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opposed to the commercial encroachment of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
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TESTIFY AGAINST SHOPPING MALL IN THE PARK THIS MONDAY, MAY 13th

5/9/2013

 
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There will be a Community Board 7 public hearing this Monday night regarding Willets Point / Willets West mall.  The public is encouraged to testify.  This past Wednesday, the Land Use Committee of CB7 rejected the proposal with a "NO" in a landslide 7-2 vote, but the vote Monday is the one that counts.

What: Community Board 7 full board meeting
Date: Monday, May 13th
Meeting Time: 7:00pm
Place: Union Plaza Care Center, 33-23 Union Street, Flushing, NY 11354
Sign up to speak upon entering.

The application is being portrayed as a "minor amendment to the previously-approved project" -- but it obviously is not. The effect of the amendment is to nearly double the size of the project from 62 acres to 108.9 acres, and to prioritize the construction of a previously undisclosed 1.4 million square foot mall on public parkland that is presently a Citi Field parking lot. If you thought the original Willets Point development was a monstrosity, this is no comparison ...

The Queens Borough President and Community Board were promised a hand in selecting the developer for the project, but they were not consulted before Sterling/Related was chosen by the Bloomberg administration.  If they had been involved, perhaps a proposal that did not take public parkland would have been selected.
 
It also is not likely that the City Council will call up the project, hear testimony and publicly debate it.  Again, the project is being framed as just a "minor amendment to the previously-approved project," but the previously approved plan did not involve a mall, the Mets parking lot, or mapped parkland.
 
Here is an article from this week's Times Ledger newspaper, which reveals that the City and the developers are aware that parkland alienation is involved in this proposal: First Willets plan called for parkland swap.  Here also is a list of alternate proposals rejected by the City that would have spared parkland.

Testify against proposed FMCP Shopping Mall this Monday

4/6/2013

 
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There will be a Community Board 7 full board meeting on Monday night, which will offer an opportunity to address the board about Willets Point / Willets West mall, prior to committee meetings starting.  Please note that Willets Point is not on the agenda, but you may still speak about it during the public participation period.  (The project is expected to be on the agenda for the May 13th meeting, when you may also sign up to speak.)

What: Community Board 7 full board meeting
Date: Monday, April 8th
Meeting Time: 7:00pm
Public participation Time: 9:30pm (but may start earlier)
Place: Union Plaza Care Center, 33-23 Union Street, Flushing, NY 11354
Sign up to speak upon entering.

The first (and perhaps only) committee meeting on the matter will happen this Thursday.  There will be no public participation, but you may observe the discussion about the Willets Point project, which is on the agenda.

What: Community Board 7 buildings and zoning committee hearing
Date: Thursday, April 11th
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Union Plaza Care Center, 33-23 Union Street, Flushing, NY 11354
For observation only - no testimony accepted.

The application is being portrayed as a "minor amendment to the previously-approved project" -- but it obviously is not. The effect of the amendment is to nearly double the size of the project from 62 acres to 108.9 acres, and to prioritize the construction of a previously undisclosed 1.4 million square foot mall on public parkland that is presently a Citi Field parking lot. If you thought the original Willets Point development was a monstrosity, this is no comparison …

The Queens Borough President and Community Board were promised a hand in selecting the developer for the project, but they were not consulted before Sterling/Related was chosen by the Bloomberg administration.  If they had been involved, perhaps a proposal that did not take public parkland would have been selected.
 
It also is not likely that the City Council will call up the project, hear testimony and publicly debate it.  Again, the project is being framed as just a "minor amendment to the previously-approved project," but the previously approved plan did not involve a mall, the Mets parking lot, or mapped parkland.

Public testimony against development of FMCP

3/19/2013

 

Members of the public speak at Queens Community Board 7 in opposition to the proposed expansion of the United States Tennis Association's facility onto additional parkland within Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg also supports two other proposed projects that would sacrifice parkland: A proposed Major League Soccer stadium to be constructed on 13 acres of Flushing Meadows Corona Park; and a 1,400,000 square foot mall to be constructed on 30+ acres of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

CB7 votes yes, CB3 votes no, in committee votes on USTA plan

3/6/2013

 
Report of Monday's CB7 Parks Committee meeting courtesy of A Walk in the Park:
Last night Community Board 7's Park Committee overwhelmingly voted to approve the USTA's $ 500 million expansion. The approval was conditioned upon the tennis giant establishing a capital fund of $15 million and an annual maintenance fund of $ 300,000 to be used exclusively for Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. 

The board enacted the destroying parks in order to "Save Them" policy last night despite strong community opposition.  A flyer was circulated before the meeting reminding the board that is was the government responsibility to fund parks not private business.  Apparently they were not swayed. 

The Parks Committee voted 8 - 3 in favor of the USTA land grab becoming the first parks committee to give the green light for the controversial project.

For weeks CB 7 leadership have been pressing for the cash for public park land swap deal but this was the first time they put an actual price tag on it.   1st Vice Chairperson Chuck Apelian finally publically put a proposed number on the deal. 

Mr. Apelian and CB 7 Chair Eugene Kelty continued to push for extracting funds from the USTA for the park and formed much of the motion.  

The motion was approved with various conditions including discount access to USTA facilities for seniors and children.

The oversite of such a fund would include a member of each of the impacted community boards.

Minutes before the vote committee chair Kim O'Hanian said there's no point in voting "no", because Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and City Council Julissa Ferreras are going to vote "yes" anyway.

The prior CB7 parks committee meeting was adjourned without a vote, because the committee specifically wanted to know the dollar value that USTA places on the additional .68 acres of parkland that it is seeking to take and the amount they were will to commit. Once again the board did not receive those answers.
CB3's Parks Committee voted differently, but only after holding a meeting that they planned to keep closed to the public.  Again, from A Walk in the Park:
Various Community Board 3 committees voted to reject the USTA's  $ 500 million expansion on Tuesday night. 

A joint meeting of CB3 committees assigned to the proposel -  Parks,  Land Use, Transportation and Business Development,  voted 11 to 9 recommending no to the full board on the USTA application.  

The committees' no vote will be accompanied by an upcoming list of recommendations the CB wants but which the USTA has not committed. The list to going to be drafted between now and the full board meeting on March 14. The majority of committee members felt that a "No" recommendation will be taken more seriously when it came time for the elected officials to negotiate with USTA, than a "Yes" with conditions because the "Yes" is all that is noticed.

It is a violation of the Open Meeting Law to refuse to provide basic information regarding public meetings.
  
Three people called Community Board 3 to find out whether there was a meeting involving the USTA and whether or not there was going to be a vote.  All three were denied that information by CB employees including by the Chair person, Marta Lebreton, according to multiple sources.  The board refused to confirm or deny the scheduling of meeting and instead informed people of the March 14th meeting.

One employee said she was forbidden to give out the info and said she was  "not allowed to say."   This is very disturbing. 

Giovanna Reid, the board's District Manager confirmed at 4:59 -  90 minutes prior to the start - that the meeting was happening after receiving additional calls including from other media. 

I asked Ms. Reid if they were going to be voting at the meeting and she replied "no," twice.

When I replied that that was not accurate she suddenly changed her story and replied,

"Oh well yes that is the plan, they are going to vote," she said.

It was raised once again, although other committee meetings were listed on the website this one was not.
The City is desperate to get this plan passed by the Community Boards it oversees.  It will do anything - including violating the Open Meetings Law - to do so.  We're on it.

CB7 votes yes on USTA plan

3/5/2013

 
Last night, the Community Board 7 parks committee voted 8 - 3 in favor of the USTA land grab. More on this to come.

Who is playing "Let's Make A Deal?"

3/4/2013

 
We'll find out tonight...

CB7 USTA Parks Committee Flyer by

Ben Haber's testimony before Community Board 7

3/4/2013

 
Civic leader Ben Haber testifies during a meeting of Queens Community Board 7 held on February 11, 2013, in opposition to the proposed expansion of the United States Tennis Association in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Ben had been at the forefront of the unsuccessful fight to keep the USTA out of the park in the 1990s.  Here's one of his many letters to the editor from that time.  What's going on today is a rehash of the same old story of parkland alienation.

USTA Fails to Obtain CB8 Committee Approval of Proposed Expansion

2/27/2013

 
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Ben Haber testifies at CB8 Parks Committee
Committee cites ability of USTA to renovate within its existing footprint, and failure of USTA to specify any dollar value of give-backs

Last night, Ben Haber, Joseph Ardizzone and Robert LoScalzo of Save FMCP (among others) attended the CB8 committee meeting re: the proposed USTA expansion.

After hearing the USTA presentation and the public testimony, the committee questioned USTA and discussed. The ideas expressed included that USTA is perfectly capable of renovating its facilities within its existing footprint, without further encroachment into parkland; and that if USTA would be given additional parkland, it has committed to absolutely nothing in exchange. A committee member plainly told USTA:
  • You've budgeted the project and must know what each component will cost; and yet you are completely unwilling to specify any budget for park improvements as compensation for the additional parkland you seek. 
A resolution was put forward, for approval -- with conditions, including that USTA must increase its outreach to schools within the affected community districts.  Committee members could not even agree on the conditions.

In a very exciting turn of events, the roll was called and THE VOTE WAS EVENLY SPLIT -- 4 in favor and 4 opposed. There was no further motion.

CB8 will hold a full board meeting on March 13, at which the public will have another opportunity to speak; and then the full board will vote.

Save these dates to testify

2/24/2013

 
Save FMCP needs you to volunteer to attend and speak at one or more of the following Community Board hearings:
 
CB8:
Public hearing: 
February 26, 2013
7:30PM; advance sign-up required by calling office no later than 5PM day of hearing; 
Hillside Manor
188-11 Hillside Avenue
Hollis, NY 11423
 
CB7:
Public hearing: 
March 11, 2013 
7:00PM; (public hearing is scheduled to start
at 8:50PM but could start earlier)Union Plaza Care Center
33-23 Union Street
Flushing, NY 11354

CB4:
Public hearing: 
March 12, 2013 
(likely at 7:00PM although most board meetings start at 7:30PM)
VFW Post #150
51-11 108th Street
Corona, NY 11368

CB3:
Public hearing: 
March 14, 2013
7:00PM
Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities
107-20 Northern Boulevard
Corona, New York 11368

Please send us a copy of your testimony and we will post it on our website.

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