When Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the city’s selection for the developer for the Municipal Lot 1 site, he called it “the biggest thing to happen to Flushing since the arrival of the Mets.”
Flushing Commons, a vibrant, $800 million, mixed-use development center, which is a joint venture of TDC Development & Construction Group and the Rockefeller Group Development Corporation, is expected to open in 2011 and transform the Downtown Flushing area.
“The overarching benefit is that this project will really transform Downtown Flushing,” said Michael Meyer, President of TDC Development & Construction Group. “With the mixture of uses we’re providing, along with the creation of an amazing new ‘village green,’ we really are going to see a total transformation of the entire area.”
The project will reconstruct the site of the Municipal Lot 1 in Downtown Flushing into a mixed-use site complete with 325,000 square feet of national and local retail shops, restaurants, a movie theater, a 130,000 square foot hotel, 80,000 square feet of office space and 500 condominiums that vary in size from studios to three bedrooms.
In addition, the development will include 1.43 acres of public open space, 50,000 square feet devoted to community facilities and a 1,600-space parking garage, which provides 50 percent more parking spaces than currently available at the Municipal Lot.
While the development will add a number of community facilities, it will also have a dramatic positive impact on the Flushing economy.
The project will provide 2,600 construction jobs, 1,800 full and part-time permanent jobs as well as pour in $863 million in total economic output from construction and $382 million in annual economic output from operations. Meyer also said that the household residents at the development would pump an estimated $17 million per year into the local economy.
After consultation with local elected officials, community board representatives and neighborhood leaders, the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) selected the developers for this project back in July of 2005 from the 13 groups that submitted proposals.
Although increased construction costs have caused the developers to make slight alterations to the plans, the spirit and purpose of the project remains unchanged, and area leaders realize its importance.
“It is my hope after all the negotiations and all of the agreements are made that this project will go forward because it is very important for the future of downtown Flushing,” said former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman. “I think the borough of Queens is the future of the city of New York. I think we are taking primary interest away from the borough of Manhattan.”
Since its selection and continuing through today, the developers have reached out to the community to keep them abreast of their plans as well as to solicit feedback. In response, a number of longtime residents, community groups and business people have spoken out in favor of the project and believe it is critical for the area.
“We are at the moment in history where we have the chance to make history and upgrade the image of Flushing,” said Flushing Chamber of Commerce President Myra Baird Herce. “I always say as citizens we are supposed to leave our town better than we found it, and this project will make Flushing an international city where folks from the Mets games and tennis matches would say, ‘wow this is a great place to go.’”
Providing a new Town Square for Flushing
While the Flushing area continues to undergo major development projects, there has never been an identifiable ‘town square.’ Now, with the Flushing Commons development, that will no longer be the case.
Plans call for a beautifully designed, centrally landscaped public plaza and planted green opening on 138th Street, which will provide the neighborhood with an outdoor venue for community-sponsored cultural events and performances to take place.
In addition, Meyer said that it would give the people of Flushing, as well as visitors to the area, a beautiful place to congregate and really enjoy Flushing in a way they cannot now.
The Partners
One of the unique aspects of the Flushing Commons project is the partnership between TDC Development & Construction Group and the Rockefeller Group Development Corporation.
The Rockefeller Group is a national owner, developer and manager of prestigious commercial real estate properties including corporate headquarters, landmark properties, multi-use urban complexes, multinational distribution facilities, suburban business parks and foreign trade zones. It currently has approximately 17 million square feet of projects in varying states of development in California, Florida, New Jersey and Manhattan and manages an additional 7.7 million square feet of office and retail space on the western side of Rockefeller Center.
Meanwhile, throughout its 20-year history, TDC has been involved in the development of over 5 million square feet of hotel, commercial, office and residential space in the New York metropolitan area, primarily in Manhattan and Queens. Based in Flushing, TDC is committed to the long-term vision of a revitalized downtown that includes modern development concepts as well as a distinct visual connection to the rich history of the area.
“TDC has the local presence and experience while the Rockefeller Group brings national experience in mixed-use developments.” said Rick Sondik, Vice President for the Rockefeller Group. “Our two company’s respective strengths have meshed very well, and we’re working extremely well together.”
In addition, TDC has already invested in Flushing with the development of Queens Crossing. Designed by world-renowned architects and engineers, the Thornton Tomasetti Group, Queens Crossing is a destination for shopping, food, entertainment, education, medical and business services unlike any other building in Flushing and is a critical component in the city’s renaissance vision for Flushing.
The Future
As the plans for Flushing Commons continue to go through the public review process, the developers are continuing to reach out to the community.
Meyer made a presentation at the Flushing Chamber of Commerce last month where community members had the opportunity to review and publicly comment on the plans, and the developers plan to meet with the Queens Chamber of Commerce, a business organization that represents more than 1,300 businesses.
The developers expect to begin the Uniformed Land Use Review Process (ULURP) during the fall of this year and hope to complete that process within seven months from its inception.
After receiving the necessary approval, construction would begin during the fall of 2008 with the project opening in the spring of 2011.
“It’s going to have a huge impact in terms of Flushing,” Meyer said. “It is really going to be an agent for change and transformation of the area.”
