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April 10, 2008
Willets Point property owners sue city
NY Daily News
by Jess Wisloski
Long-time NoLandGrab readers will remember Jess Wisloski, who cut her teeth covering the Atlantic Yards land grab and is now on the Willets Point beat.
Willets Point property owners filed a lawsuit against the city Wednesday, charging it has deliberately denied the area basic city services to grease the skids for condemnation.
About 150 business owners and their supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall to announce the federal case and to protest the city's plans to redevelop the gritty 60-acre industrial swath known as the Iron Triangle.
...Eight City Council members backed the protesters Wednesday and denounced the city's negotiating tactics, which the business owners said have been in bad faith.
Mayoral hopeful Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who heads the Council's zoning committee, said he would refuse to approve any plans that would invoke eminent domain to develop something on the site other than a "good public purpose," such as a school or a highway.
"It is a completely different thing to take it and give it to another private individual, a developer, who will then turn around and make millions of dollars," Avella said. "We're here today to say, 'No.' Go back to the drawing board, Mr. Mayor."
More coverage:
The New York Times, Businesses in Potholed, Sewerless Queens District Sue the City
“Some of the photos you see behind me — you see floods, you wonder if this is New York City in 2008 or Baghdad after a few mortar rounds,” said Councilman Hiram Monserrate of Queens, whose district includes the area.
Councilman Eric N. Gioia, also of Queens, said the threat of eminent domain, even as a last resort, was “like walking into a negotiation, putting a gun on the table, and saying, ‘I’d like to strike a fair deal; I’ll only use the gun if I have to.’”
Newsday, Willets Point businesses sue over mayor's plan
Queens Times Ledger, Willets Pt. biz group to sue for infrastructure upgrades
Gothamist.com, Willets Point Locals Sue City Over Neglect
At a City Hall rally yesterday, Anthony Fodera, president of Fodera Foods Inc., told the Times that he’s “been there for 35 years; I have yet to see them fill a pothole.”
The Queens Courier, Willets Point businesses sue city
NY1, Ten Willets Point Landowners Sue The City
"This is our property," said Feinstein Ironworks Owner Dan Feinstein. "It's been in our family for generations. This is our legacy to our children and our grandchildren, and we're not going to allow this administration to steal it from us."
Posted by eric at April 10, 2008 3:15 PM