via EDC
April 18, 2019 Staff Report
The population of the Big Apple is shrinking and Queens County is no exception.
New York City’s population shrank by nearly 40,000 residents in the past year, according to latest census data. With the City’s population totaling 8,398,748, it hasn’t grown since 2013.
The population of Queens dropped by 18,000 in the past year, to 2,278,906. The county has only experienced modest growth from 2010, when the population was 2,230,578.
What the impact of the declining growth means for massive projects such as Sunnyside Yards and the city’s housing policy remains unclear.
U.S. Census Data
The Sunnyside Yard feasibility study, released in 2017, indicated that up to 22,000 units could be built on the 180-acre yard, which would equate to about 60,000 residents. The EDC is currently creating a master plan under the assumption that the city will grow,
“Cities across the globe are experiencing unprecedented population growth, and NYC is no exception,” according to its site outlining the need for the masterplan.
The shrinkage could also have an impact on New York and its congressional representation. The state’s population also fell from a year ago by 48,510.
There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives. The population totals determine how the seats are divided nationwide.
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Rampant, shoddy, completed-overnight R.E. development projects being rubber-stamped overnight.
Local pols incapable of long-term planning, or put more bluntly ‘seeing the writing that’s already on the wall’.
Problems which were obvious to everyone else before they BECAME problems are only dealt with AFTER a crisis or accident or death occurs.
Even if we were to say ‘all new proposals for R.E. development projects must be tabled for now’…. even if we were to put all new proposals on hold…. even with the current projects Already Under Way, and once they are finished….places like Astoria are Already over-saturated.
Ditmars used to be quiet and charming.
No more. Those days are gone. Building owners and realtors for properties all up and down Ditmars and Steinway are rapacious. Every block has 1-2 empty storefronts. Literally Every Week, there is a new business opening up on Ditmars.
There are more obnoxious entitled ‘newbies’ walking around Astoria, complete with their little infant ‘backpacks’. Or it’s hipsters with their rescue pitbulls. More people crossing the streets means longer waits for cars to make their turns onto a side street. The cars (often SUVs) get impatient.
In the past two years I’ve had countless incidences of almost being hit, while I was in the crosswalk, and while I had the White Walk Sign. Cars are trying to beat the light. They literally ‘cut corners’ while making a turn, to sneak down a side street before the light changes. SUV drivers, because they are up higher, often don’t notice when a pedestrian is Right In Front of Them, BELOW their field of vision, in the crosswalk! Just today, an SUV with TINTED windows started turning onto the crosswalk where I was. They had NO BLINKER on to even signal that they were turning, and again, I had the Right of Way. With their tinted windows, I couldn’t tell…. did they see me?? were they making eye contact with me?? I’d no idea.
Cars double-park up and down the streets, and could give a shit about anybody else (though then they ‘complain’ because the City doesn’t give them and all their Private Vehicles enough parking spots! Too bad. Try walking instead. Heck, most of the drivers around here live right in the neighborhood. They are just plain lazy.)
Cars even idle in MTA bus stops. Just the other day I was waiting for the bus, and some asshole SUV is idling there. I see the bus approaching, and I lean over and tell the driver ‘hey, the bus is coming’. He had the audacity to say ‘yeah, ok….I’ll move up when the other car moves up’…. (the other car being yet another asshole idling in front of the MTA stop). The driver could have cared less that he was holding up the bus. The bus had to stop in the Middle of the Street so passengers could get on/off. Honestly, I am this close to leaving this city… and it’s typically outer borough meathead types who are the most indignant and self-centered like this… at least Manhattan, while also loud and crowded…at least the overall population has a bit more class and education than outer borough in-your-face types who just say ‘F You’ when you complain about all their double-parking etc.
With all the development that is already underway in Astoria…by the time it’s done…and never mind any other new projects that are approved… Astoria is already ruined imho. Which is truly sad.
The census is such a sham! My neighbors have illegally converted their 2 family into a 4 family and there are at least 20 people living there. And this happens ALL OVER QUEENS. So they always under-count and it’s always a misrepresentation and we always miss out on federal funding since they never count EVERYONE.
Our socialist metropolis where the property taxes doubled . Operating costs to live in home. Thank our Commissar Cuomo and his minion Wilhelm for raising taxes. You think the exodus isn’t going to be a problem they said that about Detroit and look what happened to them.
You should move to a Republican paradise like Alabama. Why suffer this “socialist” nightmare?
Our mayor is a member of the Democratic socialists of America buddy . Look it up !!
Seems like some people here are proud of living 2, 3 or 4 paychecks away from bankruptcy? This is not living the dream. New York, well let’s say the average New Yorker is an example of the dream gone bad. Over priced cramped apartments, condos and houses plague NYC. After someone pay their rent or mortgage in NYC there’s barely any money left to live comfortable. I know people whom haven’t taken a real vacation in over 10 years.
Most of my family moved to GA. There’s no state or city taxes in GA. Imagine the savings. I’m tempted to sell my property and leave also but I just love the city life. It never gets boring!
Everything from bridges, tunnels, taxes etc has gone up but yet the roads are the worse I’ve ever seen. Some of these streets cannot be patched anymore. They patch over patches which creates small mountains and or craters. These ridiculous crater plague roads like Bushwick Ave need fresh blacktop.
Every time they need money they hit the drivers. They figure if you own a vehicle you have some type of extra money.
Honestly 40,000 ppl relocating is nothing. That number will have to be more like 400,000 to be a cause for concern.
Actually, they hit up the drivers because owning a private vehicle (and typically now it’s a street-hogging, more dangerous, gas-guzzling SUV!)…they hit up the drivers because it is a massive PRIVILEGE to be able to drive your Private Possession, and your often Passenger-of-One to and fro, on nicely paved roads, with traffic lights, and street lights….all paid for by the City. Cars and SUVs take up valuable Public Space and Public Streets that in most other countries and cities are understood to be for the People…. not for 2-tons of steel. So…. if you want you ‘privilege’ of having your own personal vehicle, and expecting the City to dedicate resources that allow your car to navigate throughout our city streets, then yes, you need to pay for that privilege.
Most car owners think they are ‘too good’ to use public transport or ride among other ‘gross people’…they don’t want to have to wait along with everybody else….much less walk the three blocks from their home to McDonalds/Dunkin Donuts, etc. to get their jumbo frappuccino, big mac, etc.
Honestly, in a place like NYC, it is positively stupefying how many people own cars, and have this indignant attitude about ‘their rights’….and how addicted they are to their cars.
New York state is not the place to live anymore. New York politicians are to blame. Strictness every where,fines everywhere.newyook needs Republican. When people will wake up for change. Only fines everywhere. Tax money eaten by illegal people. Donald Trump the best president in American history
I can’t believe you’d so blindly parrot his dogma!
New York is not new York anymore to Expensive leaving soon
It’s to expensive to live in New York
Much of the move out are retirees selling homes for nice profits and retiring with hefty pensions to places with cheap homes, low wages and no pensions.’NY is victim of it’s own success. Also many residents change their legal addresses to a second home that’s why it still seems llike the population never gets smaller.
And they do the same with their car registrations.
The rent in NYC is insanely high. The pay scale is not getting any better. Raising costs of living here is unprecedented. I have no money saved, have not had a vacation in over 10 years and live check to check. De Blasio, get a CLUE!
Additionally, as mentioned in the article, citizens are leaving liberal areas in droves which will cause Dems to lose House seats due to population ‘shrinkage.’ This is the main reason for the Democrat push to count non-citizens in the next Census.
This article is disingenuous. The population did not “fall.” Instead, it should report the truth: the population of citizen TAXPAYERS has fallen. The population overall has grown with those taxpayers being replaced and exceeded by illegal aliens who typically work in the cash economy and don’t pay taxes on wage income. This is a trend that is ominous for NYC and other sanctuary cities as well. Since the remaining taxpayers will need to shoulder an ever larger portion of the tax burden, more will consider fleeing each year. The long-term implications are very real for the city and state treasuries. So, live in your unsustainable liberal utopia for as long as you can until the inevitable storm comes. As our beloved Maggie Thatcher once said: ” The problem with socialism is that at some point you run out of other people’s money.”
Problem with socialist country is that they take from rich people to give to the poor in USA they take from the poor to give the rich. I lived in Germany and now in US it is a big difference, American people are slaves and no quality life here. Most of you don’t know any better because you never lived anywhere als.
That’s because we have had Germany’s back militarily so they don’t have to spend a done on it.
Get ready for the barrage of negative comments and down votes from the pro-illegals crowd.
They’re in denial that illegal aliens are dragging down the quality of life in NYC and causing taxpaying citizens to move elsewhere because they’re sick of paying taxes and seeing city services deteriorate instead of improve. I don’t understand how these people think it’s sustainable to have a population that consumes public resources but doesn’t pay their fair share of incomes tax to fund these resources. They naively believe the little sales tax that illegals pay justifies their presence here.
Adding onto that drain, we have ignorant politicians chasing away job creators.
JH resident, as expected, you went on another racist unhinged rant about “illegals”.
Does it have anything to do with Queens’ population falling? Do you have any evidence that “dem illeguls” have anything to do with it at all?
Who “beloved” Margaret Thatcher? lol
I did and still do.
With reps like Senator Gianaris who chased away 25,000 jobs and tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue, and instead of expanding the tax base, favors raising revenue with things like congestion pricing, is it any wonder? Help us hold him accountable. https://www.defeatgianaris.com/
Queens population decline doesn’t make sense…the subways are increasingly overcrowded, traffic/parking in Queens has gotten worse, and we’re constantly hearing about schools being overcrowded. Transplants from other states who don’t want to pay Manhattan/Brooklyn rent have realized that Queens has “affordable”, good neighborhoods to live.
Anyone who’s lived here for more than a few years just has to look around to see the population has grown.
The census data can’t be reliable.
What data do you have that’s more reliable than the census data? I mean because without it this would be nothing but anecdotal speculation!
You must be oblivious to your surroundings if you haven’t noticed overcrowding everywhere…assuming you live here.
So…you DON’T you have data that’s more reliable than the census data?
So “The census data can’t be reliable” is NOTHING but anecdotal speculation?
Thanks for clearing up the fact that your cute little rant has no basis in anything factual. We already knew, but it was nice for you to confirm it.
I make my conclusion based on the fact that my childhood elementary school (like most others in Western Queens) no longer has a schoolyard since it’s filled with trailers to deal with overcrowding. Since Astoria snowflakes are too busy pretending dogs and cats are children, it’s a fair bet to say the population of newcomers with children has increased. JH resident is 100% correct.
So just to be clear, you have no data that’s more accurate than census data?
The only data you have is…you saw a school once? lmao
There are lots of reasons that overcrowding and traffic can increase despite lower populations. One possible reason is that subway service has gotten worse so 1. That results in more people waiting for trains and 2. Leads to more people choosing to drive rather than take public transportation.
Another possible reason is that overall Queens population has decreased but population in places like Astoria or LIC has increased. Developers are creating more multi-unit/multi-story apartment buildings which is good because it increases the amount of housing but also leads to more density. The extra development doesn’t help traffic much, as you likely noticed if you drove anywhere in LIC.
So we need to advocate for better public transportation – improving subways and increasing bus service is a way to start. It will likely result in more short term traffic issues but will help long term.
BS. 40000 thats only a few dozen 1 bedroom apartments in ny. the way people come here and live with 15-20 in each apartment . Big deal , grain of sand on a beach
We have been taxed without proper representation for too long, Nassau Suffolk and East Hampton counties should succeed and form their own government and state. Since we pay the highest property tax in the world shouldn’t we have representatives that represent our values and actual make our vote count. The cesspool that is the 5 bourough nyc outvotes the rest of the state how is this fair… If not more of us are leaving for a better life and lower taxes.
Amazon would have helped, but thanks anyway AOC
What a crock. Obviously more people went underground.
I wish I could leave too. Hopefully soon!
Anonymous- We’re all hoping you go.
All thanks to AOC
This migration is before AOC.
You’re assuming Trumptards can read, or are literate
But she was just elected… did you even read the article?
Diblasio has RUINED NY and made it undesireable to be here.
yeah but is it undesirable
I love New York City and Sunnyside, but sometimes I daydream about living in a warmer State. I mean even though my income has nearly doubled in the last 2 years, it’s been hard to improve my quality of life in this city. Upgrading my apartment is a fight between getting a bigger space or a newer but smaller unit. So sad since I’ve grown up in Sunnyside all my life.
I moved from Kew Gardens Queens to Charlotte. I have been here a month and it is a good choice.
You just missed a golden opportunity to blame deBlasio for the weather.
We have to thank Jimmy Van Bramer and Mike Gianaris for doing their best to stunt job growth, which will likely result in further population decline.
Those “lost” amazon jobs account for less than 1% of the NYC Job market. You’re really dumb.
Moving soon?
Baby boomers are retiring and heading elsewhere.
Others are fleeing to avoid property taxes.
Geee…. I wonder why ?