New York City Economic Development Corp.

Two of the largest planned developments of the Bloomberg administration were approved by the City Council this afternoon, rezoning two sites in Queens that will allow for more than 10,000 new apartments, more than half of which would be at below market rates.

In two separate votes, the Council approved the redevelopment of the 61-acre Willets Point industrial site by Shea Stadium and the 30-acre Hunter’s Point South site south of Long Island City along the East River. Based on numbers released by the city, in a full build-out of what’s allowed under the zoning, Willets Point would have more than 1,900 units of below-market-rate housing while Hunter’s Point South would have about 3,000.  read more »

Two city officials trekked to Washington today to respond to a Congressional inquiry into the tax-free financing for the new Yankee Stadium, where they came face-to-face with a rather stern Representative Dennis Kucinich.

Mr. Kucinich, leading the inquiry as chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, queried the city's Department of Finance commissioner, Martha Stark, and the city's Economic Development Corporation president, Seth Pinsky, over the deal with the Yankees, which allowed them to get more than $1 billion in tax-free bonds.

His questioning was critical and at times condescending, focusing much of the three-hour hearing on the assessment practices (which Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodsky suggests were cooked to fit the financing model).  read more »

Following testimony at today's Willets Point hearing before the City Council, I caught up with Dan Scully, vice president of Tully Construction, the largest landowner in the 61-acre industrial site and a driver of much of the opposition to the Bloomberg administration's redevelopment plan for the area. [More on the political controversy surrounding the issue here.]

Despite giving testimony against the plan and the full-court opposition effort, Mr. Scully said Tully is still in active negotiations with the city, though he did not seem hopeful that an easy solution was on the horizon.

"We've always had an open door to the EDC.  read more »

The Bloomberg administration has designated a team led by Chicago-based developer General Growth Properties and Archstone Smith to construct a 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use, mixed-income complex on East 125th Street, the city announced today.

The selection was coupled with a vote on the project by the City Council, which this afternoon approved a rezoning of the site that runs from 125th Street to 127th Street, between Second and Third avenues.

Developer General Growth--which is a leader on a team that includes Archstone-Smith, the Richman Group, Monadnock Construction, the Carey Group, Hope Community and El Barrio's Operation Fightback--faces financial troubles nationally.  read more »

After receiving community pressure last year after it wanted to raze some Brooklyn houses that may or may not have been part of the Underground Railroad, the city has announced the outline of a $2 million commemoration of abolitionist efforts in Brooklyn.

The result, a year after the city announced the $2 million commitment, will be a project called "In Pursuit of Freedom," which will have an "artistic installation," a self-guided walking tour, a theatrical performance, "interpretative exhibits," and a Web site.

The controversy arose when the city had targeted for demolition houses on Duffield Street as part of the downtown Brooklyn rezoning that may have been used as part of the Underground Railroad. The city said in December that it would not destroy the houses.  read more »

Two of the city's largest planned developments are headed to the City Council for consideration, as the Planning Commission voted this morning to approve the Willets Point and Hunter's Point South developments in Queens. The two Bloomberg administration-led rezoning plans would permit the development of more than 10,000 apartments, though many on the Council have publicly resisted Willets Point.

The planning commission voted 11-1 and 12-0 in favor of, respectively, Willets Point and Hunter's Point South, according to a Department of City Planning spokeswoman, an unsurprising vote given that the board is controlled by mayoral appointees. The one vote against came from the representative for Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.  read more »

A former official at the city's Economic Development Corporation has been fined for accepting gifts worth thousands of dollars from a private contractor that worked on jobs under his supervision. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board today announced that Nazir Mir, a former vice president for capital construction at the EDC, has been fined $11,500. The contractor Kiska Construction--a contractor on the High Line, a project Mr. Mir supervised--gave Mr. Mir's son a free five-night stay at one of its hotels in Turkey worth about $4,000. Mr. Mir also accepted two meals worth more than $50.

According to a disposition from the COIB [  read more »

After taking heat from Assemblyman Richard Brodsky earlier this week on a deal over Yankee Stadium, the city has created a mini-retort report of its own, addressing Mr. Brodsky's claims point-by-point.

Mr. Brodsky, who testified at Rep. Dennis Kucinich's Congressional hearing today on the issue, lobbed a series of accusations at the city on Tuesday when he released his report titled "The House that You Built" [click here for a PDF, along with testimony]. Among other criticisms, Mr. Brodsky charged that the city artificially boosted the appraised land value for the Yankee Stadium site so as to better qualify it for a complex tax-free financing plan.  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 »

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 »

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 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 »

Make way for booze cruises. The city’s Economic Development Corporation is searching for a company to set up shop for “excursion services” leaving from the Brooklyn Army Terminal in South Brooklyn.

The EDC yesterday issued the request for proposals, which is not specific in what exactly is envisioned there other than saying that the EDC is looking for a company “to operate excursions, educational boat services, and/or other waterborne vessels intended for public use.”  read more »

The Bloomberg administration is getting squeezed from all sides with its Coney Island plan, as its most recent proposal is taking fire from both advocates of the historic amusement hub and the area’s major landholder, Joseph Sitt.

Key advocates who once rallied behind the Bloomberg administration are now coming out strongly against the city’s proposal, expressing dismay that it would further shrink down the amusement district, putting retail and some hotels where city-owned land for amusements was once planned.

“The new plan sucks,” said Dick Zigun, the director of the nonprofit Coney Island USA who is often called the unofficial mayor of Coney Island. “They initially came together and came up with a plan that everybody got on board for … This is so watered down it is unacceptable.”  read more »

As if there weren’t enough affordable housing fights around the city, it’s probably time to add another to the list. In Long Island City, at the confluence of Newtown Creek and the East River, the city is at the start of the public review process for a major planned housing complex of mostly middle-income residents called Hunter’s Point South (a.k.a. Queens West).

Tonight, the fun kicks off at a Community Board 2 hearing in Queens, where, among other issues, we’re willing to bet that people want more affordable housing than is presented in the plan.  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 folks at the city's Economic Development Corporation sent over the above rendering of the West Side trade show facility we wrote about yesterday. A Vornado Realty Trust subsidiary submitted a winning bid to expand the existing facility, located at Pier 94.

Vornado Realty Trust, led by CEO Steve Roth, has been selected to develop an expanded trade show facility on the far West Side, expanding a modest convention center on Pier 94 into Pier 92.

For Mr. Roth, who recently was inched out by Jerry Speyer in a bid to develop the West Side rail yards, the project is a moderately-sized fish (the project will cost about $100 million, according to the city’s Economic Development Corp.), as opposed to the “elephant” that he’s been looking for (in his letter to investors [PDF] a few weeks back, he wrote that Vornado was “always elephant hunting and this year we missed a few.”)  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 »

With all the pretty new parks rising (or at least planned to rise) along the city’s waterfront, one might think that shipping uses were simply a thing of the past.

Not exactly, says a city-commissioned study of “maritime support services,” which claims the port of New York has a major shortage of dry docks and tie-up facilities for ships, so much so that it recommends nearly tripling the capacity of drydocks by 2016.  read more »

The city’s Economic Development Corporation is seeking bidders to turn the Bellevue Psychiatric Building on the East Side into a hotel. Developers could potentially add on to the 400,000-square-foot, nine-story building at 492 First Avenue, which was built in 1931. (Also see our previous coverage on this.)  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 »

Here's a clip of Councilman Peter Vallone laying into a representative from Con Ed New York City Economic Development Corporation after it finally delivered a long-awaited report -- just minutes before today's hearing about last year's blackout and Con Ed's preparedness for spikes in usage this summer.

"You know, we're used to this double-talk from Con Ed," Vallone said at one point, "but we did not expect that today."

-- Azi Paybarah

The New York City Economic Development Corporation will hold a scoping meeting tonight at the Long Island College Hospital at 6 p.m. for the planned development on Piers 7 through 12 on the Carroll Gardens and Red Hook waterfront. The E.D.C. has some grand plans for the development--from parks to housing and waterfront access.

Critics of the plan point out that it doesn't provide any additional housing in Red Hook--instead it will generate more traffic, which is a bone of contention that Red Hookers have been pleading to the city about for months. (Readers of this blog will rememember our coverage of a Fairway-related traffic fatality earlier this year and the D.O.T.'s seeming complacency.)
It's a guaranteed packed house; emotions are sure to run high! Turn off that damn TV and show up. It's better than Lost!  read more »

-Matthew Grace

Tomorrow is primary day in Connecticut, in case you were living in a cave.

New York State's Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century hosts a breakfast briefing at Brooklyn Borough Hall with Adriano Espaillat and Helen Sears scheduled to speak to community activists and health advocates.

The 27th Annual New York City Economic Development and Business Awards Luncheon and Expo at Columbia University's Alfred Lerner Hall will include panel discussions with Charles Rangel, Scott Stringer, Eliot Spitzer, Bill Thompson and Dan Doctoroff.

Al Sharpton will host his nationally syndicated talk show 'Keepin' it Real' from 1-4pm in Hartford (AM 330) with Ned Lamont, Jesse Jackson and Maxine Waters.

John Hall will hold a press conference on the steps of Town Hall in Yorktown Heights.

Christopher Callaghan hosts a fundraiser at the Union League Club.

KT McFarland hosts a young professional fundraiser at 230 Fifth.

—Nicole Brydson