Willets Point

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!'"