NEW YORK | Willets Point Development (Flushing)

[BiggieSmalls]

more good news

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/110509928

City gets key Willets Point approval

State and federal officials allow for a public review of plans for two highway ramps essential to the 61-acre redevelopment project in Queens.


Late Wednesday, the Bloomberg administration took a significant step toward the redevelopment of Willets Point, Queens. The state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration approved the Economic Development Corp.'s environmental assessment of off-ramps proposed for the Van Wyck Expressway. The city, which has called the ramps essential to the massive Queens project, can now go ahead with a required public review process.
A handful of Willets Point property owners have been trying to halt the 61-acre redevelopment by arguing that the city reneged on a promise not to condemn any land until state and federal officials approved the two ramps. A court hearing next month on that question now appears moot.
“Receiving this approval allows us to overcome a number of procedural hurdles that have threatened to delay this important, job-creating project,” an EDC spokeswoman said in a statement to Crain's. “Willets Point is now one step closer to becoming a center of economic growth and the site of a historic environmental cleanup.”
Once public comments are received, the city will resubmit its assessment for final state and federal approval.
In the meantime, the city said it will move ahead with the first phase of the project, which does not rely on the ramps. Splitting the project into two phases allowed the city to move ahead without acquiring the holdouts' private property or getting approval for the ramps, which had dragged on for many months. The Bloomberg administration has been pursuing a parallel course to acquire the property using the power of eminent domain.
On Wednesday, the city advanced its efforts to buy the land by issuing a “determination and findings” report, a procedural step required under state eminent domain law.
Opponents, whose properties sit on a swath of industrial land near Flushing, Queens, said they will continue to fight the city's plan both in and out of court.
“The current review process for the Van Wyck ramps has been tainted by deficient and fraudulent data that the regulatory authorities are well aware of,” said Jake Bono, a small business owner and member of the opposition group Willets Point United. “There is no way that the ramps can qualify and be approved under the Federal Highway Authority guidelines. We will be advancing this before any review panel and before the courts if it becomes necessary to expose any malfeasance.”
A Bloomberg administration official testified at a hearing in March that the plan is “aimed at transforming a largely underutilized, approximately 61-acre site with substandard conditions and substantial environmental degradation into a lively, mixed-use, sustainable community and regional destination.”
The 20-acre first phase includes commercial, residential and hotel development, as well as two acres of open space. The city said it expects to issue requests for proposals to developers interested in the project in the coming weeks. The city now controls nearly 90% of the property in the first-phase area, with nine private property owners remaining. It estimates that the first phase will yield 4,600 construction jobs and 1,800 permanent positions.

[NYguy]

On Wednesday, the city advanced its efforts to buy the land by issuing a “determination and findings” report, a procedural step required under state eminent domain law.

Opponents, whose properties sit on a swath of industrial land near Flushing, Queens, said they will continue to fight the city's plan both in and out of court.

No one ever sees the handwriting on the wall.

[Obey]

Willets Point Officially Ready to Find Developer for Phase I
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/0...or_phase_i.php

While everyone else was busy thinking about the traffic ramps at Willets Point—the environmental assessment for which was recently approved by the DOT and Federal Highway Administration but is still awaiting public review—the city was preparing its Request for Proposals for the first phase of the Willets Point redevelopment. Hey, that's one way to keep attention away from the Mets' season! The city's RFP is out today, following a 2009 Request for Qualifications that sparked interest from 29 developers, including some big names. According to a press release from the city, some of those 29 interested parties were invited to submit development plans based on the RFP. We don't know which of the developers were contacted, but we now know a little about what they're being asked to do.
The Request for Proposals includes this basic description of Phase I:

The plan for Phase 1 includes up to 680,000 square feet of retail space, up to 400 units of housing, 35 percent of which will be affordable, a hotel, two acres of open space, and parking. In addition to submitting proposals for the Phase 1 area, respondents to the RFP must also include a concept plan for the entire 62-acre district.

Developers have until August 12 to submit their plans. In the meantime, according to the press release, the city has obtained 90 percent of the land in Phase I. There are nine private owners still on their property, and we're guessing at least some of them will be speaking up at the next traffic ramp-related public hearing on June 8. Looks like it'll be quite the summer in the Iron Triangle.

[NYguy]

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/111009993

Bidders emerge for Willets Point megaproject
Two major developers, as well as the real estate firm of the New York Mets' owners, have submitted proposals
to turn the Queens property into a modern venue of entertainment, retail, hospitality and housing.




At least three real estate firms have submitted proposals for the right to redevelop Willets Point.
Photo by Buck Ennis.


By Daniel Massey
October 3, 2011

The Related Companies has teamed up with Sterling Equities, which is controlled by Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, to submit a proposal to redevelop the 12.75 acres included in the Queens project's first phase, the sources said. Silverstein Properties, which is building three towers at the World Trade Center site, also threw its hat into the ring.

The Queens-based Times Ledger reported last month that Flushing-based TDC Development also made a bid. Opponents of the development cried foul at TDC Development's proposal because the firm played a role in the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization of private and public sector stakeholders seeded partially with city funds that advocated for the redevelopment. The city controls about 90% of the land in the phase one area, and has not ruled out using eminent domain to obtain the rest. A decision on a developer is expected by the spring. The first phase is projected to be completed by 2016, and the final project is scheduled to be finished by 2022.

[BiggieSmalls]

that's great news.. I also heard that Sterling has hooked up with other developers as well as Related..

Wilpon clearly wants a role in the development and with the Interest of the largest developers in NY we should see this project moving forward sooner than later.

[NYguy]

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/310169969

Developers put in plans to remake Willets Point
At least four bidders are in line for phase one, including retail, housing, hotel rooms.



By Daniel Massey
October 16, 2011

Crain's has identified four of the bidders, including The Related Companies and Silverstein Properties, though none of them would comment, citing a gag order imposed by the city. The bidders, according to political and real estate sources, include:

-World Trade Center developer Silverstein Properties, which has teamed up with Taubman Centers Inc., a Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based real estate investment trust that develops retail properties, and Canyon Johnson Urban Funds, a series of joint ventures between Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Canyon Capital Realty Advisors that focus on urban areas.

-Hudson Yards developer The Related Companies, partnering with Sterling Equities, the real estate firm controlled by Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz. The development area is across the street from the Mets' ballpark, Citi Field.

-TDC Development & Construction Corp., a Flushing, Queens-based firm that is developing Flushing Commons. It also has teamed up with Sterling.

-Arlington, Va.-based mega-REIT AvalonBay Communities Inc., along with shopping center developer Macerich, the Dallas-based firm that developed the Queens Center Mall.

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...ticle-1.985433

Mayor Michael Bloomberg breaks ground on Willets Point redevelopment
But Willets Point United questions controversial multi-million-dollar project



Mayor Michael Bloomberg (center) was joined by dignitaries and local officials on Thursday to break ground
on the Willets Point redevelopment project, which starts with $50 million in infrastructure improvements.

BY Nicholas Hirshon
December 1, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg broke ground Thursday on a controversial redevelopment that he vowed will transform gritty Willets Point into “a major engine for economic growth.”

Bloomberg unearthed dirt with a slew of elected officials just steps from the mix of auto body shops and junkyards that abuts Citi Field.

“We are that much closer to the vibrant Willets Point of the future,” Bloomberg said at a news conference near the World’s Fair Marina along Flushing Bay.

The ceremony marked the start of a massive overhaul of the long-neglected “Iron Triangle,” infamous for deep potholes and grimy puddles.

The project will begin with the $50 million creation of a sewer system. Officials say the infrastructure improvements will provide more than 350 construction-related jobs.

[NYguy]

Images from the ceremony...nycmayorsoffice

[599GTO]

That's really NYC? Looks like some shanty town Guatemala.

[NYguy]

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...120409983/1033

Key approval is won for Willets Point project
The city has secured federal sign-off for new highway ramps crucial to its massive Willets Point redevelopment plan, officials revealed Monday evening.


By Daniel Massey
April 2, 2012

The Federal Highway Administration ruled that ramps proposed for the Van Wyck Expressway would have “no significant impact” on the surrounding area, according to a letter sent to the state Department of Transportation late last month and released Monday by city officials. “The findings and approval from the Federal Highway Administration for the Van Wyck Expressway ramps is a significant milestone for Willets Point, and the next step in realizing this ambitious project,” said a spokeswoman for the city's Economic Development Corp.

But opponents said the federal government relied on the assumption that the project was being built, instead of examining the ramps' impact without the redevelopment. They promised a lawsuit. “What the feds are saying is the project will be built and therefore the ramps are necessary,” said a spokesman for Willets Point United, a group of property owners that opposes the redevelopment. “They should not give a flying fig whether New York City builds a development at Willets Point. They should only evaluate the impact on the Van Wyck and Grand Central if the ramps are built and if they aren't built, and they're not doing that.”

The state Department of Transportation will need to approve design and construction of the ramps, but the federal approval was seen as the much bigger hurdle. Rep. Joseph Crowley played a key role in keeping the ramp issue high on the agenda of the Highway Administration and state Department of Transportation, a spokeswoman for the congressman said. Mr. Crowley stressed to them the job creating impact the project would have for Queens.

The city has divided the controversial redevelopment into phases. The 20-acre first phase includes commercial, residential and hotel development, as well as two acres of open space. The ramps are not needed for that initial phase. Officials are currently reviewing proposals from major development firms, including the Related Companies and Silverstein Properties. A winning bidder to develop the first phase is expected to be chosen this spring.

[Duck From NY]

I remember going to a game at Shea years ago with my friends. We bought some 40s ahead of time and decided to walk around Willet's Point to pre-game, as they say.

It ended up being a close call. A pack of 20 or so dogs (Doverman Pinchers I believe) were sitting by a gate to this chop shop and began barking, pointing their ears up, and a few of them approached us. Luckily they never attacked, but man... That neighborhood was such a disaster.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by 599GTO

That's really NYC? Looks like some shanty town Guatemala.

It stills surprises me why people would want to live in a place like this? It's just too mind boggling.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by jd3189

It stills surprises me why people would want to live in a place like this? It's just too mind boggling.

They don't live down there , its wear all the Autobody and chop shops are located....

[kingcity]

what a shithole

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2012/05/rela...planning-mall/

Related and Wilpons Win Revised Willets Point Project, Planning Mall




By Matt Chaban
May 2, 2012

Today, City Hall took a step toward spiffing up the site, if not quite in the direction it had hoped. The administration withdrew its eminent domain case, known as a determination of findings, from the courts today, halting takeover proceedings against a handful of holdout property owners in the area. This paves the way for the project to move forward, albeit in an altered form from the 2008 rezoning, which called for a mixed-use development on the site.

According to people familiar with the situation, the city is close to reaching a deal with the Related Companies and Sterling Equities to build a mall on the site. The exact details are still being worked out, and an official announcement is expected in the coming weeks. It was not immediately clear if there would still be a residential or convention center component in the final plan, but the City Hall is looking favorably on the development.

Ms. Wood declined to discuss whether or not Related had won the bid, and Related declined to comment. Sterling Equities, which is run by Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, did not return a request for comment. Still, finally a win for those two. As for Related, is there a city-controlled project they can’t win?

[fimiak]

They could have made this a desert and it would be a significant improvement. I am happy its going to be a mall, even if its kitschy.

[NYguy]

Yeah, almost anything would be better than what is there now. Because the City and developers want to make changes to what was put in place to be developed, they have to go back through the approvals process, at least for the first phase so far.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...946010824.html

Deal Is Near to Develop Willets Point

May 2, 2012
By ELIOT BROWN

The Bloomberg administration is nearing a deal with the Related Cos. and a real-estate firm controlled by owners of the New York Mets to build a retail and residential development on a gritty swath of Queens near Citi Field, according to people familiar with the matter. But the tentative deal to develop Willets Point isn't a home run. It would require significant revisions to a signature initiative of the Bloomberg administration: an ambitious $3 billion vision for the area that includes 5,000 apartments, stores and a hotel.

The idea was unveiled with great fanfare in 2007 and passed a complicated public-review process in 2008. But during recent negotiations, developers rejected the plan as financially impractical and called for some changes, the people said. Among the changes Related wants: more retail in the development's first phase, according to people familiar with the matter.

Additional details of the Related plan weren't available. The first phase of the city's plan called for 680,000 square feet of retail and a hotel on about 12 acres.

Related's partner in the deal, Sterling Equities, is run by Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, whose interest in the site is clear: Much of it is across the street from the team's stadium. The project attracted interest among other developers, including Silverstein Properties Inc., which is developing office buildings at the World Trade Center, and a partnership of retail specialists at Macerich Co. and the large housing company Avalon Bay Communities Inc. Still, other developers had similar concerns to Related. Macerich also wanted changes to the master plan that would have needed public review, people familiar with the matter said.

Should the Related deal be approved, it would put the Manhattan firm in charge of yet another of the largest development sites in the city.

[NYguy]

http://observer.com/2012/05/17/citi-...um-with-malls/

Citi Field’s Suicide Squeeze! Redone Willets Point Will Bracket Stadium With Huge Malls


An 800,000 square-foot mall will be built on the Citi Field parking lot (right), followed by a 680,000 square-foot mall on the edge of Willets Point (left). Because who doesn’t want to go shopping after the Mets lose?

By Matt Chaban
5/17/12

It was revealed earlier this month that after a year of weighing competing proposals, the city had selected the Related Companies and Sterling Equities to redevelop the Iron Triangle, albeit in vastly revised form. Housing and other development would be put off in favor of a large mall.

Make that two malls, surrounding the new-ish throwback stadium, a veritable retail double play. According to both The Times and The Journal, before much gets built in Willets Point, the 62-acre swath of chop shops and heavy industries just east of Citi Field, a mall will be built on the west side, on the site of the current Mets parking lots.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...LEFTTopStories
Plan Upends Willets Vision

By ELIOT BROWN
5/16/12

New York City officials are shaking up one of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's key development priorities, putting off for years the creation of a new neighborhood in Queens' Willets Point and calling first for a large retail center next to Citi Field, said people familiar with the matter.

Instead of housing and retail, parking lots for Mets fans would initially replace dozens of businesses in an area known as the Iron Triangle to the east of Citi Field. The new neighborhood is still intended to be built on that 61-acre swath of land, but years later and only after a new shopping center is built on a parking lot to the west of the stadium.

The city had sought bids for the project, initially conceived in 2007 as another in a line of Bloomberg-backed housing developments on which construction would begin before the mayor left office. But people familiar with the matter said the housing and retail project has become unfeasible as once envisioned, as developers have been unwilling to fully commit given the site's challenges. The site—an industrial area full of car-repair shops that officials have sought to develop for decades—would cost tens of millions of dollars to clean up, and developers were concerned about being able to quickly lure residents and retailers to the unproven area.

Now, Related and Sterling Equities—controlled by Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz—will take a shot with a revamped plan that delays the housing aspect and introduces a larger retail component next to a world-famous professional sports complex. The USTA National Tennis is also nearby.

The first step for the developers would be to take on a costly 20-acre environmental cleanup and build the new parking lots for the stadium, the people said. They would also be required to build a hotel and a small amount of retail just to the east of Citi Field. Then they would be able to build more than 800,000 square feet of retail on the parking lots to the west of the stadium. Only then would construction begin of the new neighborhood first envisioned by the Bloomberg administration, with the construction of the 400 apartments and 680,000 square feet of retail. That aspect of the project could grow, the people said.

The city believed the plan was the best of its options. The other three bids it received each called for greater levels of additional subsidy or a smaller amount of development, along with other risks, according to people briefed on the proposals. None fit the guidelines of what the city was seeking, and the Related-Sterling plan lays the ground for a larger overall development—sandwiching Citi Field—if completed.

[J. Will]

What a mess. After reading today's WSJ and NYT articles, it's obvious the original vision won't be realized for decades, if ever. And it sounds like they are going to replace the junkyards with "interim" surface parking lots.

[NYguy]

^ Only a portion. Keep in mind that the whole thing is to be done in stages over different parts. But yeah, part of the first phase involves creating new parking (supposedly topped by a park) and a cleanup of the land before they can build anything (like housing) on it. That area is such a mess that the City was having a hard time getting developers to commit to the cleanup. As it is, penalties will fall into pace if the timeframe isn't met. The temporary parking is to replace the parking lot west of CitiField where they are building a mall. Shopping malls may not sound attractive, but really, they can build a giant Ihop and Holiday Inn there, and it would still be better than the mess it currently is. Since the owners of the Mets are involved, it's also in their interests to get this done, and not keep the surrounding area of the stadium as a construction zone deterrent to fans.


http://observer.com/2012/05/17/the-r...willets-point/
The Real Problem With Willets Point






By Matt Chaban 5/17

A reader sends along this thoughtful critique of the problems inherent in the latest plans for Willets Point: What a horrible idea. A parking lot and a mall? That neighborhood is a mess already, though. Just a few hundred feet from the bay in one direction and Flushing Meadows in the other, and they’re both nearly impossible to access. It should be a wonderful spot to hang out before a ballgame, and instead it’s just a tangle of highways. Thank you, Robert Moses.

It’s a very interesting point, and perhaps points to a better way forward for this forlorn corner of the city. After all, just look at this picture. A giant parking lot on one side, a giant (though very vibrant) pit on the other. All of it surrounded by a mess of highways, just beyond, lush lawns and open water. Indeed, this was the fine work of Robert Moses, master of the World(‘s Fair), so it makes sense that roads are bisecting and bifurcating everything, keeping the various masses, washed and unwashed, from crossing paths.

But this has been less the prerogative of this mayor, thankfully, which is why the decision to go all cars-n-malls—yes, even in Queens—makes so little sense. This is still a dense area, one well-served by mass-transit, one begging for improvement. The proposal for two huge malls actually makes the original plan conceived by the mayor five years ago, to build an actual neighborhood here, look even more impressive than it already did. Something new, with plenty of jobs and affordable housing, maybe even a convention center. Now, instead, Queens is getting more suburban development, when it deserves better. As our reader points out, wouldn’t it be nice to extend the park all the way up, doubling it in size? Here is a place where capping some railyards would make sense—push the development to the edges, and open up the rest. Madison Square Garden has no parking, and it gets along fine.

There is the added advantage that the expense of remediation and infrastructure to build up Willets Point to where it needs to be—it’s seven feet below the flood plane in some places—would be considerably cheaper were it to be turned into a park rather than streets and homes and shopping malls. Instead, we sell it off to the highest bidder, and do their bidding at that, so that the development might commence cost-free. We already know that is how the administration likes to do business.