Hundreds of people journeyed to the Brewster LIC conference center Tuesday, Sept. 15, for the Queens Economic Development Corporation’s (QEDC) “Building Queens” conference, which convened a number of public and private partners to explore the major developments planned for the borough.
The conference featured a range of keynote speakers from the public and private sector in addition to a panel discussion featuring individuals representing some of the biggest developments slated for Queens, including New York City FC’s $780 million soccer-specific stadium in Willets Point and the planned Metropolitan Park and Resorts World casino projects.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
QEDC Executive Director Ben Guttmann said he was “blown away” by what he described as an “incredible” half-day event that showcased developments totalling more than $62 billion in investment across the borough.
“We’ve got to this again,” Guttmann said. “There’s so much happening (in Queens) that we couldn’t fit it all in. There are projects in every neighborhood… The story of Queens is the story of building. And we’re building the future here.”
Guttmann said the event also shined a spotlight on some of the behind-the-scenes projects that perhaps do not attract attention, such as investments in Con Edison substations and the New York Power Authority’s Propel Energy Project, which aims to increase the capacity of New York’s grid.
“There’s almost as much money going underground or into stuff you can’t see,” Guttmann said.
But the centerpiece of Tuesday’s event was a roundtable panel discussion focusing on the “megaprojects” set to transform different areas of the borough, featuring Suzette Noble, CEO of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, NYCFC Chief Operating Officer Jennifer O’Sullivan, Resorts World NYC Senior Vice President of Community Development Michelle Stoddart and Metropolitan Park’s Vice President of Finance Christopher Oh.
The roundtable tapped some of the biggest projects in Queens, including the completed $8 billion redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport and the ongoing construction of NYCFC’s Etihad Park in Willets Point, which is slated to open next year. It also explored Resorts World’s $5.5 billion expansion in South Ozone Park after winning a downstate gaming license last year and Metropolitan Park’s $8 billion project adjacent to Citi Field.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
A later discussion showcasing over a dozen other major projects taking place in the borough featured representatives from East End Studios, an event space and sound stage that recently opened in Sunnyside, and JFK Airport, which is currently undergoing a $19 billion transformation.
MTA representatives also presented on the planned Interborough Express that would connect Queens and Brooklyn by using an active freight line between Jackson Heights and Bay Ridge, while representatives of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. highlighted the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, a major rezoning approved by the City Council in 2025 that will introduce 12,000 new homes in the neighborhood.
Earlier, a number of prominent elected and public officials delivered keynote addresses, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry and Port Authority of New York New Jersey Executive Director Kathryn Garcia.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Richards, in his opening remarks, noted that planned development in Queens stretches right across the borough, from the transformation of the old Flushing Airport into roughly 3,000 housing units to the development of two major casinos which he said would create 50,000 good-paying, union jobs.
“Not only are we building brick and mortar, we’re building a reputation as the undisputed best borough in New York City,” Richards said. “Queens is the last bastion of what the real New York looks like… It couldn’t be clearer that there has never been a better time to call Queens home.”
Garcia, meanwhile, said the redevelopment of LaGuardia and JFK Airports represent more than $25 million in public-private investment, adding that the projects have “energized the local economy.”
“This is an unprecedented time of investment in the borough,” Garcia said in her address.
She added that the “once-in-a-generation transformation” of JFK will “redefine passenger experiences” at the airport, stating that the redevelopment seeks to build relationships, opportunities and communities as much as it seeks to build infrastructure.
“We know that our airports will grow, and we want to make sure that people are getting into these careers that are high income – and that they are staying and being members of the Queens community,” Garcia said.
Guttmann similarly stated that the slated development of many parts of Queens should focus equally on building communities as it does on building infrastructure.
“Queens is the future. It’s the future of the city,” Guttmann said. “The future of this nation also looks an awful lot like Queens. Queens is the purest embodiment of the American dream. It is the borough where half of our neighbors are foreign born, half of our neighbors speak a language other than English at home, and it still represents the idea that anything is possible.”
Thomas-Henry, on the other hand, noted that most of the planned development across Queens will take place in communities that have existed for generations, stating that all major developments have a “civic responsibility” to invest in the communities they are serving.
Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Thomas-Henry, who served as community outreach manager for the LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment Program, said the airport’s redevelopment would have resulted in “major delays” in financial impacts for the local area if it did not listen to the voice of the local community.
“Don’t just think about hiring as a check mark, but think about the individuals whose lives you can change for generations by investing in the community,” Thomas-Henry said. “To all the development partners, really treat your small business partners as partners. Help them grow, help them develop, and please pay them on time.”
Tuesday’s conference concluded with a “How Queens Builds” panel discussion featuring Long Island City Partnership President Laura Rothrock, McKissack & McKissack President and CEO Albert Odjidja, David Sands of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 3, and Vincent Evola, senior vice president of operations at Shanska Civil Northeast. The discussion focused on the different challenges facing developers, workers and members of the local community when developments are slated for specific neighborhoods in the city.
Kevin Riley, chair of the City Council’s Land Use Committee, and Sideya Sherman, director of the Department of City Planning, provided closing remarks at the event, with Riley stating that Queens is providing a blueprint on how to foster progress in New York City.
“Queens is a borough that we can all look at when we think about how we can progress our city forward,” Riley said.
Riley and Sherman pose with Guttmann after Tuesday’s conference. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Most importantly for Guttmann, however, Tuesday’s event provided an opportunity for influential figures in the public and private sectors to meet face-to-face during networking that bookended the panel discussions and keynote addresses.
“A Zoom call is nice, but you cannot you cannot replicate the magic of being in the same room with people and building those connections,” Guttmann said.
Networking at Tuesday’s conference. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud