NYC Mayor Proposes Massive Housing Project Over Amtrak Rail Yard

Mamdani's plan would create more housing than Battery Park City and Hudson Yards combined.

Feb. 27, 2026 at 7:05pm

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed building the largest rail deck in the world over Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard in Queens, and then constructing 12,000 units of housing on top of it. Mamdani says this single project would create more housing than the city has seen since 1973, surpassing the combined totals of Hudson Yards and Battery Park City. The mayor discussed the proposal with President Trump, who expressed interest in the idea.

Why it matters

Housing affordability and availability is a major crisis in New York City, and this ambitious proposal aims to address the shortage by creating a massive new residential development on underutilized land. If successful, it could serve as a model for other cities facing similar housing challenges.

The details

Mamdani's plan would involve building a massive rail deck over Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard in Queens, and then constructing 12,000 units of housing on top of the platform. The mayor says this single project would create more housing than the city has seen since 1973, exceeding the combined totals of Hudson Yards and Battery Park City. The proposal also includes plans for parks, childcare facilities, and hospitals as part of the new neighborhood.

  • Mamdani discussed the proposal with President Trump on February 27, 2026.
  • The mayor anticipates further meetings with the president on the topic.

The players

Zohran Mamdani

The mayor of New York City who proposed the massive housing project over the Amtrak rail yard in Queens.

Donald Trump

The President of the United States, who met with Mayor Mamdani and expressed interest in the housing proposal.

Ellie Aghayeva

A Columbia University student whose detention by ICE was also discussed during the meeting between Mamdani and Trump.

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What they’re saying

“It was a productive meeting in the sense that, after our first meeting in the Oval Office, one of the topics of conversation that we focused on was housing. Housing not only because it was the foremost, and continues to be, the foremost crisis in New York City, but also because it's a place of immense interest in this moment, across the political spectrum.”

— Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City (CBS News)

“And so we put forward a proposal to build more housing in a single project than the city has seen since 1973. More housing than you would get combining Hudson Yards and Battery Park City together. And not just housing, but also parks, also child care, also hospitals - an entire new neighborhood.”

— Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City (CBS News)

“The reason to focus on this one specifically is in a city where we know that land is so precious and so finite, here lies an opportunity to create more of it, by creating the largest rail deck the world has ever seen. And then on top of that rail deck, building more housing than we've seen since the construction of co-op houses and Co-op City.”

— Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City (CBS News)

What’s next

Mamdani anticipates further meetings with President Trump to continue discussions on the housing proposal.

The takeaway

Mayor Mamdani's ambitious plan to build thousands of new housing units atop an Amtrak rail yard in Queens represents a creative approach to addressing New York City's severe housing shortage. If realized, the project could serve as a model for other cities struggling with limited land availability and the need for more affordable housing.