There has been an abandoned portion of the LIRR between Rego Park and Ozone Park for over 60 years. This creates a transistor desert for Queens, as it can take the A train up to two hours to get to Midtown Manhattan from Rockaway Park. When the LIRR went from Penn Station to the Rockaways, the trip took only 35 minutes and the Rockaways boomed.
Southern Queens has more than enough parks. What it needs is transportation.