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Mamdani and Trump advance plan for 'new neighborhood' above Sunnyside Yard in Queens
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Sep 21, 2026
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Elizabeth Kim/Gothamist
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Sep 21, 2026
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump said Monday that housing officials from their administrations will advance a plan to build thousands of new homes over the sprawling Sunnyside Yard train tracks in western Queens.
Mamdani said he and Trump “agreed to set up a new level of that conversation between our housing and operations team at City Hall and the White House team,” during a press conference with the president following the afternoon meeting.
Trump, who walked out with the mayor onto the lawn outside Gracie Mansion, described the Sunnyside Yard project as “a big job.”
Mamdani told reporters the project could deliver 12,000 new units of housing and create 30,000 jobs, but the pair shared few details about the next phase of planning. Mamdani said the two sides will move forward with the “technical and legal authorization of the construction of a platform” above the train yard, but did not offer a timeline for approval or development.
Mamdani has previously put the price tag of a new platform at $21 billion.
Proposals for a Sunnyside Yard megadevelopment trace back nearly a century, but past plans to build over the 140-acre expanse of busy train tracks owned by Amtrak have never left the station.
Trump referenced that long history during remarks on Monday.
“Everybody's wanted to do something with Sunnyside Yards,” he said. “You're going to need a lot of federal approvals and probably some federal money to do it. But it's always been a great location.”
“Maybe they have a shot at doing it,” Trump added.
The most recent attempt at a platform and new housing in the Amtrak-controlled train yard fizzled in 2020, shortly after the New York City Economic Development Corporation released a plan for a deck and affordable housing development at an estimated cost of $14 billion.
In February, Mamdani revived the idea in a visit to the Oval Office. There, Mamdani presented the president with a mock Daily News frontpage with the headline “Trump to City: Let’s Build” – a nod to the paper’s’ legendary ‘Ford to City: Drop Dead’ headline a half century earlier.
Local leaders in Queens said they remain skeptical of the pricey Sunnyside Yard plan actually coming to fruition.
Councilmember Julie Won said the project will require funding approved by Congress, and coordination among various federal, state and city agencies. None of that has actually happened, she said.
“It could be an amazing project but I'll believe it when I see the actual funding for it,” Won said. “I’m a realist. I am not about chasing clouds. This isn’t ‘I want to talk to my boy Donny on a sidechat about $20 billion.’”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said he also doubts Trump’s commitment to a vast project that will take decades to complete. Richards said the city would be better served by focusing on more attainable housing goals, like a plan to build 3,000 apartments on the site of the abandoned Flushing Airport.
“I’m not saying we shouldn't be doing it,” Richard said. “But there are astronomical infrastructure needs.”
Monday’s meeting, which lasted roughly an hour, was attended by the chiefs of staff for the president and mayor, Susie Wiles and Elle Bisgaard-Church respectively, according to Mamdani. Both women stood nearby during the press conference.
Mamdani and Trump met as the U.N. General Assembly got underway. Trump is set to deliver a speech before the assembly on Tuesday.
The two have had an unexpectedly amicable relationship since Mamdani won election.
Trump’s approval rating has fallen to record lows driven by inflation and the war in Iran. Mamdani’s popularity has risen since he took office in January. A recent New York Times/Siena poll showed 38% of likely voters viewing him favorably.
The two reiterated at Gracie Mansion they want to work together on the issue of affordability.
Trump is the fifth president to visit Gracie Mansion, a yellow Federal-style home nestled along the East River on the Upper East Side. The last president to spend time at the residence was Ronald Reagan, who presented then-Mayor Ed Koch with a stage-prop check signifying federal funding for a West Side highway project that was later abandoned.
Trump’s last visit to Gracie was in 2003 for the wedding of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Trump seemed in a nostalgic mood following the meeting, noting he’d visited Gracie many times as a developer active in the city’s political and social scene.
"When you're the mayor, you have to live there,” the president said. “It was very nice inside, beautifully kept.”
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Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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