The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals from qualified firms for the creation of a housing tenure and anti-displacement study, analyzing the benefits and potential impacts of the QueensLink project on the borough of Queens and the city as a whole. The study will evaluate the QueensLink project’s effect on the local housing stock and develop scenario plans for short-, medium-, and long-term tenure for existing and future residents.

QueensLink’s goal is to reactivate the abandoned RBB as part of New York City’s subway network, bringing four new stations to critical transit deserts and struggling commercial corridors. The QueensLink vision will also provide bicycle trails, walking paths, and park space on the remaining 33 acres of land in the right-of-way. QueensLink is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new backbone for sustainable transportation and recreation within New York City. QueensLink has been in communication with the elected officials and community groups regarding this study, and there are a number of items that these stakeholders would like to see in the final study. The following is a brief summary of those items and approaches. It is up to the consultant to determine how they wish to address these throughout the study progression, and the chosen consultant will coordinate with QueensRail Corp to ensure all questions are answered for seamless integration into advocacy efforts.

- Strengthen the project’s commitment to ameliorating the city’s affordable housing crisis and preventing displacement in existing communities.

- Exploring potential models for responsible transit oriented development.

- Understanding future population densities, land-use scenarios, and community assumptions regarding envisioned density/zoning at station locations.

In early 2026, QueensLink released an Initial Business Case (IBC) study, solidifying the socioeconomic value the rail reactivation would bring to riders, nonriders, nearby community members, the MTA, and the State budget. The IBC should be used as a positioning document for future refinement and should keep the need for QueensLink urgent and relevant. Its findings demonstrated that the requisite ridership exists and will exist as the corridor develops and that the net benefit to the community means that the MTA should invest in this project over holding the capital long-term.