New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani met Thursday with President Donald Trump to press for federal support for a sweeping redevelopment of Sunnyside Yard, the rail complex in Queens. The mayor’s team is seeking more than $21 billion in federal grants to finance what it calls the largest deck ever built over an active rail yard, a move that would open the site for 12,000 affordable apartments, including 6,000 Mitchell-Lama-style units, along with parks, schools and health clinics. City officials say the buildout would generate 30,000 union jobs and rank as New York’s biggest housing-and-infrastructure push in more than 50 years; the White House and City Hall agreed to continue discussions in the coming weeks.
Mayor Mamdani Meets With President Donald Trump to Advance Federal Investment in Affordable Housing
— New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani met with President Donald Trump to propose a historic investment in affordable housing at Sunnyside Yard, home to the busiest rail yard in North America. The proposal represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to confront the city’s housing crisis at the scale it demands.
At the center of the discussion: securing more than $21 billion in federal grants to construct the world’s largest deck over the site, allowing the City to build 12,000 new affordable homes, including 6,000 new Mitchell-Lama-style homes; create 30,000, good-paying union jobs; and deliver new parks, schools and health care clinics. If realized, the project would mark the largest housing and infrastructure investment in New York City in more than 50 years.
“New York City is facing a generational affordability challenge,” Mayor Mamdani said. “Working families are being priced out of the neighborhoods they built. To meet this moment, we need a true federal partner prepared to invest boldly and act urgently. I appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with President Trump about building more housing in any single project than our city has seen since 1973.”
Mayor Mamdani emphasized the need to strengthen financing tools that support affordable development, preserve public housing and modernize regulatory pathways to accelerate construction without sacrificing labor standards or community input.
He also underscored the city’s commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility and collaboration in deploying federal funds – ensuring every dollar delivers safe, affordable housing for New Yorkers.
Both parties agreed to continue discussions in the weeks ahead.
February 26, 2026
WASHINGTON
Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
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