Revitalizing the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy

Image source: Arverne-by-the-Sea

The Daily Beast published an article suggesting that the time is right to revitalize the Rockaways, which at one point was one of the “premier seaside resorts in the nation, so much so that Herman Melville wrote in the opening chapter of Moby-Dick: ‘Why did the poor poet of Tennessee, upon suddenly receiving two handfuls of silver, deliberate whether to buy him a coat, which he sadly needed, or invest his money in a pedestrian trip to Rockaway Beach?'”

In the 20th century, it was home to a middle class escape of sorts – sea, sun, and and all that – and over 7,000 bungalows occupied the Rockaways (most were demolished; only about 400 remain). It also became less of a destination as time went on – blame it on decades of bad city planning, so the article’s author suggests. Looking on the sad side of the situation, one could view that the Rockaway peninsula is “a shadow of its former self, a patchwork of disjointed communities punctuated by four major public housing projects, isolated more than an hour by train from Manhattan.”

So, in the shadow of the tragedy named Hurricane Sandy, as much has been leveled by a violent storm, the time for revitalization may be now. Structures deemed part of a disaster area can be torn down and rebuilt with modern technology and sensibilities. Bob Hardt, political director of NY1 (and who live blogged his experience in the Rockaways during Hurricane Sandy) says “Mayor Bloomberg can just hand Rockaway a box of Band-Aids or he can come up with his own Marshall Plan for the peninsula. Revitalizing the Rockaways would be a fitting legacy for a mayor who’s always dreamt of being a master builder.”

The comparison is made with Coney Island, which has had the attention of the current mayoral administration and the Giuliani administration. Revitalization came to this part of seaside Brooklyn, and boy have there been changes. The Arverne-by-the-Sea development (GMAP) is also brought up for comparison, and this part of the Rockaways made it through the storm alright. They’re also slated to get a new YMCA by next year, too.

It is possible to revitalize that area, but it will take some thought and dedication to the idea. And money.

Do you think the time is right to revitalize the Rockaways? Leave us a comment here or on twitter at @queensnycity.

Bloomberg, Cuomo Should Revitalize the Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy [The Daily Beast]
The Bungalows of Rockaways [QNYC]
New YMCA to open in the Rockaways next summer [QNYC]