Adams Administration Announces $12 Million for Steinway Street Public Realm and Streetscape Improvements

 

Departments of Transportation, City Planning announce streetscape redesign to revitalize corridor and improve pedestrian safety  

Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the investment of $12 million through the Strategy for Equity and Economic Development (SEED) Fund for public realm and streetscape improvements along Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens.  

The street redesign, led by NYC DOT, will build out midblock curb extensions and new public spaces at three locations on Steinway Street between 30^th and 34^th Avenues, and will introduce two new green spaces at the Steinway Landmark Clock and at Municipal Parking Lot #2, between Broadway and 31^st Avenue. 

“With this catalytic investment in Steinway Street, we are supporting local small businesses, improving pedestrian safety and circulation, and helping create a more vibrant corridor for neighbors. With the SEED Fund and City of Yes zoning changes, we’re supporting neighborhoods and communities across the city,” said Dan Garodnick, Director of the Department of City Planning.  

“These capital investments will deliver concrete safety upgrades and help beautify what is one of Queens’ premier shopping and dining corridors. These mid-block curb extensions, which will naturally calm vehicle traffic, and new pedestrian space enhancements will together help make Steinway Street and even more welcoming destination,” said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We thank our sister agencies, as well as our community partners, for their support.”   

The street redesign is one of almost 100 projects planned, in design or construction, or recently completed by DOT to improve commercial corridors, including Grand Concourse in the Bronx, Atlantic Avenue in East New York, 10th Avenue in Inwood, and the Bay Street Corridor on Staten Island – totaling nearly $3 billion of past and present funding.    

 

These street changes will support pedestrian safety and help to revitalize the Steinway Street business corridor through improved walkability and customer circulation. It comes as DCP advances the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity initiative, a set of citywide zoning changes to support New York’s economy and small businesses – including by promoting vibrant commercial corridors and modernizing regulations to help fill vacant storefronts – and is a part of Mayor Adams’s “Working People’s Tour” to celebrate New York City regaining all of the jobs it lost during the pandemic and continue to create opportunities for working New Yorkers across the five boroughs.    

 

This funding is the third allocation from the New York City Strategy for Equity and Economic Development (NYC SEED) Fund, a new, equitable, cross-agency capital planning framework, since it was announced last year. The Fund has also supported improvements to St. Andrew’s Playground in Bed-Stuy and sidewalks and infrastructure near Broadway Junction.