Doctoroff Touts Willets Point Development

Dan Doctoroff returned to Queens last week to address members of the Flushing Chamber of Commerce & Business Association (FCCBA) about the continued development of Flushing, including what he referred to as “the granddaddy of them all” — the redevelopment of Willets Point.
Currently, the city has received 13 proposals to develop the area — some that will pour nearly $2 billion into the project — and shortly the list will be narrowed further for developers to compete in the Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
“We will pick a partner that we can all be proud of,” Doctoroff said.
Doctoroff, New York’s City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, recalled a time during the beginning of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s first term when Flushing residents and businesses felt that they were being ignored by the city.
Doctoroff met with Wellington Chen, Senior Vice President of the TDC Development and Construction Company, and other Flushing representatives to create a task force charged with constructing a plan for the development of downtown Flushing.
“More than anything else, the mayor recognizes that New York City is a city of communities,” Doctoroff said. “There is probably no community than I am prouder of what’s happened than Flushing.”
Since Bloomberg took office, there has been nearly $5 billion worth of investment in Flushing, according to Doctoroff, including selecting The Rockefeller Group and Michael Lee to develop Municipal Lot 1.
There is also a project planned to provide enhanced streetscape and pedestrian improvements for downtown Flushing.
In addition, Doctoroff also discussed plans for a new Mets stadium, which will be built at the site of the current Shea Stadium.
He said that plans are currently underway to begin construction by next spring, with the hopes that the stadium will be ready for the start of the 2009 season.
“The work that we have embarked on together is not done,” Doctoroff said.
pdavis@queenscourier.com