Dear “Ashley Kelly” (who first anonymously posted her screed on Reddit, then expanded it on Grime Square)-
The first paragraph of your linked op-ed claims I lied in my own op-ed about the MTA’s willingness to host meetings in Maspeth and Middle Village. You seem to be quite ignorant of the actual timeline. The people of this community had been asking for an open house for more than a year via our assembly representative, Stephen Raga. Back in June, I confronted the IBX reps at a meeting when they presented at a Ridgewood non-profit. I asked why they kept having open houses in Jackson Heights and Ridgewood, but not in our neighborhoods, when we will have 3 IBX stops placed here. They assured me that open houses would continue in the fall. We heard nothing from them for months after, then we were asked to join a “community council” meeting which was by invite only, last month. They had no answers to any questions. Less than 2 weeks later, they convened a second community council to tell us they were moving forward with scoping sessions. They finally scheduled a Middle Village Q&A open house to take place AFTER the scoping session. Seems a little backwards, no?
The Juniper Berry is a print magazine. It comes out quarterly. My article was written in August and published online in September. The analysis you claim I “hid” is clearly linked and had been since the original publication of this piece. The MTA wants this line to operate without drivers. They’ve mentioned it at their meetings. It’s not a secret. The TWU is opposed to that, so they chose a path that bypasses the TWU.
Bringing up the lack of connectivity is a legitimate criticism. Yes, there are walking transfers. They are God awful. I have used them. Having to walk 4 blocks is bad; if you happen to be carrying anything, it’s a nightmare. You also seem to think I proposed a single track station. I did not. Included with the original article is an MTA drawing showing that possibility, which they studied and decided wouldn’t work.
The character of the neighborhood is something that is studied by the EIS, which we are currently in the scoping phase of. MTA is required to address:
– Displacement of residential population.
– Displacement of more than 100 employees.
– Business displacements.
– New development that is markedly different from existing land uses.
– New or improved retail development.
– Effects on a specific industry.
“Oh well, you’ll just have to deal with it” is not the proper response. When a report from the New York Building Congress is published claiming that NYCDCP is in favor of upzoning 1/2 mile around each station, it’s something that impacts all 6 of those points and needs to be examined and addressed.
So you don’t think buses can substitute for this light rail. My property is within this 1/2 mile radius. From there, I would need to take 2 buses (Q67 & Q14) just to get to the closest IBX station at Eliot Ave. Meanwhile, I already have a one seat ride to:
– the 61-Woodside station if I take the Q18
– to Grand Ave-Newtown if I take the Q58/59/98
– to Metropolitan Ave or Court Square if I take the Q67.
Many others in Maspeth and Middle Village are in the same situation. Express bus service on Eliot Ave also takes us directly to either midtown or downtown Manhattan. We don’t benefit from a light rail on the CSX line. Only 6% of current commuters from “Queens North,” which includes the Jackson Heights station, travel to anywhere in Brooklyn, and only 7% of commuters from anywhere in Brooklyn are headed to Queens North, according to the MTA’s “Planning & Environmental Linkages Study” published in January 2023.
We aren’t trying to nix the entire project. It’s just not worth the expense and upheaval to our area to add stations here. All we need is a modest investment in better local and express bus service, which we were promised with the Queens Bus Network Redesign. Instead, MTA made it worse. Maybe write an op-ed about that next since you claim to live here and care about area transit.
As for affordable housing, this district overwhelmingly voted for Council Member Robert Holden three times, who presented a sensible affordable housing platform. That was subsequently adopted by Phil Wong, who won his seat this month. You are from this community yet believe City of Yes will benefit those living here? COY is meant to get property owners to sell to corporate developers and landlords. It’s not going to make buying or renting more affordable. Minority communities will suffer the worst from gentrification, which you seem to shrug off. They have been the most vocal about the negative impacts they will experience should this project ever come to fruition when we have our MTA Community Council calls. But I appreciate you trying (and failing) to frame me and others opposed as flaming racists. Sorry you fell for the YIMBY Kool-Aid, kid!
This project will not be receiving any federal funding in the foreseeable future, and the NYC Bar Association spelled out how the MTA’s $5.5B cost estimate is way too low.
I suppose you’ll be attending the November 19 Open House. Be sure to introduce yourself. I’d like to meet a self-described “lifelong advocate for improved public transit in Brooklyn and Queens” who attends Hunter College and grew up in Middle Village that no one has ever heard of and why she thinks her opinion on this subject holds more credence than Mr. Pegram’s or mine.
Yours truly,
Christina Wilkinson
(It’s spelled W-I-L-K-I-N-S-O-N every time.)
