After nearly two years on the sideline, one of the biggest development projects in Queens is on the verge of taking a crucial step forward.
The Queens Courier has learned that Flushing Commons, a more than 1 million square foot, mixed-use development project at the site of the Municipal Lot 1 in downtown Flushing, will be certified by the Department of City Planning (DCP) on Monday, January 25, kicking off the seven-month Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).
“After a great deal of work in recent months to ensure that the Flushing Commons development plan will be an unqualified success and a positive addition to the Flushing community, we are excited and proud to be beginning the land use review process on January 25,” said Jamie Van Bramer, a spokesperson for Flushing Commons – a partnership of TDC Development and the Rockefeller Group.
“The plans we will be sharing with elected officials, the Community Board and numerous local stakeholders in the coming weeks both respect our original Flushing Commons vision and are wholly achievable within the challenging, ever-changing environment.”
The proposed project would include residential condominiums, new retail space and office space, possible hotel uses, a 1.5-acre public open space as well as create 1,600 parking spaces.
During a recent Community Board 7 meeting, representatives of the Flushing Commons project updated members of the community on some of the adjustments they have made to the project since they last presented to the community in April 2007. Among the highlights of the update included completing the draft Environmental Impact Statement, resolving design issues with the DCP and finalizing a deal with the Flushing YMCA to bring them into the development.
“Flushing Commons will be a vibrant, mixed-use LEED-certified urban center that will transform downtown Flushing as a destination for residents and visitors alike,” Van Bramer said.
Once the project is certified, it will begin the seven-month ULURP process that will start at Community Board 7 where there is likely to be lively debate on the specifics of the project.
After the Community Board issues its advisory recommendation on the project, it will go to the Queens Borough President’s Office then back to the City Planning Commission. If it receives approval, it would then be voted on by the City Council and ultimately go to the Mayor’s desk.
