Willets Point

Queens Crap scored a copy of the letter Council members opposed to the Willets Point redevelopment plan sent to City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden yesterday afternoon. The missive says, in part:

We write to share with you our absolute opposition to the current Willets Point Development Plan. The project that comes before the Department of City Planning on August 13th is far from the best our city can offer for a long-term plan that will affect hundreds of thousands of residents for decades to come…Since the first community meetings of the Flushing redevelopment process, when community residents expressed a desire to include the Iron Triangle in any long-term development plans, the details of this plan have been determined not by residents, but by the Economic Development Corporation.

 read more »

A majority of the City Council signed a letter firmly opposing the Bloomberg administration's proposed redevelopment plan for Willets Point today, demanding more commitments to below-market rate housing and the creation of a broad relocation plan for the existing workers and employers. The letter, signed by 30 members of the Council, marks the planned 61-acre redevelopment by Shea Stadium with additional uncertainty as it moves nearer to the end of the city's seven-month public approval process [here's the letter as a Word file].

The Council members wrote that they were in "absolute opposition to the current Willets Point Development Plan," a troubling statement for the Bloomberg administration, which needs City Council approval for its plan.  read more »

No Willets Point protests this afternoon.

The main Willets Point landowners group had planned a big truck rally at the Mets-Pirates game, planning to stop traffic as the contest came to a close, but now per an advisory, the group has canceled the event due to rain.

The organization, the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, planned the protest as the City Planning Commission is slated to hold a hearing on the planned Queens redevelopment Wednesday, part of a mega-hearing that includes the proposed rezonings of the Lower East Side and the planned middle-income development in Queens at Hunters Point South. The 61-acre Willets Point slated for redevelopment sits across the street from the Mets' new stadium, Citi Field.

The landowners group said via email that it would reschedule the protest.

As expected, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall on Wednesday gave her conditional endorsement of the Bloomberg administration's plan to redevelop Willets Point, the 61-acre industrial area by Shea Stadium.

"There is no doubt that the existing businesses and people who work there provide valuable services and goods," she wrote. "However these activities are no longer compatible or appropriate to the progress of the communities and institutions that have grown around Willets Point."

Her endorsement [PDF] comes as part of the city's seven-month public approval process for a rezoning of the area, which requires approval from the City Council by November.  read more »

The city's Economic Development Corporation announced today it made a deal with a fourth landowner at Willets Point, the 61-acre site by Shea Stadium the Bloomberg administration wants to redevelop.

The landowner, Carlos Canal, agreed to sell his 4,000-square-foot property if the city completes a rezoning of the area, a process that will come to a head in November when it is slated for a vote before the City Council.

The news comes five days after the main opposition group of landowners and businesses at the site, the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, announced its group had grown by five businesses to 14 (one of the original 10 businesses agreed to sell his property to the city).  read more »

The road to approving a mega-project in New York City often follows a similar formula, with a months-long political dance carried out between the city or developer and local member/members of the City Council. Last-minute compromises and agreements are routine, and once a project starts the city's land-use approval process, defeats are almost without precedent.

However, the dynamic surrounding the planned redevelopment of Willets Point is proving far less simple than the typical fare, as both observers and those involved seem genuinely unsure as to how the Council will ultimately vote on the project.  read more »

Among the issues adding complexity to the political scene: A Council that was offended by the start of the rezoning process; a Council speaker who has been

The city today announced a third deal to buy land at Willets Point, agreeing to acquire 22,000 square feet from Met Metals if the area is rezoned by the City Council. However, the deal leaves a long road left for the city in terms of acquisitions and relocation deals at the 61-acre site next to Shea Stadium, as there are over 250 businesses in the area

The city seems to be strategically timing its announcements, at least so far. Last month, the first two deals were announced the same day that the main landowners group held an opposition rally in Queens at a public meeting on the project, and today's announcement came just minutes before a scheduled rally at Queens Borough Hall, where Borough President Helen Marshall is holding a hearing on the issue later today.  read more »

The city hasn't heard much out of former mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer since he lost his bid against Mayor Bloomberg in 2005. Now, the former Bronx Borough President has joined the camp of landowners and critics who oppose the Bloomberg administration's plans for Willets Point, the 61-acre industrial site by Shea Stadium.

According to a release from the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, Mr. Ferrer will join local Councilman Hiram Monserrate at the event, where the main Willets Point property owners' group will call for the ouster of the chairman of Queens Community Board 7. The board voted last week to endorse the city's plan, with some conditions.  read more »

Following last night's late-night Queens Community Board 7 conditional endorsement of the city's redevelopment plan for Willets Point, the landowner and business group opposing the redevelopment there is hailing the vote as a victory.

The margin of support, the group noted, was closer than it was just a week ago when a community board committee voted on the plan (20-15, compared with 22-3 a week ago), also noting that the conditions placed on the endorsement are rather restrictive.

Release below.

Willets Point Business Owners Declare Victory at Community Board Vote

Conditions Placed on EDC Plan Demonstrate Distrust of City

 

(New York, NY) July 1, 2008 -The Willets Point business owners fighting to protect their private property from an unprecedented and potentially illegal land grab by the Bloomberg Administration declared victory in the latest skirmish with the City, noting that opposition from members of Community Board 7 increased dramatically at Monday's vote while those board members who approved the plan imposed such severe conditions that the vote was tantamount to a rejection of the Economic Development Corporation plan.  read more »

• 0 comments

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.  read more »

After months of trying to cut deals, the city has made its first two agreements to buyout landowners at Willets Point, the 61-acre site by Shea Stadium slated for redevelopment, the city announced today. The first to give in were Sambucci Bros., an auto salvage business, and BRD Corp.

The news comes on the same day that a local community board is holding its first hearing on the redevelopment, which is expected to attract considerable resistance from a well-organized group of major landowners.  read more »

Taken with a public endorsement of the project by members of the Central Labor Council

The Bloomberg administration has cleared one of many obstacles standing in the way of redevelopment at Willets Point, reaching agreements with the numerous unions that were opposing the 61-acre project by Shea Stadium.

Members of the Central Labor Council, which generally wields strong influence with City Council members, had been pressuring the administration for wage and other guarantees before giving support to the multibillion-dollar project.

“We are wholeheartedly behind this project now,” said Neal Kwatra, the political director for UNITE HERE! who was working with the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council. Mr. Kwatra said the hotel council was now calling on the City Council to support the project.  read more »

The Bloomberg administration is searching for a firm to help relocate some 260 businesses currently in Willets Point, the 61-acre industrial site by Shea Stadium slated for a complete redevelopment. The city’s Economic Development Corporation today posted on its Web site a request for proposals, seeking a consultant to provide assistance in relocating the businesses, most of which are in the auto-repair/junkyard industry.  read more »

The mayor’s executive budget released yesterday called for $389.7 million in city funding for the proposed Willets Point redevelopment, an amount that would be one of the largest direct city contributions for an economic development project during the Bloomberg administration.

[Summary of the executive budget here as a PDF].

The money would be used for acquisition and infrastructure work, according to a city summary of the mayor’s budget plan, with the capital budget calling for the money to be spread over a 12-year period, with the bulk of it at the start.  read more »

An alternative studied in the Willets Point environmental review suggests a possible compromise strategy for the Bloomberg administration in its contested effort to redevelop the 61-acre industrial area by Shea Stadium.

The proposed redevelopment has turned into a big political quagmire, with elected officials on the City Council jumping at the chance to bash the city about its proposal. While a group of current and former elected officials met at City Hall today to hail the plan, the project clearly will take some convincing in the Council.

The alternative plan, studied in the draft environmental impact statement, calls for acquiring the land and building the project, in two phases. The plan includes acquiring the land on the western portions of the site first, where most of the smaller automotive-related businesses are based, while the owner-occupied businesses on the eastern portion would have more time before they sell their land. The plan would be the same in size, though the first half would be done by 2013, according to the plan studied, while the second half would be done by 2017.  read more »

A bunch of elected officials held a pro-Willets Point redevelopment rally at City Hall this morning in a likely attempt to counter efforts in the City Council to oppose the multi-billion dollar, 61-acre project, at least as currently presented.  read more »

The Bloomberg administration is facing stiff opposition to its Willets Point redevelopment plan.

The city commenced a seven-month rezoning process today for the 61-acre site by Shea Stadium, prompting 29 members of the City Council to declare their disappointment with the plan. (More details on the Council’s concerns here).

The letter seems to spell trouble for the Bloomberg administration on this project, which imagines a complete redevelopment of the manufacturing and car repair-intensive district.  read more »

The Bloomberg administration is plowing forward on its plan to redevelop the industrial area next to Shea Stadium, as it intends to start the rezoning process on Monday despite objections from the City Council.

“We have asked them not to certify Monday,” said Melinda Katz, chairwoman of the City Council’s land use committee. “My feeling is that there are a lot of outstanding issues.”

The plan for the 61-acre site, Willets Point, calls for a large mixed-used community with up to 5,500 units of housing, up to 1.7 million square feet of retail, up to 700 hotel rooms, a public school, and possibly a modest convention center. The decision to jump into the seven-month approval process without the blessing of the Council suggests a rising anxiety among members of the Bloomberg administration, which has 18 months left in office and a slew of large development projects left to implement.  read more »

As a new lawsuit and a press conference loaded with critics yesterday suggest, things don’t seem to be going all that great for the city at Willets Point.

The clock is ticking for the Bloomberg administration’s agenda, and officials are eager to realize its dreams of ousting the chop shops and industry by Shea Stadium for a multi-billion dollar mixed-use community.

But like an airplane leaving from Newark Airport, the project has been stuck on the taxiway for far longer than planned or scheduled, unable to take off as of yet.  read more »

For months, the city had not laid out particulars of how much affordable housing it would require at the 61-acre Willets Point redevelopment by Shea Stadium, only saying that there would be affordability. Now, with the start of the public approval process approaching, the city has gotten more specific.

“They’ve now put on the table affordable housing at an 80/20 rate,” said Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who represents the area. The amount is not enough to please the second-term Democrat, he said.  read more »

Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman has been pushing hard for the city-led plan to redevelop Willets Point, leading an advocacy group, the Flushing, Willets Point, Corona Local Development Corporation (which is funded in part by the city), and pushing elected officials and community leaders to support the multi-billion-dollar redo of the 61-acre manufacturing and auto-repair district by Shea Stadium. (Lots more on the Willets Point development effort here.)

So should Ms. Shulman, who is president of the LDC, be registered as a lobbyist?  read more »

When City Councilman Hiram Monseratte said that land owners at Willets Point, Queens, did not think the city was engaged in “good faith negotiations” to relocate them, the president of the city's Economic Development Corporation took the opportunity to give out his phone number.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they tell you that,” Robert Lieber said at today’s City Council hearing on the subject. “I challenge any one of them to come up to me to tell me that to my face. I have talked to all of them. Let me also add that to the extent that they don’t think we are engaged, my number is 212-312-3511. Call me, because we are doing everything we can.”

After his testimony, as he was talking to a reporter outside Council Chambers, one Willets business owner stopped by to get Mr. Lieber’s business card—actually, three of them, to distribute to his friends.

Willets Point in Flushing is about as close to a controlled economic experiment as can be found in the five boroughs. A 60-acre tract of landfill located in the shadow of Shea Stadium, the 13-block strip is best known for its dense cluster of about 225 car-related businesses employing somewhere between 1,200 and 1,800 workers on any given weekday.  read more »

Location: The downside of a strong real-estate market is that people have been priced out of neighbo  read more »

Veteran Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf is entering new territory: early last month a group of 10 of the largest companies at Willets Point in Queens hired him to do public relations for their group, the Willets Point Industry & Realty Corp., which is facing the possibility that the city may try to take their property under eminent domain to make way for a new office/hotel/convention center district. -Matthew Schuerman

The new Mets stadium from the team's website.  read more »

Today's press release after the jump.

-Matthew Schuerman

There are a lot of reasons Anthony is expected to have a tough time in this race. He has no staff, no name recognition, and not so much money.

He's still the only candidate, however, who seems actually to enjoy Koch-esque street politics, so we're very sorry we missed his City Hall encounter with pro-stadium union members.

As Newsday has it:

"[A]fter the news conference he bounded out of the plaza, past the gate to confront his adversaries.  read more »

'What are you, a bunch of rich Upper East Siders?' asked Weiner, who supports putting the stadium in Willets Point.

The workers, who seemed more amused than menacing, formed a circle around Weiner and chanted 'Stadium!' -- which Weiner kept punctuating with 'in Queens!'"