NEW YORK, NY — Zohran Mamdani sat across from Donald Trump and laid out a $21 billion request: help New York City build a platform over Sunnyside Yard and raise 12,000 affordable apartments above the rumble of the busiest rail yard in North America.
At the White House, the mayor asked the federal government to fund what he described as the largest housing and infrastructure investment in the city in more than 50 years. The plan calls for constructing what city officials describe as the world’s largest deck over the Queens rail yard, unlocking space for 6,000 Mitchell-Lama-style homes, thousands more affordable units, new parks, schools and health care clinics.
“New York City is facing a generational affordability challenge,” Mamdani said. “Working families are being priced out of the neighborhoods they built. To meet this moment, we need a true federal partner prepared to invest boldly and act urgently. I appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with President Trump about building more housing in any single project than our city has seen since 1973.”
The proposed development would generate an estimated 30,000 union jobs, according to City Hall, spanning construction and related trades tied to the multiyear buildout above the active yard.
Mamdani pressed for stronger federal financing tools to back affordable housing construction and preserve public housing. He called for modernized regulatory pathways to accelerate building timelines while maintaining labor standards and community input requirements.
He pledged transparency and fiscal oversight in the use of federal funds, saying the city would ensure “every dollar delivers safe, affordable housing for New Yorkers.”