Willets Point hearing raises concerns

At a hearing that lasted well over three hours, more than 100 Willets Point workers and business owners filled the city council chambers hoping to hear definitive answers about the city’s development project, but instead, they left with the same disdain for the city and its plans to develop their land.
New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Robert Lieber testified and answered questions from councilmembers for more than one hour about the progress EDC has made in negotiations with landowners at the site.
“It was a great speech, but it had no content, and it was all theatrical,” said Daniel Feinstein, President of Feinstein Ironworks, whose business has been in Willets Point since 1931.
During the November 29 joint hearing conducted by the council’s economic development and land use committee, Lieber said that EDC is making a concerted effort to meet with the businessowners and landowners about their needs as well as possible relocation destinations.
“We have made a significant effort certainly since April to meet frequently and regularly as much as we can with these businesses,” Lieber testified.
Yet, Feinstein said that representatives from EDC have only met individually with his organization once, and he said the same is true for the other nine members of the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association (WPIRA), a group consisting of the 10 largest land/business owners in the area.
The city wants to develop the current 60-acre site, commonly referred to as the “Iron Triangle,” which officials described as blighted and environmentally contaminated, and transform it into a site complete with more than 1 million square feet of retail shops and restaurants, 500,000 square feet of office space, 5,500 units of housing, a school, hotel and convention center.
However, 250 businesses and more than 1,300 employees currently occupy the site. The city recently chose LaGuardia Community College’s Adult and Continuing Education to develop an 18-month workforce assistance plan for the workers in the area.
During the hearing, councilmembers expressed concern about two specific issues - the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and the use of eminent domain.
The city’s plans call for ULURP process to begin February - prior to selecting a developer for the project, which is a formula that is inconsistent with how major development projects usually occur throughout the city.
Some councilmembers expressed concern about this methodology saying it would take away some of the council’s involvement in the process.
“The fear that I have now is that as we move forward and we do the ULURP first, I’m not sure the mechanism would be in place to ensure community involvement,” said City Councilmember Melinda Katz, who chairs the council’s land use committee.
However, EDC officials said that they would continue to include the council in the process and said a special zoning designation for the entire site was necessary for the project to move forward.
“We also need to retain a certain amount of flexibility to allow that when we ultimately go to the developer that we have a plan that is rigid enough to be enforceable, but also isn’t a straight jacket for future development,” said EDC Vice President Tom McKnight.
Meanwhile if the council approves the ULURP before a developer is selected, it would also give the city the option of using eminent domain - allowing the city to acquire property for public use as well as the legitimate interests of private property owners, local communities and the quality of the environment.
“All we asked the city was to take eminent domain off the table and make us part of the process, and let’s see how we can get something done,” Feinstein said.
Although EDC officials maintain that eminent domain would be a last resort, a number of councilmembers raised serious concerns about having eminent domain included in the discussions at all.
“Eminent domain is the equivalent of walking into a negotiation and putting a gun on the table, and saying we’re going to offer you this and if you don’t take this, we’re going to take the gun out,” said Queens Councilmember Eric Gioia.
Councilmember Tony Avella, who chairs the council’s zoning committee delivered harsher words for EDC.
“As chairman of the zoning committee, unless you take care of the businesses - either you finally reach an agreement with them that does not involve eminent domain or you incorporate them into the plan - you are not getting my vote,” Avella said.
Katz and Lieber both acknowledged there was a lot to do before beginning the ULURP.
“We still have a lot of work to do here to be sure to certify it in February outreach to owner occupants,” Lieber testified. “We want to increase the pace of the dialogue taking place here.”