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City Unclear on How it Will Spend $91 Million in Far Rockaway Investment

By Katie Honan | February 5, 2016 6:57pm | Updated on February 8, 2016 8:49am
 The mayor announced the plans Thursday night at his State of the City speech. Many of the suggestions came out of community meetings, like this one from November 2015.
The mayor announced the plans Thursday night at his State of the City speech. Many of the suggestions came out of community meetings, like this one from November 2015.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

FAR ROCKAWAY — The city is still deciding how it will spend a pledged $91 million investment into downtown Far Rockaway, saying they will rely on community input on decisions.

The plan, first reported Thursday by DNAinfo New York, will provide a needed boost to the area, which is the largest business strip on the peninsula.

Local officials praised the investment, saying the area had been forgotten for years.

"The notion of Far Rockaway being forgotten was a real narrative,” Councilman Donovan Richards told DNAinfo. 

Many of the improvement suggestions came out of community meetings and a task force that brainstormed fixes.

The public money to fix the transit hub, streets and more will hopefully encourage more private investment, he added. It's in addition to the $90.3 million the city has already promised to the area on a new library, the renovation of the Beach 20th Street plaza and more.

A spokeswoman for the mayor's office could not provide full details on how the millions would be spent, saying it would rely on community input.

But one of the goals is to "reestablish downtown Far Rockaway as the commercial and transportation hub of the Rockaway peninsula."

The most recent steps include releasing a request for proposals for the Department of Transportation-owned lot, near the Mott Avenue A train station. 

The Sorrentino Recreation Center will get a full revamp as well, according to the Parks Department. This includes demolition of old infrastructure and improvements, and work is currently in the procurement phase. 

The city will also invest money into "capacity building," workforce training and a small business support. It's not clear what they mean by "capacity building."

Money will also be used for "public realm," streetscape and infrastructure improvements, according to the city. 

Correction: A previous version of this story included a breakdown of money the city has already earmarked for improvements to Far Rockaway.