Board 4 Hears Of ULURP For Willets Point
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Shulman, who left office in 2001, said she met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg almost a year ago about Willets Point and was asked to help with the development plan.

The plan to redevelop Willets Point is almost ready for prime time. "The city is preparing a ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) that will be presented in January or February," former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman said at the November meeting of Community Board 4. "Everybody would love to see Willets Point developed because it's been such an eyesore."

Shulman, who left office in 2001, said she met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg almost a year ago about Willets Point and was asked to help with the development plan. She was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation (LDC) last March.

Some 40 of the site's 60 acres are included in the development plan, which includes a 400,000- square-foot convention center, a 700-room hotel, 5,000 units of housing, a school and a park, as well as retail and office space. "It is a contained community," said Shulman.

Now in the pre-certification stage at the Department of City Planning, the plan will require a vote by the local community planning board within 180 days of its presentation by the city.

Once the plan is approved by the local community board, the borough president and the city council, the city will pick a developer, probably next year at this time, said Shulman. Currently, there are about seven developers vying for the project.

Asked how long it will take to complete, Shulman replied, "You're looking at a very big project. You're probably looking at a build-out of 2015 to 2017. But if you don't start it, it'll never happen."

Bloomberg is a strong supporter of the plan. The goal is to get it underway before the end of his term in 2009, Shulman said. "(Mayor Bloomberg) really wants to do this and I think it's a great thing - not only for Queens but for the whole City of New York."

"The only people who don't want Willets Point developed are the people currently on [the] site," Shulman said. "You can't blame them. They want to stay there."

Shulman is hopeful there won't be any need for eminent domain. "The city is now negotiating, so everybody gets a fair deal," she said. "Whatever [businesses] can be moved or relocated, will be. The city is making every effort."

Shulman also said a request for proposals (RFP) has recently been issued by the city for approximately 1,000 displaced workers at Willets Point. "What they will try to do is retrain them and get them their GED (high school equivalency diplomas), she said.

Shulman said 20,000 temporary jobs and 6,000 permanent jobs will result from the redevelopment. "Most of these jobs will be taken by people who live here [Queens]."

In addition, "a good percentage" of the planned 5,000 units of housing will be affordable.

"What's a good percentage?" asked Board Member Judy D'Angelo.

"I believe it will be a pretty high percentage," said Shulman. "The real question is, what is your definition of affordable?"

Noting that the plan also includes a part of Flushing and Corona, Shulman said. "It is a significant improvement for the Borough of Queens and I would very much like the support of Planning Board 4."