WILLETS POINT PASSES

The Willets Point Redevelopment project has gotten a lot of attention in these Op-Ed and Editorial pages over the past year and we are extremely happy that on Thursday, November 13 the long journey to approval ended with a positive vote in the City Council.
After months of negotiations, protests and public hearings, the city’s plan for the revitalization of the 60-acre site, so long forgotten and such an eyesore to the entire borough, finally received the green light.
The vote in the City Council chambers indicated a strongly aligned agreement to go forward with the $3 billion mega-development project with 42 councilmembers voting in favor of the project, two voting against it, one abstaining and six of the 51 council members were absent.
This project will bring 1 million square feet of retail shops and restaurants, 500,000 square feet of office space, 5,500 units of housing - of which fully 35 percent to be affordable housing with some of those units to be set aside for low-income residents too - and a convention center.
In the end even the most vocal opponent, City Councilmember Hiram Monserrate stood with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and said, “This is the most affordable affordability project we have ever undertaken. This is a victory for the people of New York.”
We agree with his analysis and we hope that the holdouts at the site and city can reach agreement to allow this job-producing project to begin as soon as possible.