Comprehensive Master Plan Envisions Over 2,800 Units of Housing, Including Affordable Housing, and Fulfills Other Local Needs and Priorities Such as Community Facilities, Open Space, and Much-Needed Amenities
Plan Reflects Extensive Community Visioning Process Led in Partnership with Queen Borough President Donovan Richards
Complements Governor Hochul’s Bold Vision to Address New York State’s Housing Crisis Through Executive Action – Including Initiative to Repurpose State-Owned Sites as Housing
Read the Creedmoor Master Plan Here
Governor Kathy Hochul today unveiled the Creedmoor Community Master Plan, a community-driven framework for redeveloping underutilized land at the 125-acre Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Eastern Queens. The plan seeks to transform approximately 58 acres of the State-owned Creedmoor campus from surface parking lots, overgrowth, and vacant buildings into a vibrant new community with homes, recreational spaces, greenery, and neighborhood retail. It is the result of a six-month collaborative planning process led by Empire State Development and the Queens Borough President's Office, facilitated with help from the Metropolitan Urban Design Workshop. The plan, which was released today at a meeting with community stakeholders, is available here.
“Creedmoor represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for New Yorkers to reimagine State land and plan for the emerging needs of tomorrow,” Governor Hochul said. “Working together in productive partnership with the community – and thanks to the leadership of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards – we can build more housing, create more jobs, and strengthen Eastern Queens for the next generation.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said, “The potential before us on the Creedmoor campus is limitless, as the new Creedmoor Master Plan boldly outlines. From thousands of units of housing to historic homeownership opportunities to school seats to community facilities to retail, this plan represents the single largest investment in Eastern Queens in generations, and I could not be more excited for the work ahead. It’s taken decades to get to this moment, and I’m deeply grateful to Governor Hochul, Empire State Development and the residents of Eastern Queens for their tireless dedication and partnership in developing this community-centric proposal from the ground up. We’re making history every day in Queens, and this project is yet another example of our borough’s bright future.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “After decades of unrealized promises about Creedmoor, today Governor Hochul, ESD, and Borough President Donovan stand together in partnership with the community to support this comprehensive plan to strengthen Eastern Queens. This vision represents a new opportunity for the neighborhoods around Creedmoor to finally move forward on local priorities and prepare for the community’s emerging needs.”
The Creedmoor Community Master Plan introduces over 2,800 units of new housing, with more than 55 percent designated as homeownership. This would represent the area’s single largest new investment in housing since the 1950s and its largest single expansion in homeownership opportunities in nearly 50 years. The Plan also introduces a mix of affordable rental options for seniors and families, and continues a nearly 80-year history of veteran housing in Eastern Queens by offering individuals who have served in the armed forces preferential access to a portion of the project’s units. In addition, the Plan designates approximately 14 acres for open space and sets aside locations for amenities such as a recreation center, daycare facility, school, and neighborhood retail.
The Plan’s development involved an extensive six-month community engagement process which included in-person and virtual workshops that identified priorities like a need for community gathering spaces, diverse housing options, neighborhood retail, and improved transit. Following the Plan's release, Empire State Development (ESD) will form the Creedmoor Community Advisory Committee to provide ongoing guidance on implementation. The next steps include commencing an environmental review process in 2024. ESD will also create a General Project Plan and will release requests for proposals (RFPs) to find development partners who will implement the Plan in phases.
Repurposing State Land for Housing
Governor Hochul announced a package of executive actions earlier this year to promote housing growth as part of an ongoing commitment to increasing the housing supply and addressing New York's housing crisis. As part of that package, the Governor directed state agencies to review lands in their ownership and control and determine whether those sites can be used for housing.
Yesterday, Governor Hochul unveiled a proposal to transform the former Lincoln Correctional Facility in New York City into a vibrant, mixed-use development with 105 units of affordable housing. The Governor has also announced requests for proposals to redevelop the former Bayview Correctional Facility and Javits Center's Site K in Manhattan and the former Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill with an emphasis on housing.
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