Latest news with #JacksonHeights
Fast Company
02-07-2025
- General
- Fast Company
This neighborhood in Queens has a brilliant plan to turn a busy street into a park
One of the most positive legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic stretches across 26 blocks in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. The 34th Avenue Open Street emerged out of a New York City-sanctioned program in the early days of the pandemic that allowed neighborhood groups to temporarily close streets to car traffic and use the space for outdoor recreation and other purposes. In Jackson Heights, one of the early epicenters of the pandemic, the open street that emerged from this program became a kind of lifeline for the neighborhood. Now, after running strong for more than five years, a plan is taking shape to make the project on 34th Avenue, now known as Paseo Park, permanent. The concept for the park was commissioned by the Alliance for Paseo Park, a volunteer group that has overseen the open street since the beginning, when it was little more than metal barriers at the end of each block. The group hired the architecture and urban design firm WXY to envision a more formal park space along the 1.3-mile length that includes a mix of recreational areas, seating and meandering zones, multiuse playspace for the 10 schools on and near the street, dense landscaping, paths for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as required emergency vehicle access areas. And because New York Mayor Eric Adams's administration allocated $89 million in funding in 2022 to permanently build out the 34th Avenue Open Street, there's a good chance this design concept will take shape. It could be a model for other neighborhoods in New York—and other cities—for how to thoughtfully turn streets into neighborhood amenities. 'There's so many streets that are doing one thing, serving cars and parking,' says Rob Daurio, a senior associate and director of urban sustainability at WXY who led the 34th Avenue design project. 'This is a big opportunity to really think ambitiously about how to provide more significant public space.' The need is acute. A report from New York City's Independent Budget Office found that Jackson Heights has as little as two square feet of park space per resident. 'It's one of the lowest amounts of park space in the city,' says Daurio. The creation of the open street during the pandemic 'did start to serve this really important and meaningful role for the community,' he says. Subscribe to the Design latest innovations in design brought to you every weekday Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters WXY worked directly with the Alliance for Paseo Park on deep community outreach to learn what neighbors and users of the space wanted from a permanent version of 34th Avenue's open street. The main priority was to ensure that the linear park would be safe and pedestrian first, provide room for the schools in the area, and use its planting to combat the effects of climate change. WXY interpreted those priorities in a range of active, passive, and school-centric areas. 'We tried to come up with not just one solution, but a range of different block typologies that really did respond to the needs of the individuals in those particular areas,' Daurio says. The design concept is based on two main typologies that can define each of the 26 blocks in the park. WXY calls them the Super-Median and the Super-Sidewalk, and they essentially stretch out either the existing median in the street's center or the sidewalks on its edges to create more usable public space. 'Neither the sidewalk nor the median are big enough to actually take on a more significant use,' Daurio says. 'But if you just widen them to enough space that you're still allowing for your emergency access lanes and drive lanes, either of those options are viable to really create a more significant open space.' These designs also balance the need for the street to remain a viable path for transportation—just not for most cars. In the years since 34th Avenue became an open street, it has become a highway for cyclists and, to the chagrin of some residents, delivery drivers on fast-moving electric bikes, mopeds, and other alternative forms of mobility. It's particularly a problem for the youngest users of the space. According to a survey of children that was conducted by a local Girl Scout troop, 66% of children said that the thing they wanted most to change about the open street was for there to be fewer cars and mopeds on the street. WXY integrated these concerns into their design by looking beyond the edges of 34th Avenue, proposing streetscape changes on another nearby arterial street, Northern Boulevard, which could be redesigned to handle more of the cross-neighborhood non-car traffic that has dominated 34th Avenue. 'It's a little bit of a Swiss Army knife of a street right now, where it's a park, and it's also a place for school drop-offs and a route for delivery people,' Daurio says. 'We're thinking about other opportunities to help take the burden off of 34th Avenue for doing everything.' Luz Maria Mercado, board chair of the Alliance for Paseo Park, says people in the neighborhood are enthusiastic about the design concepts. 'Our neighbors see their feedback represented in ideas like creating a front yard for the six public schools that line Paseo Park, the addition of green space, and the flexibility of different design types for different blocks with different needs,' she says. Right now the design is still just a concept, and one that, despite official support from the Alliance for Paseo Park, is subject to input from the broader community. Claire Weisz, founding principal of WXY, says permanently closing any street to traffic, even one that's had such a long and successful pilot stage, is going to be a challenge. 'It's not without its controversies, because, well, people love cars,' she says. This design concept is a hopeful wager that people will realize they love public space even more. 'We're trying to do something that's never been done before in New York City, but is being done around the world,' Mercado says. 'It is hard, but it is not impossible.' The advance-rate deadline for the Fast Company Innovation Festival is Friday, July 11, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Claim your pass today!
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
Cops hunt creep who stalked 13-year-old girl, offered money for sex in Queens
Police released pictures Thursday of a man they say followed a 13-year-old girl down a Queens street and tried to pay her for sex — continuing to stalk the youngster even when she ran away — in the hope the public could help in apprehending the prowler. The man started following the girl on 97th St. between Northern Blvd. and 34th Ave. in Jackson Heights around 7:35 a.m. Wednesday and offered her money to perform a sex act, according to the police. When the girl tried to get away from him, he continued following her before fleeing southbound on 97th St. Cops released pictures of the man, who is bald and wearing glasses, a black short-sleeve button-down shirt, light-wash jeans and sandals, and may be in his 30s or 40s. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Woman stabbed in back in Queens home in apparent domestic dispute: NYPD
A 30-year-old woman was stabbed in an apparent domestic dispute in Queens, according to police. Officers responding to a 911 call found the woman with a stab wound to her lower back in a residence on 82nd St. near Northern Blvd. in Jackson Heights around 7 a.m. Friday, cops said. EMS transported the victim to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition. The suspect, who is known to the victim, fled the location after attacking her, a police source said. So far no one has been arrested. Police are investigating.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Road closures for Queens Pride Parade 2025
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — The Queens Pride Parade will officially kick off Pride Month in New York City this weekend. The parade kicks off at 12 p.m. Sunday and runs along 37th Avenue from 89th Street to 75th Street. At the end of the parade route, a festival will take place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. More Local News The day will include performances from Austin Halls, Antaeuz Y La Santa Luz, Haus of US, and many more. It'll fill Jackson Heights with food, entertainment, dancing and colorful floats. Now in its 31st year, it's the second-oldest and second-largest pride parade in the city. This year will include over 140 local groups and organizations, the largest participation ever, according to parade organizers. 89th Street between 35th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue 37th Avenue between 89th Street and 75th Street 75th Street between 37th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue 75th -76th Street between 37th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue 37th Road between 74th Street and 77th Street Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
01-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Queens Pride Parade 2025 takes over Jackson Heights today. See the route, street closures and more.
Queens Pride, one of the oldest and largest LGBTQ pride parades in New York City, returns to Jackson Heights today, which means there are street closures in the area. The New Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival are held every year on the first Sunday in June, the beginning of Pride Month. The theme for 2025 is "Defiant Joy." Here's a guide with the parade route, road closures and more about this year's celebration. Queens Pride parade route map and start time The 2025 New Queens Pride Parade starts at noon on 37th Avenue at 89th Street in Jackson Heights. The parade marches down 37th to 75th Street. The Multicultural Festival at the intersection of 37th Road and 75th Street also starts at noon and goes until 6 p.m. The New Queens Pride parade marches down 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights every year on the first Sunday in June. LGBT Network According to organizers, a record 140-plus groups are participating this year. CBS News New York is a sponsor of Queens Pride and has a float in the parade. Last year, tens of thousands of people came out to celebrate. Street closures in Jackson Heights According to the New York City Department of Transportation, these streets will be closed Sunday at NYPD's discretion for the parade and festival: Formation: 89th Street between 35th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue Route 37th Avenue between 89th Street and 75th Street Dispersal: 75th Street between 37th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue Festival: 75th-76th Street between 37th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue 37th Road between 74th Street and 77th Street 2025 grand marshals The 2025 grand marshals are New York State Assembly Members Catalina Cruz and Jessica González-Rojas, who are being recognized for their work in support of members of the LGBTQ community. "They are extraordinary leaders who have really been at the forefront in the fight for LGBTQ equality and justice," LGBT Network founder David Kilmnick told CBS News New York. The two assembly members often work collaboratively on legislation and funding. "One thing that we're fighting for is to enhance our protections for providers of gender-affirming care," González-Rojas said. "That's making sure that they have the mental health services, the legal services, the support," Cruz said. The Queens parade also inspired annual pride marches in Brooklyn and the Bronx, organizers say. Asylum seeker from Venezuela named honorary grand marshal Andry José Hernández Romero, a gay makeup artist who came to the U.S. from Venezuela as an asylum seeker in 2024, is named as an honorary grand marshal for 2025. In March, the Trump administration sent Romero and 237 other Venezuelan migrants to a maximum security prison in El Salvador, CBS News reported. U.S. immigration officials cited Hernández Romero's tattoos as evidence of an affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang, a claim that is disputed, according to 60 Minutes. Parade organizers say his tattoos symbolize family and cultural heritage and are being misinterpreted. "A gifted makeup artist and a beacon of resilience, Andry represents the very spirit of Pride: living authentically, demanding dignity, and refusing to be erased. As he remains unjustly imprisoned, we lift his name, his story, and our voices in solidarity, demanding his safe return and the protection of all LGBTQ+ asylum seekers," a statement on the New Queens Pride website says. This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the parade, which started in 1993.
