Monserrate, Katz push for Willets approval, housing deal announced, Tully close

Former Borough President Claire Shulman Hugs Hiram Monserrate after he announces his support for the Willets Point redevelopment

City Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) and Land Use Committee Chairwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills), who have both been critical of the city’s plan to redevelop Willets Point, enthusiastically threw their support behind the project Wednesday after a historic deal on affordable housing was reached late Tuesday night.

The Queens Council members announced their backing for the project alongside Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber and former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, who said they expect the majority of the City Council to approve the project Thursday afternoon.

“This is a project for the people,” Monserrate said. “Everyone wins with this project.”

An agreement on the affordable housing  element was struck late Tuesday night which will guarantee that 35 percent of the 5,500 housing units proposed for the Willets Point redevelopment will be available to families earning less than $60,000 per year.

In addition, 800 of the affordable housing units will be set aside for families earning between $23,000 and $46,000 per year, the most that has ever been included in a New York City project.

Bloomberg also said Tully Construction and Tully Environmental, the largest landowners at Willets Point, had agreed in principle to sell their land to the city, which would give the city control of more than 50 percent of the land if finalized.  Eminent domain, however, remains a possibility.

Bloomberg and Quinn spoke confidently at the news conference, held in the Red Room of City Hall Wednesday afternoon, that the controversial project would be approved by the City Council without much opposition Thursday.

“We’ve gotten to the point the vast majority of my colleagues will support Melinda, Hiram  and I,” Quinn said.
Monserrate has been one of the fiercest critics of the proposal, but there was little evidence of this Wednesday.  The newly elected state senator called Bloomberg and Lieber “visionaries” for proposing the project and said it was necessary for the future of Queens’ and New York City’s economy.

“I don’t think we can afford not to take on this project,” he said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at the news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Bloomberg said the negotiations with Monserrate were painstaking at times, but a necessary part of the democratic process.

“It has not been easy – we’ve had to convince him.  But that’s what we should do with something like this,” Bloomberg said.

The major added that projects like the redevelopment of Willets Point should not be avoided during tough economic times, pointing out that the ambitious undertaking is expected to generate 18,000 construction jobs and more than 5,000 permanent jobs if approved.

“Just because we’re in an economic downturn doesn’t mean we’re going to walk away from our long-term responsibilities,” Bloomberg said. “The city did that in the 70s and it was a near disaster.”

Affordable Housing

As I reported earlier today, the affordable housing deal will guarantee that 35 percent of the 5,500 housing units — or about 1,900 — will be earmarked for families earning less than $60,000 per year.  Of those, 800 units will be set aside for families earning between $23,000 and $46,000 per year.

The negotiations on affordable housing element were ongoing for weeks, at times going on at City Hall past midnight, before a deal was struck at about 11 p.m. last night. The 800 units guaranteed for families of four earning under $46,000 per year is the most in that income bracket in city history, according to the Queens for Affordable Housing Coalition, who participated in negotiations.

“This is a deal that hits the very fabric of who I am,” Monserrate said. “I think that’s a champion move by the administration.”

Eminent Domain

The specter of eminent domain still exists for the Willets Point project, though Monserrate said he hopes it will not be necessary.

Lieber said a deal has been reached in principle with Tully Environmental and Tully Construction, which own nine acres of land at Willets Point.

“We still have to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s, but we expect it to get done,” Lieber said.

If the deal is finalized the city will have reached acquisition agreements with 14 land owners who control just over 50 percent of the 48 acres of privately owned land at the site.  More than 60 land owners — comprised of about a dozen owner-occupants and 50 landlords — still have not reached agreements with the city.

Lieber stressed Wednesday that negotiations will continue if the City Council approves the project. Eminent Domain will still be on the table and at the city’s disposal, however, if it does not have agreements with all the land owners by the time it signs a contract with a developer — which it said could occur by late 2009.

“Having the threat of emiment domain there gets everyone focused,” Bloomberg said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t negotiate fair deals.”

The Willets Point Industry and Realty Association, a coalition of some of the largest businesses at Willets Point, issued a statement reminding the city that not everyone has signed on to the city’s plan.

“While the city may claim they control the majority of the land, many substantial businesses and many members within our group still have not begun or concluded negotiations,” the statement said. “We feel the announcement today on agreements reached at Willets Point are premature and we urge all those involved to continue to negotiate in good faith to reach fair and equitable deals, and to minimize the city’s use of eminent domain.”