Hunters Point South has a parking problem that everyone experiences daily: cars parked in travel lanes, buses unable to make turns, trucks cutting wide through intersections. On Tuesday night, NYC DOT came to Community Board 2 with a plan to fix it.
Streets to be redesigned:
Center Blvd, 2nd St, 57th Ave, 54th Ave
A big problem at the south end of HPS is that no one knows where to park. So people basically park anywhere.
The DOT proposal would convert one of two existing travel lanes on Center Boulevard and 2nd Street into a legal parking lane, adding roughly 85 to 90 legal parking spaces.
The reality is that plan legalizes what’s already happening: the left hand side travel lane has long been filled with illegally parked cars anyway, leaving buses struggling to make turns and trucks struggling through intersections. DOT has long been fielding complaints from residents, elected officials, the MTA, and other city agencies.
Under the proposed plan, the road stays 65 feet wide and it just gets redrawn as one moving lane flanked by parking on both sides rather than two travel lanes with a parking lane on one side. Additionally, DOT would install updated signs so drivers understand the rules, and the street will be re-striped.
Legalizing where people already park
Parking regulations would vary by block. Where there’s more retail near Borden Avenue, DOT is proposing 2-hour metered parking from 9am to 7pm to keep turnover high. Along the west side of Center Boulevard by the park, the proposal calls for 12-hour metered parking from 7am to 7pm to accommodate both short and long stays. After 7pm, metered regulations would end and overnight parking would be legal. DOT also flagged that meters would help increase enforcement presence in the area — which has long been a problem.
DOT noted that 12-hour metered parking would cost roughly $24 per day, meaning a month of daily street parking would run $700 or more, well above the $350–$500 monthly cost of nearby off-street options. The goal is to price the parking so that there’s enough turnover to reduce drivers circling the block for empty spots.
Other elements of the proposal include “No Standing Anytime” restrictions at the corners of 2nd Street next to PS 384, and at Center Blvd and 54th Avenue to improve bus and truck turning movements, a potential truck loading zone at the Evergreen Marketplace to curb double parking, and a reserved space for NYC Parks workers at 57th Avenue and Center Blvd.
The committee voted in favor of the plan, with conditions. Members asked DOT to include additional delivery & drop-off spots, install hardened bollards and other measures to keep vehicles off the adjacent greenway (a constant problem), and coordinate with nearby PS 384 on a potential school streets initiative.
DOT is currently seeking community feedback on the proposal. Residents with comments or concerns can reach out to their community board. Implementation is targeted for Summer/Fall 2026.
excerpts from dot’s presentation
The author is a member of Queens Community Board 2. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not represent the position of the Community Board or any of its members.
