Reimagine Ravenswood: Just Transition Site Reuse Planning in Long Island City

The Long Island City northern waterfront currently hosts the Ravenswood Generating Station, the largest fossil fuel plant in New York City, providing over 20% of the City’s local power capacity. After Rise Light & Power committed to transforming it into a renewable energy hub, the Office of the Queens Borough President brought on HR&A to lead “Reimagine Ravenswood,” a community-driven site reuse, neighborhood improvement, and workforce development planning process to guide a just transition to an inclusive clean energy economy in western Queens.

The work will advance New York’s climate goals and yield significant benefits for union labor and environmental justice in Queens, serving a population of over two million residents. HR&A’s efforts are supported by funding from the NYSERDA Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Program, matched by Rise Light and Power.
 
Stakeholder engagement played a central role in the community planning process, with the community participating through a steering committee, public workshops, focus groups, and a public survey. In addition, the team, in partnership with Fu Wilmer Design, conducted both an evaluation of the existing site and an economic analysis of opportunities for talent development and business development in green industry, small manufacturing, technology, life sciences, the arts, and other growing industries in Western Queens.

The engagement and analysis are informing alternative site reuse plans for the power plant parcel, community revitalization strategies for the broader neighborhood, inclusive workforce development strategies focused on green jobs and other growing sectors, and a focused action plan and timeline for reimaging the site and its connection to the surrounding neighborhood.

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NYSERDA Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Program 

Press 

Ravenswood Generating Station is going green, Borough President launches community study — LIC Post