Queensboro Plaza's Developer-Built Elevator Wins City Approval

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — The city has approved a developer's plan to construct a new elevator at the Queensboro Plaza subway station — in exchange for permission to build an even taller tower across the street.

The City Planning Commission voted last week to approve the plan by developer Grubb Properties to build a street-level elevator on Queens Plaza North, near the existing pedestrian walkway. The project will bring the heavily-used station a step closer to finally being accessible for disabled commuters.

In return, Grubb will be able to build a 26-story apartment tower on the same site, containing 417 apartments and commercial space, as Patch reported in February. The developer is taking advantage of a new city rule that offers zoning bonuses in exchange for transit improvements.

Meanwhile, a separate project led by the MTA will build two more elevators — another street-level elevator on the station's south side, and a mezzanine-to-platform elevator within the station — that will make Queensboro Plaza fully accessible once complete.

"Every new elevator the MTA installs is another mom, like me, being able to bring her child and a stroller onto the 7 train, as well as our seniors and neighbors with disabilities having universal access to fast and cheap transportation," City Councilmember Julie Won said in a statement Thursday.

"Queensboro Plaza is the gateway to Queens and the MTA’s upcoming elevators will benefit thousands and thousands of subway riders throughout Queens and our city."

Unlike some major construction projects, Grubb's development got a positive reception in the neighborhood, having been unanimously approved by Community Board 1 in July.

The 311-foot-tall building will also include 124 affordable units, according to plans. An existing two-story building that has occupied the site for decades is being demolished.

Last year, before the new accessibility rules had taken effect, Grubb had been planning a shorter, 17-story building at the same address, 25-01 Queens Plaza North.

About 14,000 daily riders passed through the N-W-7 station on an average pre-pandemic weekday, putting it in the busiest quarter of the city's subway stations. But the elevated platform remains ADA-inaccessible, forcing disabled commuters to take detours to the Court Square or Queens Plaza stations.

In their development, Grubb will build an elevator running from the street to the pedestrian bridge that leads to the station. The staircase leading to the bridge, meanwhile, will be widened from eight to 10 feet.

"The improvements at Queensboro Plaza demonstrate how the MTA is using every possible strategy to make the entire subway system ADA accessible," MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement.

Work has already begun on the separate MTA-led project, which will also enlarge the station's mezzanine, reconstruct track-level platform edges, and add a new public address system, fire alarms, security cameras, lighting, and digital information screens.

The entire project will be completed by 2024, the MTA said in May. In the interim, the station will be closed on some weekends, affecting train service along the three lines it serves.

Related coverage:

• Queensboro Plaza Getting Revamp With 3 New Elevators, Nicer Platforms
  
• New LIC Tower Would Make Queensboro Plaza Accessible, Finally