Apparently, all land use fights do, in fact, have the same conclusion.
After months of negotiation, lobbying, threats, protests, counter-protests and a fair bit of grandstanding, the Bloomberg administration has reached a deal with key members of the City Council to approve a redevelopment of Willets Point, the industrial area by Citi Field in Queens.
The Willets Point plan, which calls for the development of 5,500 apartments in the place of a district filled with car repair shops, had been one of the few major developments marked by legitimate uncertainty over whether or not the Council would give its approval. The local councilman, Hiram Monserrate, had been strong in his opposition to the administration’s plan, vowing he would vote against it without major changes to the affordable housing numbers and a hike in the number of land deals with the existing property owners. read more »
