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    Search results for "Willets Point, Queens"

    Willets Point Special Permits Come Under Attack at City Council Hearing

    City Council  •  Rezoning/Special Permit  •  Willets Point, Queens
    interior

    Long View Rendering of 126th Street and Citi Field. Image Credit: NYC EDC.

    Council Members voiced concern over the City’s applications to facilitate Phase 1 of the Willets’ Point Development Project. The City Council’s Land Use Zoning and Franchises subcommittee held a public hearing on September 3, 2013 on Phase 1A of the $3 billion Willets Point Development Project. The applicants, New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Queens Development Group, a joint venture of Related Companies and Sterling Equities, testified. The application is a modification of the original 2008 proposal, and seeks a zoning resolution amendment and special permits to allow the City Planning Commission (CPC) to permit the development of up to 2,833 parking spaces and recreational area in a temporary lot within the Willets Point District. (more…)

    Tags : Cornerstone Group, Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Council Member Leroy Comrie, NYC Economic Development Corporation, Related Companies, Special Willets Point District, Sterling Equities, Sunshine Cooperative, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date: 09/20/2013
    (1) Comment

    Willets Point Proposal Heard at City Planning Commission

    City Planning Commission  •  Text Amendment/Special Permits  •  Willets Point, Queens
    Aerial rendering of the Willets Point proposal. Image Credit: EDC.

    Aerial rendering of the Willets Point proposal. Image Credit: EDC.

    23-acre proposal will include environmental cleanup, expressway ramps, affordable housing, and retail and entertainment complex. The City Planning Commission held a public hearing on land use actions to facilitate Phase 1 of the Willets Point Development Project on July 10, 2013. The application was submitted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Queens Development Group, LLC, a joint venture of Sterling Equities and Related Companies. Phase 1, to be split into Phase 1A and 1B, includes environmental cleanup, economic improvements, mixed use developments, parking, and infrastructure improvements on a portion of the 61-acre Special Willets Point District in Queens on the west and east sides of Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

    (more…)

    Tags : Queens Community Board 3, Queens Community Board 7, Related Companies, Special Willets Point District, Sterling Equities, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date: 07/22/2013
    (1) Comment

    Willets Point redevelopment clears judicial hurdle

    Court Decisions  •  City of New York  •  Willets Point, Queens

    Willets Point, Queens (view along 127th Street between 37th and 36th Avenues). Image: CityLand.

    Resident and businesses argued City did not fully consider plan’s impact on highway traffic and water supply. In November 2008 the City Council approved a redevelopment plan for Willets Point, Queens. The plan would transform a 61-acre industrial section of northern Queens into a mixed-use neighborhood with more than 5,000 residential units, 1.75 million sq. ft. of retail space, a school, and a hotel. According to the proposal’s environmental review, the City would undertake extensive environmental cleanup efforts and use fill to raise the entire area out of the 100-year flood zone. In order to address the projected increase in traffic, new traffic ramps would be added to the three highways located near the area. The ramps would require approval from the State Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. (more…)

    Tags : Joseph Ardizzone, Special Willets Point District, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date: 09/15/2010
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    Willets Point Group Denied Equal Protection Claim

    Court Decisions  •  City of New York  •  Willets Point, Queens

    Willets Point Boulevard, near 38th Avenue, in Queens. Photo: CityLand.

    City chose not to heavily invest in Willets Point infrastructure. In November 2008, the City Council approved a $3 billion development plan for Willets Point, an industrial neighborhood in northern Queens. When implemented, the plan would transform the low-end commercial area into a mixed-use community with residential, retail, hotel, and entertainment uses. Under the plan, the City could utilize eminent domain to acquire property needed for development. The Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, an organization of local businesses, sued the City. The Association argued that the City violated its equal protection rights by choosing not to provide services and infrastructure in Willets Point over the last 40 years. The Association claimed that this decision was an attempt to reduce property values so that the City could more easily justify the use of eminent domain and could acquire properties for lower prices. The 2008 development plan, according to the Association, was the City’s latest attempt to reduce property values.

    District Court Judge Edward R. Korman dismissed the Association’s lawsuit. Judge Korman ruled that the Association’s equal protection claim had no merit because the City had a rational basis for not spending money or other resources in Willets Point until a comprehensive redevelopment plan was finalized. The unique conditions of Willets Point, including an oddly designed street system and unusual soil composition, led City officials to conclude that greater investment in the area could not be rationally justified unless the area was redeveloped for non-industrial uses. (more…)

    Tags : City Council, District Court Judge Edward R. Korman, Eminent Domain, equal protection rights, Special Willets Point District, The Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date: 12/15/2009
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    Commission Approves a Modified Willets Point Plan

    City Planning Commission  •  Rezoning/Text Amendment  •  Willets Point, Queens

     

    Willets Point, as envisioned by EDC. Image: EDC.

    Eminent domain supported if negotiations with local businesses fail. On September 24, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved a modified version of the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan, and sent the contentious plan to the City Council. EDC’s plan calls for the creation of the Special Willets Point District, an Urban Renewal Area designation, and a rezoning for the 61-acre area known as the “Iron Triangle” in Queens. 5 CityLand 57 (May 15, 2008).

    The plan has drawn criticism from local businesses and elected officials, and has led to the filing of at least one lawsuit against the City. At the June 13, 2007 City Council Land Use Committee and Economic Development Committee joint oversight hearing on EDC’s proposal, Land Use Chair Melinda Katz criticized EDC’s decision to begin the land use process before selecting a developer, while other Council Members questioned EDC’s plan to develop the entire site as opposed to a more stepped approach that would allow existing businesses to remain in the area. 4 CityLand 87 (July 15, 2007). (more…)

    Tags : EDC, Eminent Domain, Iron Triangle, Special Willets Point District, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date: 11/15/2008
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