u/Beneficial-Wave-9219

Astoria Park is one of Queens’ most important public green spaces — and it’s under threat.A new proposal would install two large seasonal tennis bubbles and a clubhouse, raising serious concerns about:

🌳 Removal of mature trees
🌿 Loss of public green space
🏢 Increased privatization of public parkland
💰 Commercial/private use of public land
👀 Major visual impact on the park landscape
🦅 Potential impact on resident hawks nesting above the tennis courts

Astoria Park should remain open, green, and fully public — not turned into a semi-private commercial facility. We don’t need to sacrifice public parkland, wildlife habitat, and open green space for more privatized development.

We need your support, it takes 2 min. 

What to do: (ideally before Wednesday, May 20th)

1. SIGN THE PETITION:The total number of neighbors on record is what we point to when we tell Parks and our elected officials how much opposition this proposal faces. Every name makes that case stronger.

Sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/astoriatennis

More detailed info:

https://astoriatennis.com/

2. CONTACT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT & YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Parks Department - Luiggi Almanzar: luiggi.almanzar@parks.nyc.gov (212) 360-3483

Council Member - Tiffany Cabán (District 22): District22@council.nyc.gov

Queens Borough - President Donovan Richards: info@queensbp.org

State Senator - Kristen Gonzalez (District 59): gonzalez@nysenate.gov

Assembly Member - Diana Moreno (District 36): morenod@nyassembly.gov

No time to write? Here's an email template you can use that will email Luiggi and all elected officials listed below: http://www.astoriatennis.com/letterIf you use Gmail, click the M button in the corner to quickly send the email.

3. SHARE THIS POST

Every neighbor who contacts our elected officials before Wednesday counts!

Thank you for reading,

Yoshi, admin of Astoria local Facebook group of 1400 members

https://preview.redd.it/068wdqu7u02h1.jpg?width=2090&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81e563cf0837a9b066004412e0771895fb65b0c6

🚨 Save Astoria Park Trees & Public Green Space from Privatization of Public Parkland🚨

Astoria Park is one of Queens’ most important public green spaces — and it’s under threat.

A new proposal would install two large seasonal tennis bubbles and a clubhouse, raising serious concerns about:

🌳 Removal of mature trees
🌿 Loss of public green space
🏢 Increased privatization of public parkland
💰 Commercial/private use of public land
👀 Major visual impact on the park landscape
🦅 Potential impact on resident hawks nesting above the tennis courts

Astoria Park should remain open, green, and fully public — not turned into a semi-private commercial facility.

There are already nearby indoor tennis options on Roosevelt Island and Randall’s Island. We don’t need to sacrifice public parkland, wildlife habitat, and open green space for more privatized development.

We need your support, it takes 2 min. 

What to do: (ideally before Wednesday, May 20th)

1. SIGN THE PETITION:

The total number of neighbors on record is what we point to when we tell Parks and our elected officials how much opposition this proposal faces. Every name makes that case stronger.

Sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/astoriatennis

More detailed info:

https://astoriatennis.com/

2. CONTACT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT & YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Parks Department - Luiggi Almanzar: luiggi.almanzar@parks.nyc.gov (212) 360-3483

Council Member - Tiffany Cabán (District 22): District22@council.nyc.gov

Queens Borough - President Donovan Richards: info@queensbp.org

State Senator - Kristen Gonzalez (District 59): gonzalez@nysenate.gov

Assembly Member - Diana Moreno (District 36): morenod@nyassembly.gov

No time to write? Here's an email template you can use that will email Luiggi and all elected officials listed below: http://www.astoriatennis.com/letter

If you use Gmail, click the M button in the corner to quickly send the email.

3. SHARE THIS POST

Thank you for reading,

Yoshi, admin of Astoria local Facebook group of 1400 members

https://preview.redd.it/imdz4dvy1s1h1.jpg?width=2090&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f499bbff203e891075385872213fc63ef00a12c

🚨 Save Astoria Park Trees & Public Green Space from Privatization of Public Parkland🚨

Astoria Park is one of Queens’ most important public green spaces — and it’s under threat.

A new proposal would install two large seasonal tennis bubbles and a clubhouse, raising serious concerns about:

🌳 Removal of mature trees
🌿 Loss of public green space
🏢 Increased privatization of public parkland
💰 Commercial/private use of public land
👀 Major visual impact on the park landscape
🦅 Potential impact on resident hawks nesting above the tennis courts

Astoria Park should remain open, green, and fully public — not turned into a semi-private commercial facility.

There are already nearby indoor tennis options on Roosevelt Island and Randall’s Island. We don’t need to sacrifice public parkland, wildlife habitat, and open green space for more privatized development.

We need your support, it takes 2 min. 

What to do: (ideally before Wednesday, May 20th)

1. SIGN THE PETITION:

The total number of neighbors on record is what we point to when we tell Parks and our elected officials how much opposition this proposal faces. Every name makes that case stronger.

Sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/astoriatennis

More detailed info:

https://astoriatennis.com/

2. CONTACT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT & YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Parks Department - Luiggi Almanzar: luiggi.almanzar@parks.nyc.gov (212) 360-3483

Council Member - Tiffany Cabán (District 22): District22@council.nyc.gov

Queens Borough - President Donovan Richards: info@queensbp.org

State Senator - Kristen Gonzalez (District 59): gonzalez@nysenate.gov

Assembly Member - Diana Moreno (District 36): morenod@nyassembly.gov

No time to write? Here's an email template you can use that will email Luiggi and all elected officials listed below: http://www.astoriatennis.com/letter

If you use Gmail, click the M button in the corner to quickly send the email.

3. SHARE THIS POST

Every neighbor who contacts our elected officials before Wednesday counts!

Thank you for reading,

Yoshi, admin of Astoria local Facebook group of 1400 members

https://preview.redd.it/imdz4dvy1s1h1.jpg?width=2090&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f499bbff203e891075385872213fc63ef00a12c

🚨 Save Astoria Park Trees & Public Green Space from Privatization of Public Parkland🚨

Astoria Park is one of Queens’ most important public green spaces — and it’s under threat.

A new proposal would install two large seasonal tennis bubbles and a clubhouse, raising serious concerns about:

🌳 Removal of mature trees
🌿 Loss of public green space
🏢 Increased privatization of public parkland
💰 Commercial/private use of public land
👀 Major visual impact on the park landscape
🦅 Potential impact on resident hawks nesting above the tennis courts

Astoria Park should remain open, green, and fully public — not turned into a semi-private commercial facility.

There are already nearby indoor tennis options on Roosevelt Island and Randall’s Island. We don’t need to sacrifice public parkland, wildlife habitat, and open green space for more privatized development.

We need your support, it takes 2 min. 

👉 Sign the petition here:
https://www.change.org/astoriatennis

More detailed information:
https://astoriatennis.com/

Protect Astoria Park for everyone — not private interests.

Thank you for reading,

Yoshi, admin of Astoria local Facebook group of 1400 members

https://preview.redd.it/imdz4dvy1s1h1.jpg?width=2090&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f499bbff203e891075385872213fc63ef00a12c

🚨 Save Astoria Park Trees & Public Green Space from Privatization of Public Parkland🚨

Astoria Park is one of Queens’ most important public green spaces — and it’s under threat.

A new proposal would install two large seasonal tennis bubbles and a clubhouse, raising serious concerns about:

🌳 Removal of mature trees
🌿 Loss of public green space
🏢 Increased privatization of public parkland
💰 Commercial/private use of public land
👀 Major visual impact on the park landscape
🦅 Potential impact on resident hawks nesting above the tennis courts

Astoria Park should remain open, green, and fully public — not turned into a semi-private commercial facility.

There are already nearby indoor tennis options on Roosevelt Island and Randall’s Island. We don’t need to sacrifice public parkland, wildlife habitat, and open green space for more privatized development.

We need your support, it takes 2 min. 

👉 Sign the petition here:
https://www.change.org/astoriatennis

More detailed information:
https://astoriatennis.com/

Protect Astoria Park for everyone — not private interests.

Thank you for reading,

Yoshi, admin of Astoria local Facebook group of 1400 members

https://preview.redd.it/imdz4dvy1s1h1.jpg?width=2090&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f499bbff203e891075385872213fc63ef00a12c

I'm the admin of the local tennis group, and I wanted to share some details on the RFP moving forward for Astoria Park. The city is planning a 20-year lease to a private vendor that will fundamentally change the park's footprint. We are advocating for public funding to repair the courts so they remain free and accessible to all Astorians, rather than a "pay-to-play" model.

The Breakdown:

1. Privatization: Courts will be bubbled from Oct–April with fees set at $80–$100/hr.
2. Construction: A clubhouse with retail and locker rooms will be built on existing green space next to the courts.
3. Deforestation: Dozens of mature trees (essential for the resident hawks) are slated for removal to fit the bubble infrastructure.

Current Situation:

NYC Parks has officially moved forward on privatizing Astoria Park's tennis courts. The comment window closes Wednesday, May 20. Once the RFP is published, the major terms — duration, footprint, pricing, public access — are locked. Public input shapes the PRE-RFP phase.

1. Parks intends to issue an RFP for an Indoor Tennis and Sports Facility at Astoria Park
2. The proposed term is 20 YEARS — longer than any other bubbled tennis concession in NYC (McCarren, Prospect, Stadium, and Cunningham are all 15 years)
3. Community Board 1 already voted in March in favor of the proposal and sent their letter, so the decision now sits with NYC Parks. Comments are due to Project Manager Luiggi Almanzar by Wednesday, May 20

What to do: (ideally before Wednesday, May 20th)

1. SIGN THE PETITION:

The total number of neighbors on record is what we point to when we tell Parks and our elected officials how much opposition this proposal faces. Every name makes that case stronger.

Sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/astoriatennis

More detailed info:

https://astoriatennis.com/

2. CONTACT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT & YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Parks Department - Luiggi Almanzar: luiggi.almanzar@parks.nyc.gov (212) 360-3483

Council Member - Tiffany Cabán (District 22): District22@council.nyc.gov

Queens Borough - President Donovan Richards: info@queensbp.org

State Senator - Kristen Gonzalez (District 59): gonzalez@nysenate.gov

Assembly Member - Diana Moreno (District 36): morenod@nyassembly.gov

No time to write? Here's an email template you can use that will email Luiggi and all elected officials listed below: http://www.astoriatennis.com/letter

If you use Gmail, click the M button in the corner to quickly send the email.

3. SHARE THIS POST

Every neighbor who contacts our elected officials before Wednesday counts!

Thank you

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https://preview.redd.it/s103hwpa5f1h1.jpg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c75b51a298ebb0819e5fb37f36b262504a7880ba