HPPC statement on parcel D & E

Last week the department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) released the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Parcel E in Hunters Point South.  Parcel E is a 69,500 square foot city owned lot between 2nd St, Center Boulevard, 55th and 56th Avenue.  Once this parcel is developed, Parcel D (across the street between 55th and 54th Avenue) will be the only remaining city owned parcel that has not been developed. Hunters Point Parks Conservancy is calling for that remaining lot to be turned into a multi-purpose sports facility that will provide real value and an essential resource to the community.

We understand and support the urgent need for truly affordable housing in New York City. But as our community grows, so must our investment in public green space. Long Island City is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the nation, with a population increase of 74% from 2011 to 2023 and over 30,000 new housing units since 2009. Yet despite this explosive growth, access to open space has severely lagged behind. A 2021 Open Space Profile from New Yorkers for Parks ranked Long Island City 57th out of 59 NYC districts in terms of green space—an already dismal ranking that’s only worsened with time.

Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, Community Board 2, and other stakeholders have long advocated for HPD to release a combined RFP for Parcels D and E ensuring that one would be preserved for active public use. In May 2022, CB2 formally requested that one of these parcels be designated for open space and in February 2024 HPPC asked for the same. HPD responded that there weren’t sufficient subsidies to develop both sites at once. Does that mean Parcel D will sit vacant for another decade, a lot serving no one but rats, weeds and lantern flies? In a statement HPD said the release of the RFP for Parcel E is a "key step" in completing the vision for the neighborhood. The final "key step" should be listening to the community and turning Parcel D into a multi use active sports field to provide much needed active green space for the fast growing community.

We had hoped the developer awarded Parcel E would also be required to deliver a major community benefit on Parcel D. Instead, the current plan for Parcel E calls for a public space about the size of half a tennis court—a disappointing offering for such a densely populated and growing neighborhood. We would gladly exchange that “half court” for a fully functioning community sports field on Parcel D.

There is a unique opportunity here. A new school is rising across the street; PS 384 and the nearby Hunters Point Middle and High school are all just a block away. These schools need space for physical education and outdoor activities—something the oval in Hunters Point South Park simply cannot accommodate. Outside school hours, the field could be made available to the broader community, similar to the arrangement with the Sports Field in Gantry Plaza State Park.

An active field could offer additional environmental benefits, too. Similar to the reservoir in Hunter’s Point South Park under the astroturf oval, which can hold 600,000 gallons of stormwater, this field could be built with a reservoir to provide additional resiliency to a neighborhood that was heavily hit by Sandy and is projected to face serious future flooding challenges from climate change.
 
HPD deserves credit for building over 3,000 affordable apartments, with another 850–900 expected on Parcel E. They have helped create a vibrant new community. Now let’s complete it—by giving that community the space it needs to live, play, and grow.

We urge HPD to think creatively and act boldly to deliver the vital, active green space that Long Island City needs and deserves.