Willets Point business reaches agreement

Even before Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the term limits extension bill into law on Monday, November 3, increased efforts on the part of his administration were underway to rev up support for the controversial Willets Point redevelopment project.
This week, the administration announced a major agreement with House of Spices - one of the larger businesses in Willets Point - and a number of other agreements are imminent, according to a spokesperson for Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Lieber.
For more than a year, members of the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) have been talking about its plans for the approximately 60-acre site that includes 1 million square feet of retail shops and restaurants, 500,000 square feet of office space, 5,500 units of housing and a convention center.
The proposal, which requires the City Council to approve zoning changes, has been met by criticism from a number of Council representatives because the city has not reached agreements with a majority of the current property owners at the site. If the city does not acquire all of the land, it is threatening to use eminent domain in order to take the rest of the property, which has drawn the ire of many councilmembers.
In addition, a number of the businesses and workers in Willets Point are continuing to protest, saying that the city has not negotiated fairly with them, and they vow to continue fighting up until the City Council hearing on November 12, at which time a vote could take place.
“With their redevelopment plan in jeopardy, a week before the final City Council vote, the city is now motivated to strike deals with the businesses,” the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association (WPIRA), a group of property owners against the project, said in a statement. “Let’s be clear - we are not ‘holdouts,’ and we have always encouraged our members to work with the city to try to negotiate a deal that is fair and equitable, but let’s not kid ourselves, we wouldn’t be having these discussions with the city if the threat of eminent domain wasn’t on the table.”
Meanwhile, the city also recently announced a new auto-related training and job placement program that will be free to all workers at Willets Point.
The program designed by the Consortium for Worker Education will allow workers to participate in more than 500 courses, including automotive and truck repair, as well as non-auto-related classes in computer operation and repair and pre-vocational training. Participants will also have access to the consortium’s network of job placement and job referral services.
“Many workers at Willets Point who provide auto-related services now may lack the training necessary to perform advanced automotive repairs, fix hybrid cars or provide dealership technician services,” Bloomberg said.