New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber announced $76.4 million in new infrastructure improvements to transform Long Island City into a center for commercial, residential and retail development. Renovations for Queens Plaza began recently on the site of a former commuter parking lot at Queens Plaza North. The lot will become a portion of a 1.5-acre landscaped signature open space complete with artist-designed benches and pavers, and a continuous protected bikeway and pedestrian walkway complementing the nearby Jackson Avenue Streetscape Project which began in fall 2008 and will be completed in fall 2010.
The improvements are being funded with $23.7 million in city capital, $19.7 million in federal money, and $33 million in federal stimulus-related funds and upon their completion by the end of 2011, the two projects will have created more than 1,700 construction-related jobs.