Throwing money down a hole.
Via Gothamist:
Astoria residents packed into the Variety Boys & Girls Club on Monday night to voice their concerns about Mayor de Blasio’s proposed $2.5 billion Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX). Many argued that the streetcar, which the mayor has called a “noble experiment” in outer-borough transit, would burden low and middle-income taxpayers while serving real estate interests and high-rise residents along the Queens waterfront.
“If this is going to alleviate some of the subway crowding, that’s good,” said Mary McClary, 70. “If the fare is going to be compatible with subway, that’s even better—provided that the streetcar is not just for the people who live on the waterfront, who can afford to pay $3,000 in rent.”
McClary, who has lived in NYCHA housing in Astoria since 1990 and is a member of the affordable housing coalition Justice For All, said she’s seen an influx of development in recent years. “We used to have a skyline, you know?” she said, adding, “the housing that’s coming is not affordable for myself.”