Bloomberg Wins Early Community Endorsement For Willets Point
The local community board in Queens has endorsed the Bloomberg administration’s plans to redevelop Willets Point, the industrial 61-acre site by Shea Stadium, according to a late-night release from the Bloomberg administration. The vote comes despite opposition from the local City Council members, housing advocacy groups and property owners.
We don’t yet have key details—such as the margin of the vote or the conditions attached to the endorsement—but the city sent out an announcement hailing the vote a bit before 1 a.m.
Such community board endorsements are rather uncommon early in the process of contentious rezonings, as the boards usually vote against the developments with a set of conditions they want to see satisfied.
Still, two local councilmen, Hiram Monserrate and John Liu, stated in recent days their continued opposition to the city’s plan for the area, which would involve the acquisition of the existing land and displacement of the mostly auto-related businesses there.
The community board vote is the latest in a string of developments in the Bloomberg administration’s favor at Willets Point. While the city received an outpouring of criticism early on over the project, it has quelled some of the critics, such as the unions, which now support it, and made its first two property acquisitions.
The rezoning is now headed toward receiving a non-binding recommendation from Borough President Helen Marshall, who has supported the plan. Final approval of the plan must come from the City Council, where it is unclear what action the members will take, as opposition remains strong from affordable housing advocates and the existing property and business owners
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Monserrate Calls on Administration to Provide Comprehensive Plan to Answer Community Concerns on Willets Point
Deputy Mayor's Assurances that Community Needs Would be Addressed Credited with Slim Margin of Support in Community Board Vote
East Elmhurst, Queens – Council Member Hiram Monserrate, who represents Willets Point in the City Council and has been a leader in the effort to ensure responsible development in the area, today called on the Bloomberg Administration to specify how they would address community concerns acknowledged by Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber before Community Board 7 last night.
Concerns regarding eminent domain, affordable housing and community input were recognized in a letter by Mr. Lieber read before the Community Board voted on the project. The Administration's assurances were credited with providing the slim margin of victory for the project, which passed the Board by a vote of 21 to 15 and 2 abstentions.
"This fractured vote is not a green light for the Administration's plans," said Monserrate. "Rather, the close margin and intense debate are, at most, a yellow light to proceed cautiously and cooperatively. Those members who did vote in favor of the plan did so while specifying they shared my concerns regarding the use of eminent domain, affordable housing, parking, and congestion.
The community vote reflects residents' trust in the Bloomberg Administration to respect business, provide more affordable housing and include the community in future plans. The community board has fulfilled their role in voicing the concerns that must be addressed – in a detailed and comprehensive plan -- before the City Council votes on the project. As the community's representative in the Council, I respectfully request the Administration provide both myself and the conflicted community with the details needed to give us a clear picture of how they plan to accommodate these needs in their final plans."
The community board held the vote after 5 hours of debate among business owners, community leaders, elected officials and affordable housing advocates. The debate included a statement from Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber, who wrote in response to a CB 7 letter dictating the community's concerns: the use eminent domain to seize property, the need for more affordable housing and the lack of a community voice in development plans after the land use review. Deputy Mayor Lieber's response included assurances from the Bloomberg Administration that these concerns would be addressed, but did not specify how.