Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the start of a community engagement and site planning process to determine the future of the approximately 100-acre state-owned Aqueduct Racetrack site in South Ozone Park, Queens. Empire State Development will lead the planning effort on behalf of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board, with the Aqueduct Community Master Plan expected to be completed in early 2027.
The process follows the planned transition of horse racing operations from Aqueduct to Belmont Park on Long Island. Potential future uses for the Queens site include housing, retail, community facilities, public open space, education, and arts and culture uses.
The first workshop will be held in person on Tuesday, May 12, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at John Adams High School, located at 101-01 Rockaway Boulevard. A virtual session will follow on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Additional workshops are planned throughout 2026, leading to environmental review and future competitive RFPs for development.
The site is served by the A train at Aqueduct Racetrack and Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue stations. Nearby bus routes include the Q7, Q11, Q37, and Q41.
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Huh? I thought as part of the casino application the operator submitted a whole masterplan for the racetrack and surrounding parcels. Was that all just hot air??
queenslink would me more useful than ever with this project.
The “community” should not have a say. They normally are against development anyway and will just slow things down. At the end of the day its going to become housing so this is just a waste of time.
I really wish Resorts World would just dry up and blow away. Their presence here is a real spoiler IMO. What is needed is a blank slate, ground up mega mixed use development that preserves the outline of the track as a central park with a new grid inserted on all sides. I can honestly see a community here in the 20,000-30,000 range with a sizable affordable component. For the record, RBB reactivation/Queenslink is already justified even without a huge redevelopment here. Something like this should also spark a conversation about Fulton St Line extension as originally envisioned, a corridor I worry this ham-handed casino expansion is threatening to squander. Two major stations at Pitkin/RBB row and Linden/Rockaway Blvd’s would be incredible transit options for a huge redevelopment like this.
The huge surface lots and racetrack should be built as high density housing with no private vehicles but pedestrian lanes. Service trucks and bikes would be allowed. There are 2 subway stations nearby so transit is very handy. The green oval at the center of the former track would become an oval park. This could be the design example for converting all the defunct huge shopping malls.
Make it a park, with pony rides, etc. and honor the history of Aqueduct Racetrack.
Add horse-drawn carriage rides to the park area to honor the history of Aqueduct Racetrack.