The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy’s mission is to enhance and advocate for the green spaces and waterfront of Long Island City, Queens, and to ensure the parks remain an indispensable asset to the community.
We believe that public, open, accessible green spaces are the single most important factor in the health and happiness of our community. To that end, we encourage the creation and/or preservation of any such space within the Long Island City neighborhood.
We believe that any major development project taking place within the neighborhood must work to actively create new public open space, to the fullest extent possible. Should new open space not be possible, new developments must instead support existing spaces to a significant degree.
We further believe that any (new or existing) public open space in our community should:
Be a true public commons with no barriers to entry
Be a place where any individual feels welcome and comfortable, no matter their age, color, national origin, immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical abilities
Be accessible and seamlessly integrated into neighborhood amenities and transportation networks
Be designed with the local environment in mind, using current best practices and features that integrate the natural and built environment, reduce or prevent pollution and stormwater runoff, and benefit native flora and fauna
In addition, any new developments being built on or near the waterfront must integrate resilient waterfront design concepts to help protect the neighborhood from future sea level rise and storm surge. New waterfront developments in LIC must go above and beyond the current New York City recommendations and industry best practices.
Any waterfront development must:
Actively remediate any contaminated soil and/or sources of pollution
Work to capture stormwater by installing green roofs and other green infrastructure
Restore natural habitat by incorporating waterfront edge designs that provide habitat for native plants and animals
Provide recreation opportunities through water access points and/or public amenities
Design with resilience in mind - incorporating soft edges, wetlands, berms, and/or other flood protection measures
We look forward to continuing to work with all community stakeholders in order to enhance and advocate for the green spaces and waterfront of Long Island City for many years to come.