March 23, 2018 By Tara Law
A highly anticipated 302-space municipal parking lot will open to the public on Monday at Queens Borough Hall.
The 122,360 square foot lot, which is bound by 126th and 132nd Streets and 82nd Avenue/Union Turnpike in Kew Gardens, was constructed at the former location of a four-level, 400-space parking garage. The structure was closed off in Sept. 2014 in response to concerns about its structural safety.
The lot is intended to relieve congestion in the busy area, and to help motorists access various municipal offices, including the adjacent Queens County Criminal Court. The lot is about five blocks from the Kew Gardens train station, and is within walking distance of many local businesses.
“The long-awaited, new municipal parking lot at Queens Borough Hall will alleviate current parking and traffic issues in the neighborhood and allow for more efficient processing of government business while also offering numerous modern amenities, including charging stations for electric vehicles,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz at the project groundbreaking in Nov. 2016.
Motorists can pay through parking at meters throughout the lot, or on the ParkNYC phone app.
The lot will offer six ADA spaces, a van-accessible ADA space, seven motorcycle spaces and four electric vehicle charging stations.
The lot has a new storm water management and sewer systems to prevent flooding. Other features include ADA ramp access and new lighting and landscaping.
Tully Construction and WXY Studios were responsible for building and designing the lot.