Nonprofits Propose High Line-Style Park for Queens

A national nonprofit and a New York City group released plans Tuesday to turn an abandoned stretch of railway through Queens into a 3.5-mile linear park that would be the borough’s version of Manhattan’s wildly popular High Line, writes The New York Times.

The proposal by the Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay puts a price tag of $122-million on the park, which backers say aligns with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s call to focus attention and funding on green spaces in the outer boroughs. “It’s like the High Line on steroids,” said Adrian Benepe, a former city parks commissioner now with the Trust for Public Land. “It’s twice as long and seven times the acreage.”

The trust has raised $1.2-million for the project, including $467,000 in state park funds. While the High Line, which also follows an old rail route, garnered significant private gifts and is run by the nonprofit Friends of the High Line, most of its construction cost was shouldered by the city. The QueensWay plan has been shown to city officials but the response has been noncommittal, the Times says.