All of this is factually incorrect. The $8 bil cost was pre-inflated. The MTA's own costs estimate that the hard costs will be around $1.5b, and double for soft costs which cover cost over-run contingency.

There does not need to be ANY eminent domain, especially at Metropolitan Ave.

These neighborhoods, at least south of Queens Blvd, are absolutely transit deserts. While there are some areas with literally no rail transit and only a couple of buses, the areas south of Forest Park seem like they have good transit if you are only looking at a subway map. But the limited capacity on the J/Z and A/C means that they are de facto deserts. Deserts aren't devoid of water, they just don't have enough to sustain a lot of life.

This is not to say that there aren't more areas that need transit, just that this is one of the last places where we have existing infrastructure that can be reused at significant cost savings. It's ludicrous to think we should turn it into a park that would block any future use of transit.