Borough President Helen Marshall approved a special permit that would pave the way for a mega mall near Citi Field.
Marshall gave developers Sterling Equities and Related Companies the thumbs up on July 2 to move parking for Citi Field to Willets Point. The joint venture ultimately needed the permit to construct a 1.4 million-square-foot shopping center west of the baseball stadium.
Community Board 7 gave its green light in May, but both the board and borough president had conditions for their endorsements.
They said the joint venture must keep surrounding communities and leaders informed of the project’s progress and traffic problems that arise.
The city and the facility’s developer must also fulfill written commitments they made, which include funding traffic mitigation measures, building a 1,000-seat K-8 public school, giving $1.87 million to the Willets Point
Infrastructure and Traffic Mitigation Fund and hiring locally.
Marshall said the $3 billion project would provide 7,100 permanent jobs and generate more than $310 million in tax revenue.
Among the speakers at Marshall’s June 6 public hearing, 20 people opposed the project and two others were in favor of it.
Community Board 3 voted 31-1 against the application on May 13.
The project awaits the Department of City Planning, which held a public hearing July 10 but did not make a recommendation as of press time.
The City Council is expected to meet August 21 to give the final vote.
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