It's been well over fifteen years since I last blogged about Willets Point, the perennially blighted area in Queens, just a stones throw away from the mighty of Flushing-Meadows Park but existing in another world.
F. Scott Fitzgerald immortalized it The Great Gatsby as the "Valley of Ashes" -- and that was nearly 100-years ago.
Back in the summer of 2008 there was a massive development plan from the then-Bloomberg administration about redeveloping it -- mostly centered around building a mall and convention center. It turned into a bitter, nasty fight between the city and residents of this area that, while forelorn, was theirs and they didn't want to change -- or get evicted from -- it.
I don't think any blog post I ever did triggered so many heated comments. People were pissed.
Well, malls and retails pace and convention spaces are fast becoming a thing of the past, and now, nearly two decades later, a massive redevelopment project for Willets Point is on the cusp of approval by the city -- and the resistance doesn't seem quite so strong.
The proposed redevelopment will include a soccer stadium, a public school, a hotel, and around 2500 affordable housing units. It sounds like it'll be more mixed-used and community-focused which is a very good idea. Still, I'm sure some long-term residents will resist it changing it all.
But, if this plan comes to fruition, it'll soon become a major new neighborhood and attraction in this already mighty city.
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