleagues and I are some of the insiders with the discerning eye. I have long admired the NYC High Line. It makes a great case study and is an inspiration. It initiates greenery, spares a historic site from demolition, provides some recreation, hosts historic tours, connects and bonds our communities, creates jobs, and enhances community character and property values. It is a backyard treasure that becomes easily accessible. Queens deserves its role in the spotlight. As a historic preservationist and conservationist, As Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council serving Rego Park and Forest Hills, which are 2 communities the conceived Queens High Line would run through, I am willing to lend my expertise, and explore and further develop the visions of my colleagues and I. The trestles were designed by the well-known American Bridge Company in 1908, and we need to appreciate our industrial history while sensitively and creatively reusing this long-abandoned stretch as a park and trail with native vegetation and restored architecture.
manny steier
Capital improvements for Queens taxpayers is the best use of public revenue, too much has been diverted to private sports facilities, media corporations, and campaign contributors.
Rockaway Beach Branch Greenway Committee (Petition Organizer)
Urban green spaces are rare and precious. This abandoned right-of-way is destined to sit unused, to be filled with garbage and continue to be a hazard in the middle of our communities. Rather than let this land sit unused for another 60 years, we feel an opportunity exists to provide the residents of Queens with a world-class Greenway and Linear Park.
Matt Maiorana
Green spaces are vital to our communities particularly where we can reclaim and open up unused areas. It is also important to add more areas for bicycling.
Richard Polgar
The abandoned tracks have been a dumping ground and is an eyesore.Cleaning it up will improve the beauty of Forest Park and encourage more people to walk,jog and bike.
Tom Russack
For the children
Murray Berger
Such a Greenway would be an enhancement not only foer the contiguous neighborhoods, but also for nearby communities (such as Kew Gardens).
James A. Gillin
LIRR history needs to be preserved.
Andrea Gruber
I am a public school teacher in Rego Park and would love to see this happen for the families in this wonderful neighborhood!
Monina Cabanada
I believe that this will bring the Queens community together as no other activity ever has. Working together to make this happen will be the best gift that each member of the community can give to each other.
William Kleiman
Increase the quality of life
Paul Mc Evoy
This will clean up this area and give people a chance to use this area as a recreational path. More areas should be transformed for same such reasons.
Michael Gallagher
ReplyDeleteThe Rockaway Beach Branch Greenway needs to happen -- it's a simple project that's long overdue that would result in a tremendous quality of life boost for the community. Let's put this precious neighborhood resource to better use.
Rachel Stewart
Long a supporter of rails-to-trails, I heartily agree that converting an urban blighted area into a linear park improves and connects neighborhoods. Where I live, a rail-trail has also enhanced property values.
Diane Leibowitz
I'm signing this petition because I completely agree that this is a fantastic opportunity with the potential for great benefit to many people, communities, businesses and the environment.
Harry Raff
As a past resident of Forest Hills and a current property owner there, I think a developed greenspace would add value to the community and rehabilitate an underused urban landscape.
Helen Day
This is a positive, productive use, that will benefit everyone with more parkland.
Adam Miller
I lived in NYC (Brooklyn) for many years. Queens absolutely needs the effort to greenspace. This could transform the experience of living there.
Michelle Rosado
I believe that no traces of Earth's environment should be abandoned or forsaken for its location. We are all responsible to conserve our own well-being, as well as the place we inhabit.
Gerald Posley
I think that this idea makes perfect sense. It has proven to be successful in other areas.
Corey Groom
This will help preserve landmarks of Old New York and create greenspaces for our future generations.
Gail Becker
I live in Rego Park and see first hand the disgrace of these abandoned rails. Not only would this project beautify our community and the connecting communities, but maybe it would give some of the children in the community a sense of pride to be involved in such an inspiring project. Our children need this project! The community needs this project to become a reality.
Victoria Steinberg
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful opportunity to add a first-class amenity to the borough of Queens, too often treated as an unimportant stepchild in New York City affairs. Why wouldn't everybody support this?
Kathleen Gouveia
It's a good project. I'm always in favor of using abandon areas for something the community can use.
Erin Garner
History has a place today and no place is safe (or beautiful) when left dilapidated and run down. Make it a healthy place once more.
Russell Nelson
I would like to ride this. It will be one of the few rail-trails on Long Island.
Anandi Premlall
I'm taking an active role in transforming this disused railway into a public space that captures the gritty, earthy beauty of Queens and serves the community with a bike path and walking trails, native plants to attract local bees, edible trees and plants to provide sustenance, where children can play safely and elders have a place to gather, where artists and musician share their talents, where the community grows.
I certainly miss the days when children played hopscotch, basketball, hide-and-seek and other games with each other in the streets, when the ice cream truck could be heard blocks away, and we lined up for what seemed like forever with sweaty dollars and hungry bellies awaiting swirly cones with rainbow sprinkles.
Shall we, once again, embrace the beauty of the slow life, where we stop to savor the sweet moments, among the blur of this fast-paced city?
All in all, we're re-creating the community life that has been dwindling over the years with busy households who have hardly any time to enjoy a meal together. This is especially poignant right now where the new graduates, unemployed and underemployed (aka the 99%) are searching for something more substantial in their lives.
Thank you all for sharing the vision, for using your voice for good and to create a cleanER, greenER, more sustainABLE Queens.
Join our facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/queenshighline
Follow us on http://www.twitter.com/queenshighline
And please share this with all your friends.
Bill Orme
For a relatively minimal one-time up-front job-creating investment, New York City gains a great permanent community-building amenity and rids itself of an unsightly and insecure stretch of linear urban blight. What's not to like?
Ian Hardouin
To put underutilized public property to great use and increase access to green space for Queens residents. May I also add that this helps tie an expansive, very diverse boro together, bridging several unique communities.
Dennis O'Brien
This is a wonderful idea and can only result in positive results on every level for all of us.
Christian Kellberg
Lets hope that the the Rockaway Beach Branch railway ROW does not continue in be on the the list of squandered Queens resources.
Lily Erdy
The one in Manhattan is excellent, adds value to the neighborhood, not to mention functional beauty.
Would be great in this location too!
Christopher Toole
I believe that public space should be used to grow food. www.savefarms.org
Ruth Rogers
You could put solar panels in one area. The solar panels could help support the plan for the park.
Maureen Guido
Right now this is a dumping ground and eyesore, but it could be a great greenspace and connect neighborhoods.
susan tunick
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Rockaway and it would be wonderful to see this RR Line reused for a public purpose!
Sasha Parmasad
For the the health and well-being of our community, present and future generations...
lianna gomori
we need more green space, anywhere, any how!
Len Maniace
Not only would this be an environmental and a recreational benefit, it would be an economic benefit to Queens, making it a more attractive place to live.
Kathryn Mets
Queens deserves a "high line" too.
Ruth Rogers
You could put solar panels in one area. The solar panels could help support the plan for the park.
Anita Miller
I think this would be a great way to use this now abandoned eyesore for something good not just as a dumping ground
Maureen Guido
Right now this is a dumping ground and eyesore, but it could be a great greenspace and connect neighborhoods.
Wayne Sosin
Our company ( http://www.worksmancycles.com ) has fought for a better environment through greater use of pedal power. In NYC, with bike paths now on the rise, it's still not the most bike friendly place to ride. Our factory has faced an abandoned railroad elevated track for the past 35 years. Imagine how this eyesore could become a city gem, with walkers, joggers and cyclist having a safe environment. What a wonderful improvement this would be for residents of south queens and for that matter tourists as well. The NYC Highline project should prove the incredible value of such a transformation. Worksman Cycles and all New Yorkers should support this project.
I think this project is well overdue. I moved to Rego Park five years ago and noticed the potential for the abandoned railroad. Bringing a true greenway into this part of the city could only have positive implications both for the wellbeing of its residents and economic power of the neighborhood. I'll be especially interested in participating in this project.
ReplyDelete