By James DeWeese
They made the announcement during a Queens Chamber of Commerce breakfast at Terrace on the Park at which they said the project would generate 5,000 construction jobs and more than 2,000 permanent ones.The project, Muss representatives said, would also generate $2.5 million in new tax revenue each year. The complex will be built along the Flushing waterfront at the corner of College Point Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue at the site of a former Con Edison facility.For the 1,000 apartments, the developers plan to construct a 2,650-spot parking lot. Muss representatives announced their plan at a breakfast where Mayor Michael Bloomberg extolled economic development throughout the borough. Bloomberg was expected to announce the Muss project but did not mention it in his remarks. Speaking at the breakfast, Borough President Helen Marshall said the project fits into a larger scheme of development in Flushing.”This substantial project will help anchor smaller local businesses by generating new economic activity and encouraging visitors from other communities,” Marshall said. “This is an outstanding new development for Queens and the entire metropolitan area.”A substantial portion of the Flushing waterfront was rezoned in the late 1990s to accommodate commercial and residential development as part of a master plan to revamp the industrial district west of downtown Flushing.In the fall of 2003, the city unveiled a study that included the development of Municipal Lot 1, which is in the design stage now; the reconstruction of Willets Point for which the Economic Development Corp. is currently soliciting ideas; and the revitalization of the primarily industrial Flushing Creek waterfront.When completed, the redevelopment of western Flushing would create a livable waterfront between the downtown area and Shea Stadium.The Muss Development project marks the first significant step toward adding commercial and residential properties west of downtown Flushing. Stores in the complex could open as early as fall 2007. The first apartments are slated to open in spring 2008. Representatives for Muss Development said there are plans to include affordable housing in the six-building complex, but those details had not yet been worked out. Marshall said her only complaint with the project is that most of the apartments are going to be market rate.Officials plan to break ground on the $600 million project this year after the environmental clean-up of the 14-acre brownfield is completed.Cynthia Koons contributed to the story.Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
