Videos of the Willets Point press conference

"Mike Bloomberg is a traitor to the American Dream. He is a traitor to democracy in this City. The people behind me who own businesses here, who work here - this is their American Dream and how dare Mike Bloomberg and the City and my colleagues in the City Council... take these people's property."


"This whole thing has been a joke and a disaster from the beginning. If the City really wanted to do development here, all they had to do for the past 40 years was put in the infrastructure - put in the roads, put in the sewers, and development would take care of itself over time and these people could have their jobs and their businesses....that would be done at 1/20th of the cost for the taxpayers of this City." - Councilman Tony Avella


Irene Presti-Giacomo speaks about her property at Willets Point, how the City neglected to take care of the streets, sidewalks and sewers all these years and how she should have the right to develop her own property. The income from the property is the widow's sole source of income for her and her daughters.


Jake Bono talks about the absurdity of business and property owners having to defend what's already theirs. He states that the EDC is saying, "Sell us your land or we're taking it." Small businesses are not being protected as the Bloomberg administration claims. The vast majority of property owners have not made deals and yet the City is calling them "holdouts."


Julia Sandoval asks Mayor Bloomberg to show compassion toward the Willets Point workers who need to provide for their families.


Jerry Antonacci points out the hypocrisy of Bloomberg campaign literature where it talks about how Bloomberg will save small businesses yet plans to destroy the businesses at Willets Point.


Andy Charidemou of Shea Truck and Auto Repair endorses Tony Avella for Mayor.

Attendee Bob Doocey asks the question what will happen when another mayor wants to take the property from this yet-to-be-named developer for another project (it's an unending cycle).


Len Scarola questions the City's closing of hospitals and firehouses while spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy property at Willets Point.


Tony Avella says Bloomberg just trying to give land to his favorite developers. He makes the point that 30-40 years ago, College Point was condemned and is still not redeveloped. When Bloomberg says he is helping small businesses, he is lying.


Tony Avella promises if he becomes mayor that Willets Point project is dead and the business owners will keep their property and their jobs.


Ralph St. John talks about having his land condemned twice - first in College Point and now in Willets Point.


Janice Serrone focuses on the Cornerstone Group trying to talk to her tenants and get them to leave Willets Point. Jake Bono then explains that Cornerstone is vague in what they say and don't necessarily talk to owners but to anyone they find at the properties - workers, tenants, etc. and then leaves a business card.

Press Conference/Rally Monday with Councilman Avella

Who: Willets Point United Against Eminent Domain Abuse and Councilman Tony Avella

What: Press conference/Rally

Where: Shea Gas Station 127-48 Northern Blvd, Willets Point, Queens.

When: Monday, June 8th at 1:30pm

Why: The City Economic Development Corporation has announced condemnation proceedings against Willets Point business and property owners while Article 78 challenge is still pending in court. EDC has also decided to do this before negotiating with property owners and after telling many of them that negotiations will not start for more than a year.

Clearing the air about recent developments

Much ado has been made about the letters that the Willets Point businesses were supposed to receive last Thursday notifying us that a hearing pursuant to NYS Eminent Domain Procedure Law would be held this upcoming June 22nd.

Facts:

No one at the Iron Triangle received these letters this past Thursday or Friday. We're sure we'll get them eventually, but not when the EDC said we would. This is yet another blow to their credibility.

Seth Pinsky himself stated multiple times in front of a roomful of people on April 6th (pictured) that the EDC would rather negotiate than invoke eminent domain. And in his press releases, he always says the same thing: “We will continue to work with the remaining land owners and businesses as we move forward with our plans to transform this blighted area into a center of economic opportunity and job creation and a 21st century neighborhood.” Yet...

First, let's not forget that Mayor Bloomberg himself stated that "it's not fair to say it's blighted."

The EDC called most of the property owners and told them that they would not be negotiating with them for at least a year (not enough money is available at this time to negotiate with everyone).

The EDC waited 5 months after the City Council's November 13th vote to make deals with 2 property owners in the part of the Triangle that is eyed for development in the first phase. No other deals have been made during this period of time.

No members of Willets Point United have made deals since formation of the group in January of this year and none of us have been called by EDC to do so.

The City Council vehemently stated that eminent domain was not to be used until all other options were exhausted and not against a majority of property owners. Thus far, only a handful of property owners have made deals to stay, move or sell. Councilman John Liu brought this up recently when asked by a reporter.

There are two current legal actions that affect us - one which our members brought that challenges the environmental review findings produced by the EDC and the other by WPIRA against the City for failing to provide general services like roads, sewers and sanitation to the Triangle for many years. These decisions, with their inevitable appeals, will likely take years.

The EDC can send out all the press releases it wants and do their best to harass the hardworking business people of Willets Point; it's blatantly obvious that we will be staying where we are for a very long time because the City has chosen to act in bad faith.

Bloomberg & Shulman: Willets Point land "too valuable" for current owners

From a 2005 article from New York News Network:

Some of the same sources of power that Robert Moses wielded, if a bit revised, are now being deployed...

Most of the waterfront property along the Flushing River is owned by the MTA, with most of the balance of Willets Point privately owned.

In the Ratner and Willets Point projects, the City may use its power of eminent domain to seize the territory. Mayor Bloomberg has even suggested that the Willets Point property is too valuable to leave to the smaller scale businesses now occupying the land.

This attitude was criticized by the Neighborhood Retail Alliance:

Upcoming is the battle over Willets Point where the mayor’s observation that “the land is too valuable for the businesses that are on it” should be seen as an apt expression of his economic development policies vis-à-vis small business.

The Times Ledger carried the following quote back in November 2007:

"I believe they deserve to be in business. I believe they should be relocated. But I also believe they are sitting on one of the most valuable pieces of property in the city," [Claire] Shulman said.

Too valuable for us? Well, we bought it legally. If they really wanted growth at Willets Point, they would have provided infrastructure here which would have allowed businesses to expand and thrive. After all, Shulman had 8 years as Borough President to do so and Bloomberg had another 8 years as Mayor to do so. But they would rather see one of their rich developer friends get richer.

What do you have against property rights, Mayor Bloomberg and Claire Shulman? What if we said that your property was too valuable for you to own? You'd fight us, right? Of course you would. So you can't blame us for fighting against your greedy land grab.

Sewer charges for Willets Point property owners?

Ralph Paterno at Willets Point cleanup

From the Daily News:

Ralph Paterno, a general contractor and Queens property owner, is irritated more than most over water and sewer charges.

“My property is in Willets Point and we have no sewers there, so how can there be sewer charges?” he fumed. “The DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] read my meter for the first time in three years and they back-charged me $3,000. I’m going to fight it.”

Sewer charges when we don't have sewers! How outrageous is this? And socking us with huge tax bills in the middle of an economic downturn... Where were they the past 3 years?

Bloomberg cuts off Ratner's money pipeline

Excerpt from "Bloomy to Bruce: Enough already," by Mike McLaughlin of The Brooklyn Paper (May 21, 2009):

Mayor Bloomberg dealt Bruce Ratner a blow on Wednesday, saying that the city would not subsidize the Atlantic Yards project with additional public funds.

The city has already pledged $230 million for infrastructure and land-acquisition costs at the embattled arena and skyscraper project — but Bloomberg dashed Ratner’s hopes for more.

“We’ve done everything,” he said in response to a reporter’s question at his daily availability on Wednesday. “We’re going to have a tough time balancing our budget.”

The mayor did add that the city needs the project, but said, “We’re not putting money in. We’re going to invest our money in better schools and in safer streets and in better parks and everything else.”

So why not do the same thing at Willets Point? Invest in streets and sewers and let development take care of itself.

Photo from The Brooklyn Paper / Tom Callan

Norman Siegel vs. Columbia University

From Atlantic Yards Report:

Lawyers representing two property owners resisting the use of eminent domain for the Columbia University expansion maintained a passionate argument in appellate court yesterday, calling the Empire State Development Corporation’s (ESDC) actions in bad faith and seeing an ESDC lawyer clearly on the defensive before two clearly skeptical judges.

“Nobody’s opposed to Columbia expanding. They’re opposed to eminent domain,” attorney Norman Siegel said in his closing remarks before a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division, First Department. “The [skeptical] questions [from the Court] I hope will reflect the decision.”

Harlem State Senator Bill Perkins, speaking after the hearing on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, at 25th Street and Madison Avenue, was blunt: “It looks like Columbia’s going to lose.”

From Perkins' lips to God's ears... WP United members were present at the hearing yesterday and Siegel's argument was nothing short of brilliant. The state couldn't answer the judges' questions.