THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH
queenschamber.org
COVER STORY
REDISCOVERING THE ROCKAWAYS POST-COVID BY SHANE MILLER In 2012, Hurricane Sandy decimated the Rockaway Peninsula. It was the strongest and most destructive storm of that year’s Atlantic hurricane season, and it didn’t
RESORTS WORLD
During our conversation with the assemblywoman, she also touched on the impact Resorts World New York City casino has had on the Rockaways. In the April issue of This Is Queensborough, Pheffer Amato penned an opinion piece supporting a full casino license for Resorts World that would allow it to expand to include live gaming tables. Currently, Resorts World is only allowed to offer video gaming. As part of the state’s economic recovery plan Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed awarding new casino licenses. While on the campaign trail, Pheffer Amato said she met a number of constituents who are casino employees who praised the work environment. She also called Resorts World a “great community partner,” not only by generating tax revenue but being a visible part of the fabric of the neighborhoods surrounding the casino. Pheffer Amato argues granting Resorts World New York a full casino license would allow it to expand, which in turn would create jobs and generate new tax revenue, as well as allow it to grow its presence in the community. “Resorts World brought this other level of jobs to our community,” the assemblywoman said “It is an economic boost to our community. If you live in Rockaway, in two train stops you’re getting a well-paying job that you would have to travel an hour-and-a-half to get to in Manhattan.”
16
spare the southernmost point of Queens. But if the storm had any silver lining, the ensuing recovery efforts brought the beachfront communities of the borough to the attention of the rest of Queens and New York City. “Hurricane Sandy was the first renaissance,” Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato told This Is Queensborough during a walk along the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk. “People came in to help us and discovered us. They never knew it was here, and it’s been growing ever since. “Before Sandy, the Rockaways weren’t thriving, we were surviving,” the lifelong Rockaway resident added. “Now we’re thriving.” And if there was any silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic for the peninsula, it was when the weather turned warmer and people were looking to be outside but still socially distanced, the beach was the perfect spot. “During the pandemic, what people discovered was Rockaway,” Pheffer Amato said. “It was our second renaissance. People were comfortable outside on the boardwalk and the beaches were packed. The beach always brings comfort.” That said, the restrictions on indoor dining and other COVIDera precautions hit Rockaway small business hard, many of which rely on the influx of visitors the summer season brings to the peninsula to improve their bottom line. But with the city moving toward a full reopening, indoor dining restrictions and curfews being lifted, and Memorial Day later this month marking the unofficial start of summer, there is hope among Rockaway small business owners. “Everyone feels good and they’re hopeful that we are getting back to normal,” Pheffer Amato said. “Our restaurant business is growing,
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato on the boardwalk along Rockaway Beach overlooking one of New York City’s only legal surfing beaches. The other is just blocks away. (Photo: Michael O’Kane) and the past year was so challenging and difficult, but the mood is changing. I think we are going to have a great summer.” But it’s not just the beaches, bustling boardwalk, and shops and restaurants attracting visitors from all over the city, the Rockaways is nurturing a thriving arts community. “There is so much culture developing,” said Pheffer Amato. “There has always been an art and music community here, but the one thing that has absolutely happened is there is an underground art and music scene.” The assemblywoman said the art scene attracts nonprofits and other organizations that want to tap into
and cultivate that creativity. As an example, two years after Sandy, the Museum of Modern Art curated events, performances and installations in the Rockaways. “Again, locals always did it, but more people are paying attention, so more funding is coming,” Pheffer Amato added.
R
ecently, the Queens Chamber of Commerce facilitated grants of $20,000 to five small businesses in the Rockaways, as well as one on Broad Channel. (See related story on page 14.) The Chamber was one of several organizations tasked with distributing money from a $17.5 million fund made possible by new Mets owner
“IT WAS OUR SECOND RENAISSANCE. PEOPLE WERE COMFORTABLE OUTSIDE ON THE BOARDWALK AND THE BEACHES WERE PACKED. THE BEACH ALWAYS BRINGS COMFORT.”
