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Future of Diversity Plaza to Be Revealed at Community Meeting

By Katie Honan | April 30, 2015 7:38am
 The future of Diversity Plaza will be revealed at a visioning session on May 9.
The future of Diversity Plaza will be revealed at a visioning session on May 9.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

JACKSON HEIGHTS — New trees and landscaping, improved lighting, movable furniture and umbrellas are among the renovations slated for Diversity Plaza, according to Department of Transportation officials who plan to unveil the designs to the public May 9.

The plaza, at 37th Road near 74th Street, is one of two scheduled for a major overhaul, officials said. DOT officials will also unveil the designs for a smaller triangle on 73rd Street, south of Broadway near Roosevelt Avenue.

Locals will have the chance to discuss those plans at a session on Saturday at the plaza. During the public meeting officials will present the first look at the new design, which includes ideas gathered from the DOT's first session with the community last October. 

The renovation will also include work on the area's water main, which will be done by the Department of Environmental Protection, according to a DDC spokesman. 

Diversity plaza was created in 2011 and has become a gathering space for the neighborhood. Most recently it was the setting for the area's large Nepalese community to gather to hold vigil for relatives and friends affected by the recent devastating earthquake.

The project will be in the preliminary design phase until spring 2016, when work will begin, according to the Department of Design and Construction. 

The city budgeted $2.5 million for the project, which includes half a million dollars allocated by Councilman Danny Dromm. 

The visioning session will take place at Diversity Plaza, near 73rd Street and Broadway, on May 9 from 2-4 p.m.