Willets Point , also known locally as Iron Triangle , is an industrial estate within Corona, in the Queens region of New York City. It is located east of Citi Field near the Flushing River, known for its auto shops and junkyards, and has a population of 10 people in 2011.
The proposal to re-develop the Willets Point began after World War II, but gained full appeal in 2007. The members of the New York City Council and some of the county's inhabitants strongly opposed the original plan, which led to several years of lawsuits. In 2011, the city began a $ 4 billion redevelopment project to start building retail shopping centers, residential buildings with a combined 3,000 units, entertainment complex, and public schools. The New York City Economic Development Plan to rebuild the area was approved in 2013, and the disassembly of Willets Point's industrial estate begins in 2016.
The new construction was initially opened in phases between 2018 and 2032. However, the redevelopment plan was changed after a New York state court blocked the construction of a shopping center. This development was reapproved in February 2018.
Video Willets Point, Queens
Description
Willets Point is bordered by Northern Boulevard to the north, 126th Street and Citi Field to the west, Roosevelt Avenue and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the south, and Flushing River to the east. Mets-Willets Point Station New York City Subway, serving trains 7 and & lt; 7 & gt; , located near the southwest corner of the area, on Roosevelt Avenue and 126th Street. Environment is part of Queens Community Board 7.
Willets Point is largely categorized for industrial activities. It has no sidewalks or ditches in 2013, and due to the geography of the area and the lack of paved roads in the area, floods are common during heavy rains. This area consists mostly of car workshops, yards, waste processing sites, and similar small businesses. It has been described as "post-apocalyptic" in appearance. A Hunter College study in April 2006 found that Willets Point was a "unique regional destination" for auto parts and repair, and that 225 businesses in the area employed a combined 1,400 to 1,800 people at the time. The concentration of this auto repair shop produces the nickname "Iron Triangle" in the area.
It has a population of 10 people in 2011.
Maps Willets Point, Queens
History
The area is named after the Willets Point Boulevard section located west of Flushing Creek, which flows north through the area. Willets Point Boulevard once crossed the now destroyed bridge at Flushing Creek and continues into Cape Willets Point, at the East River and Long Island Sound meetings. The true Willes Point is a Fort Totten site near Bayside, but during the 20th century it became commonplace to apply the name "Willets Point" (derived from the road, rather than geographical features) to this area instead. The name of the neighborhood, the street, and the cape were all from the Willets family, whose land was bought by the government in 1857 to build Fort Totten (originally called "Fort at Willets Point").
At the end of World War II, Willets Point was known as an auto junk area. Since then, several redevelopment plans for Willets Point have been proposed, but have never been implemented. Prior to the 1964 New York World Expo, Robert Moses tried to put Willets Point into Flushing Meadows-Corona Park but failed when the junkyard owner hired Mario Cuomo as their lawyer. The Shea Stadium, the multipurpose stadium at Willets Point, opened in 1964, the same year as the World Exhibition.
After the New York Jets left Shea Stadium at the end of the 1983 season to play in Meadowlands, Willets Point was the proposed location for a new 82,000-seat soccer stadium that would bring the Jets back to New York. After the Jets decided to remain in New Jersey, the proposed stadium was also discussed as a potential new home for St. Louis Cardinals of NFL, Atlanta Falcons, and General New Jersey. In the 1990s, the New York Mets were looking to replace the progressive Shea Stadium.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg began planning for the re-development of Willets Point in 2002. Citi Field was originally proposed as part of a city bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, which was filed in 2005. Willets Point is supposed to contain athlete housing. Although New York City lost the bid to London, plans for Citi Field continued. After the completion of Citi Field, Shea Stadium was demolished in 2009. Since 2009, the environment has been discussed as a potential site for New York Islanders to move to, as well as the Major League Soccer team.
Redevelopment
Initial proposal and controversy
On May 1, 2007, Mayor Bloomberg announced his government's new plans for urban renewal in the area. The plan is called to replace burial sites and industrial sites with sustainable and affordable mixed development including convention centers, 5,500 housing units, 1.7 million square feet (0.16 ÃÆ'â € 10 Ã, m 2 ) from retail, 130,000 square feet (12,000m 2 ) for schools, 500,000 square feet (46,000 m 2 ) office space, 150,000 square feet (14,000 m 2 ) Community facilities, such as as well as environmental remediation, installation of sewers and other infrastructure, and previous business relocation. Willets Point will create more than 5,300 permanent jobs and add 18,000 construction jobs.
On April 9, 2008, Willets Point Industry and Realty Association (WPIRA), a group of 10 largest business owners and landowners at Willets Point, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York against New York City seeking a court order requiring City to provide infrastructure improvements, including road improvements and storm sewers, sanitary sewer installations, streetlights, road signs and other services allegedly kept secret by the City for more than 40 years, as well as no specific damage due to past negligence. Judge Edward R Korman granted City's move to rescind the lawsuit on 25 November 2009.
On April 21, 2008, a majority of New York City Council members expressed their "persistent opposition" to the proposed redevelopment of The Point Willets in writing to Robert Lieber, New York's Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. The letter "adamant opposition" was signed by 29 members of the City Council. Three days later, Queens elected officials, various union members and others rallied at a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall. The meeting supports City to move forward with the proposed Willets Point development. Rally led by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. Also present were state senators Frank Padavan and Toby Ann Stavisky and Assembly Members Nettie Mayersohn, former President of Queens Borough Claire Shulman and Queen of Chancellor of President Al Pennisi who spoke of the important role that development will play in the Queens business community.
On 30 June 2008, the plan was approved on various terms by Queens Community Board 7 and by the Town Planning Commission on September 24, 2008. The City Council held an open hearing on the plan on 17 October and voted on 13 November 2008. to approve the rebuilding plan, which includes the use of potential leading domains to acquire properties. Some property owners have vowed to try to stop the plan through litigation, while others voluntarily sold their property to the City during the fall of 2008 to avoid forcibly taking their property through leading domains and relocation by New York City Economic Development Corporation.. On July 31, 2009, the Corporations announced plans to invest $ 100 million into an infrastructure project in Queens that would include development at Willets Point.
In March 2009, Joseph Ardizzone, the only Willets Point resident at the time, as well as several local businesses filed another lawsuit in state court. The new suit challenges City's approval of the development plan and argues that the plan has undergone an inadequate environmental review. The allegations emerged in 2009 that the City of New York and the Economic Development Company had funded undue funds to an organization lobbying the City Council to support Willets Point's development plan. In May 2010, the New York City Department of Transport opened a new Municipal Asphalt Factory on Harper Street, on the north side of Willets Point.
Packages approved by City Council
In 2011, a $ 4 billion redevelopment project began. The following year, the city changed the agreement to include a mall with 200 stores, as well as housing construction of 2,500 units, of which 875 would be affordable housing. This led to a change in public opinion, and many original proponents of the project came to oppose the mall. An additional draft environmental impact statement (EIS) was published on March 15, 2013, and the final EIS was issued on 9 August. At FEIS approval, the rebuild area consists of four parking lots around Citi Field, as well as the "Willets Point Special Area" which consists of triangular areas where most industries are located. On 9 October of the same year, the City Council approved the Willet Point rebuilding plan.
In phase 1A of the plan, which is expected to be completed by 2018, a 200-room hotel will be built alongside a 30,000-square-foot retail area (2,800m 2 ), linked by an esplanade on 126th Street. There will be a parking space while 2,825 places east of the hotel and retail area, which will be a recreational event for at least half a year. Meanwhile, one of Citi Field's western parking lots will be demolished to make room for a mall with 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m 2 ) of open retail space and up to 200 stores including anchors. This mall will include a food court, a cinema, and a new parking structure of 2,900 places. The parking structure of 1,800 other places will replace the 640-spot western spot at Citi Field South Lot south of Roosevelt Avenue. Even after Phase 1A is completed, there will still be some of the Willets Point triangle for automotive and industrial use.
Stage 1B plan will take another ten years to be built, and will be completed by 2028. While 2,825 lot places will be gradually rebuilt to 4,230,000 square feet (393,000 m 2 ) of "housing construction , retail, additional hotels, offices, parking, and community facilities ", as well as public schools and 6 hectares (2.4 hectares) parks. The eastern portion of South Lot, as well as Lot D in the east, will be replaced by two parking structures of 6 floors. Proposal for Stage 1B will follow the same zoning map as in Phase 1A. As in Stage 1A, the smaller part of the Willets Point triangle is fixed for automotive and industrial use. Since the roads in this part of the redevelopment project are sloping downward, the construction of Phase 1B will also be assessed downward towards the environmental industry section. The Van Wyck Expressway will also have two new access points to serve Stage 1B. The city allocates $ 66 million from their budget for the design and construction of new ramps.
Housing will be built as part of the second phase of the project, which will be completed by 2032. There will be 2,490 housing units, of which 35% or 1,000 units will be affordable. However, in FEIS 2013, EDC stipulates that there may be up to 5,850 housing units, which will comprise 5,850,000 square feet (543,000 m 2 ) space. There will also be 1,250,000 square feet (116,000 m 2 ) of retail space; 500,000 square feet (46,000 m 2 ) office space; 400,000 square feet (37,000m 2 ) room for a new convention center; 560,000 square feet (52,000 m 2 ) for hotels or hotels with a combined 700 rooms; 150,000 square feet (14,000 m 2 ) for community centers; 230,000 square feet (21,000 m 2 ) for public schools; and 8 hectares (3.2 hectares) park. Parking will also be expanded to 6,700 spaces on request. Lot B, located between Citi Field and Roosevelt Avenue, will likely have retail areas, parking lots and a 10-storey office building. This will significantly change the zoning for the area, but will also bring more economic activity to Flushing and Corona.
Changes to plot
In 2014, Bill de Blasio replaces Michael Bloomberg as mayor of New York City. He opposes the rebuilding plan due to the lack of affordable housing, but the City Council approved the project by 2015. State Senator Tony Avella and a small community group demanded to stop the mall being built. In June 2015, the state court ruled that the mall could not be built in the parking lot at Willets Point. The developers filed a lawsuit, but the city authorities refused to join the appeal.
At the end of July 2016, the latest repair workshops between 38th and Roosevelt Avenues have been closed and demolition has begun in development, now worth US $ 4 billion. Most Willets Give points to business owners, either out of business or move to Hunts Point, Bronx. The actual construction in the Phase 1 shopping area was stopped by a 2015 lawsuit, which was filed to prevent retail areas from being built in some environments that are legally part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The lawsuit does not preclude any other parts of Phase 1A being built. The New York Supreme Court, which began to hear arguments in April 2017, voted against building a mall on June 6.
In February 2018, de Blasio's administration and developers reached an agreement in which 1,100 lower and middle-grade apartments, a 450-pupil school, a park, and 6 hectares (2.4 ha) of retail space will be built. The new plan does not include the mall, like the original plan. Under the agreement, the developers of the Related Company are expected to clear all toxic materials from Willets Point by 2020, and the first 500 apartments are expected to open by 2022.
In popular culture
The "Ashes Valley" described in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby is said to be inspired by the former exile (now the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park location) at Willets Point. The 2007 movie Chop Shop was also filmed and installed in this neighborhood. The dramatic 2010 Willards Point film, directed by T. J. Collins, is set in the neighborhood.
The 2018 documentary The Iron Triangle , directed by Prudence Katze and William Lehman, illustrates the history behind the ever-growing destruction of the environment.
References
External links
- Official website
- REVIEW WILLTS POINT Reviews Environment. New York City Economic Development Corporation. March 2013.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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