The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) community planning workshop, aimed at gathering public input on the far eastern segment of the newly proposed 16-mile Queens Waterfront Greenway project, started fairly calmly but ultimately erupted into dissent, leading half of the attendees to leave without giving their formal input.
Over a hundred people packed a room in the Alley Pond Environmental Center in Douglaston on Thursday night. The crowd was mostly split between local residents who loudly opposed the project in its entirety and those who wanted to see more safe places to bike and walk. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a seamless connection between Long Island City and Fort Totten.
Much of the opposition was mobilized by District 19 City Council Member Vickie Paladino, who urged her constituents in the weeks leading up to the workshop to attend and voice their concerns. Paladino promoted the event as a public forum that would allow individuals the opportunity to speak directly.
However, DOT planning workshops, where liaisons collect community feedback, are traditionally not set up like public forum hearings. After a short presentation about the project, participants break into smaller groups of about a dozen people to workshop. At a typical workshop, participants are given Post-its and markers to comment on specific corridors on a blown-up map or the area’s streets.
Ten minutes into the workshop portion, the Council Member got up on a chair in the front of the room and said, “This is not how it’s supposed to go. I want everybody who’s not actually interested in this to leave now.”
“I thought everybody here, or at least a handful, would have been able to get the mic and stress their opinions. I’m out of here,” she added before dozens of attendees stormed out.
She later posted a video on social media explaining her stance. Her staff also distributed their flyer about the project, which said the greenway threatens…
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