Community Board 7 members and members of the public in attendance.
Rachel Butler
A group of approximately 70 people including residents, labor union workers and New York City Football Club fans attended a Community Board 7 meeting in Whitestone on Nov. 15 to learn about the massive Willets Point Phase 2 proposal that would bring 1,400 residential units, a soccer stadium and a two-star hotel if approved.
The meeting, which took place at the St. Luke’s Pastoral Center, was held by the board’s Land Use Committee and was the first of several board meetings in which the public will be able to learn and provide feedback on the project that requires zoning approval before it can proceed.Â
Board members expressed several reservations about the project, which is slated to go up in the vicinity of Northern Boulevard and Willets Point Boulevard, arguing that it would result in greater traffic congestion and a shortage of parking spaces. Furthermore, several were concerned that the proposed hotel could potentially become a homeless shelter or migrant center.
The proposal is a joint venture of the Queens Development Group, LLC, City Football Stadium Group and the New York City Economic Development Corporation and representatives were at the board meeting to present the plan and answer questions.
The plan was presented to the board by Ethan Goodman, a director of planning and project management for Fox Rothschild, who spoke about the six ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) actions needed in order for it to move forward. The ULURP actions sought essentially call for a deviation from city planning zoning code, a prerequisite in order for the development to be approved.
He said that stadium would seat 25,000 fans and that the project would bring 1,400 affordable homes, a public school, 40,000 square feet of open space, and a 250-bedroom hotel.
The location of the proposed soccer stadium proved contentious for many board members who said that its close proximity…
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