Last time The Observer swung by Willets Point, the news was Related and the Wilpons had teamed up on a bid for the first phase of the mega project, as we local firm TDC Development, which has projects throughout Flushing and the rest of Queens. Now, Silverstein Properties and AvalonBay are also eying the Iron Triangle, according to Crain’s.
Numerous challenges remain for the firms, even beyond the challenges of remediating a toxic site F. Scott Fitzgerald once referred to as the Valley of Ashes:
United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 said it will vigorously oppose Related’s bid because the developer is considering leasing a Brooklyn site to Walmart. The union is trying to prevent the retail giant from entering New York City.
The TDC bid has also elicited howls from opponents of the project, led by the holdout property owners group Willets Point United. It argues that TDC should be barred from participating because it was part of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization partially funded by the city that advocated for the redevelopment. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether the LDC illegally lobbied for the project.
As if centuries of pollution weren’t headache enough.
