Economic Development Corp. seeking proposals for Queens.

New York City Economic Development Corporation president Andrew M. Alper and New York City Department of City Planning director Amanda M. Burden announced the release of a Request for Proposals for professional design services to assist in the development of a streetscape and landscape design plan for Queens Plaza's public spaces and parkland, including public art, lighting, street furniture, and crosswalk designs.

"Queens Plaza is the gateway to Queens," said Alper. "As the city moves forward with initiatives to create new central business districts in Long Island City, Downtown Brooklyn and the Far West Side of Manhattan, projects like this have a very high priority. Improving the public spaces and traffic flow of Queens Plaza is important to the millions of people who live or work in the area, or pass through daily on foot, in cars, busses and subways."

"New York City's streets are the foundation of this city. Vibrant street life is critical to the health of any neighborhood, particularly Long Island City, home to seven internationally-renowned cultural institutions and a rich mix of residents, offices and industrial businesses. We want to continue to attract life into this unique area," said Burden. "I am pleased that this request for urban design services seeks to develop a streetscape plan that includes an innovative mix of public art and environmentally responsive design, and I hope this project can serve as a model for design improvements throughout the city."

The goal of the project is to project a strong image for Queens Plaza by creating an overall streetscape plan and park design for the area between the East River and the Thomson Avenue/Van Dam intersection. The RFP is designed to attract a multi-disciplinary team with experience in designing complex public streets, plazas and parks that will effectively work with EDC and DCP to develop an artistic and environmentally responsive streetscape and landscape design.

This is the second phase of the three-phase Queens Plaza Bike and Pedestrian Improvement Project. The first phase involved the development and simulation of a roadway redesign plan for Queens Plaza between Crescent Street and Queens Plaza East to improve traffic flows, create bicycle lanes, widen medians and introduce new crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety and circulation. The design was approved by NYC Department of Transportation in June 2002.

For more information or for a copy of the RFP, please call [phone] or email [e-mail] and enter Queens Plaza RFP in the subject line. Proposals are due by 2 p.m. on Sept. 20.