JFK has gleaming new terminals. LaGuardia has gone from a punchline to a showpiece. And then there’s New York City’s other airport—the one that’s been quietly disappearing into the marshes for more than 40 years.
Hidden in College Point, Queens, the former Flushing Airport has sat abandoned since 1984, fenced off and slowly reclaimed by nature. Once a bustling airfield, it’s now better known to urban explorers, birdwatchers and aviation buffs than frequent flyers. But that long-forgotten stretch of land is about to become one of the city’s biggest redevelopment projects.
The city is moving forward with a $3.2 billion plan to turn the former 80-acre airport into a mixed-use neighborhood with about 3,000 homes, nearly 60 acres of public parkland and wetlands, plus space for walking trails, wildlife habitat and community amenities. The proposal, led by Cirrus Workforce Housing and LCOR with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, is projected to generate $3.2 billion in economic activity over the next three decades while creating roughly 1,300 union construction jobs and 530 permanent positions. Construction is expected to begin in 2028…