TESTIMONY
WILLETS POINT PLAN PHASE I
on behalf of Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO
PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY
New York, New York
March 2, 2011
Testimony Submitted to the Eminent Domain Procedure Law Public Hearing
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on Phase I of the redevelopment of Willets Point.
The Partnership for New York City represents leadership of international and regional businesses that are headquartered in New York. Our members employ 775,000 people in New York City and contribute over $140 billion to the annual Gross City Product.
The Partnership has a significant record of investment in Queens as a result of housing programs that we co-sponsored with the city in the 1980s and 1990s. In particular, we were active in transforming South Jamaica from a crime-ridden network of junkyards and other substandard uses into a thriving residential neighborhood. Through the decades, it was always clear that Willets Point was a significant source of blight and an important opportunity for redevelopment and renewal. We have consistently supported the Bloomberg Administration and Queens Borough President in their commitment to transform this long-neglected area in the heart of Queens into a borough asset.
The Willets Point Plan will stimulate significant private investment, as well as commercial and residential development activity. We support the plan to establish this area as a regional destination, including one million square feet of retail space and 500,000 square feet of office space, a hotel, and a convention center. The potential for bringing tourists, conventions, meetings and trade shows will enhance the role Queens and its two international airports already play in contributing to the city’s tax revenues and job base.
The first phase of Willets Point will include over one million square feet of development providing hundreds of apartments in addition to retail, hotel, and parking space. It will require government to acquire land pursuant to eminent domain – a practice that New York City and State have used judiciously to spur successful renewal and redevelopment projects that have been essential to the continued growth and vitality of our city. Willets Point represents a responsible and necessary application of eminent domain.
At a time when the city economy is beginning to rebound, Willets Point redevelopment promises an opportunity for significant investment and economic activity. We urge the City to move forward with the implementation of Phase I.
Thank you.