Project approved. Actually, project overwhelmingly approved.
On Thursday, July 29, the City Council voted 45-2 with zero abstentions in favor of the long-anticipated and sometimes controversial Flushing Commons development project.
“I think this is great win for Flushing,” said Michael Meyer, President of TDC Development, who is building the project with the Rockefeller Development Corporation. “Of course we’re happy for us, but I think more to the point I think it’s really a victory for the community. I think this is going to transform Flushing.”
Flushing Commons will be an $850 million, mixed-use, 1.1-million-square-foot, LEED-certified urban center with over 600 upscale residential condominiums, 275,000-square-feet of new retail space, hotel and/or office uses, a 1,600-space parking garage and a new state-of-the-art home for the Flushing YMCA.
The project is currently going though the Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) together with Macedonia Plaza, a proposed 140-unit all affordable housing project being developed by the Macedonia AME Church. The Macedonia Plaza project will be located in the northeast corner of Municipal Lot 1, adjacent to Flushing Commons.
“Flushing is one of the most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods not just in New York City but in the world, and today marks a major milestone in our efforts to build on that vibrancy and position Flushing for long-term economic growth,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been an ardent supporter of the project from its inception.
The overwhelming support of the City Council was not surprising after the Council’s Land Use Committee unanimously approved the plan the day before after reaching an agreement with the city that nearly tripled the amount of aid delivered to local businesses that would be impacted by the construction of the project.
The deal that includes a nearly $6 million “small business assistance” package with $2.25 million for marketing and advertising, up to $1.5 million in loan assistance, $200,000 in-kind contributions from the city’s Small Business Services (SBS) and $50,000 for signage to tell people how to get to the Union Street businesses.
It also extends the cap on parking rates to five years after construction is completed from the three years that was originally proposed. There are also plans in the works to provide 75 more parking spaces at Queens Crossing that could be used for the local Union Street businesses.
However, some of the local businesses were still upset and expressed their displeasure with the Council vote after the meeting.
“We are disappointed that the city and developer have failed to finalize a concrete and workable solution for our small businesses,” said Daniel Kung, Co-President of the Union Street Small Business Association.
Before construction begins at the site, the city will need to transfer the property at Municipal Lot 1 to the developer, which requires the majority approval of the Borough Board.
