Dear New Yorkers, On the eastern edge of Queens, the 125-acre campus of the former Creedmoor Psychiatric Center has sat underused and vacant in parts for decades. Now, that may change — as planning begins to redevelop 55 acres of the state-controlled site, with officials inviting locals to take part in a “visioning session” late last week. Some neighbors are open to new mental health facilities. Some local elected officials want to see hospital beds restored. One local civic association said housing would be OK, as long as it wasn’t too tall. And they brought a list of non-negotiables: No prisons, juvenile centers, homeless shelters — or big-box stores. Whatever the public wants, though, the governor will have the last word on what happens on the state-owned property, and she’ll need to weigh her plans for more supportive residences against her plans for more development and more affordable housing. As Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told THE CITY, “this is a real opportunity to have these hard conversations that have been dealt with in silos for decades.” Read more here. Some other items of note: The mayor says he’s cracking down on unlicensed cannabis sales. But a letter from the task force that’s supposed to be doing that shows otherwise. Say goodbye to doors between subway cars. The MTA showed off a new “open gangway” train in Coney Island on Friday and says a couple dozen rigs with accordion-style connections should start carrying passengers in the last quarter of this year, after much delays. Take a look inside. Will Rikers Island be transformed from a penal colony to a green energy hub? The “Renewable Rikers” plan is in jeopardy: A key advisory committee formed to steer the island’s future has not met since last summer and the Adams administration is late in turning over closed jail facilities. A melodic new episode of the FAQ NYC podcast listens in on a conversation between professional musicians — trumpeter Greg Glassman and saxophonist Stacy Dillard — about what it means and what it takes to make here it as a jazz artist. See how New York City is doing with our newsroom’s economic recovery tracker. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations, testing rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.
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