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City Planning Commission OKs Special
Flushing Waterfront District Proposal
Rendering by Hill West Architects
“With 3,000+ permanent
jobs, a new traffic-alleviating
public road network, publicly
accessible waterfront with public
amenities, and $164+ million
in projected annual tax revenue
among many other benefits,
SFWD will bring Queens a step
closer to the future our communities
deserve,” the developers
said.
The CPC’s vote marks another
step in the right direction,
the developers said.
“City Planning rightly sees
that the SWFD is not a rezoning,
but an essential next step
for Queens at large towards recovery,”
the developers said.
Meanwhile, opponents of the
proposal have said that
the rezoning of the waterfront
will exponentially
increase the process of gentrification
and displacement.
The MinKwon Center for
Community Action along with
the Greater Flushing Chamber
of Commerce and Chhaya
CDC, had filed a lawsuit against
the Department of City Planning
and the City Planning
Commission, arguing that an
environmental review must be
conducted for the development
proposal.
Local organizations such as
the Flushing Anti-Displacement
Alliance, The MinKwon Center
and the Flushing Workers Center
took to social media describing
the CPC’S vote as “shameful”
while criticizing the mayor
and Councilman Peter Koo.
Koo’s approval will likely
be crucial to securing support
from the Council, since members
traditionally vote according
to the local member’s wishes
on land-use matters.
The City Council hosted a
virtual Zoom hearing on Monday,
Nov. 9, during which Koo
spoke in favor of the project.
“I believe the proposal has
many merits,” Koo said during
the hearing. “There is an MIH
component, workforce development,
double the open space
and opportunities to engage
our community in environmental
education. At long last, our
community could have an accessible
waterfront.”
“I also believe this proposal
certainly has its share of criticisms,”
Koo added.
Among those concerns, Koo
said, are “displacement and the
impact of this project on the
surrounding community and
environment.”
“At the end of the day, whatever
is ultimately built here
will need to enhance the downtown
Flushing community and
open up our currently inaccessible
waterfront as much as is
realistically possible. Our community
has been cut off from its
waterfront for far too long,” Koo
said.
The developers are thrilled
with the amount of support that
was offered for the project.
“More than 100 community
members exercised their
right to speak about the Special
Flushing Waterfront District
(SFWD) at Monday’s City Council
hearing. Without question,
more than 75% of speakers were
in favor of our project and its
many merits,” the developers
said. “The Council also received
more than 330 letters of support
for the District from Flushing
residents and business owners
in advance of the hearing. This
is an outstanding outpouring of
support from our community
for this project.”
Nov. 13-Nov. 19, 2020
Vol. 29 No. 46 40 total pages
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
AND ZACH GEWELB
The City Planning Commission
(CPC) on Wednesday, Nov.
4, voted in favor of approving
the highly controversial Special
Flushing Waterfront District
(SFWD) proposal that will
now move forward to the City
Council for a vote.
The City Planning Commission’s
11-2 vote is a milestone
for the development, which is
steadily gaining momentum after
a halted land-use process.
Marisa Lago, chair of the
City Planning Commission, voted
in favor of the project saying,
“the application is an important
step forward for Flushing.”
The three developers behind
the Special Flushing Waterfront
Development include F&T
Group, United Construction &
Development Group, and Young
Nian Group, known collectively
as FWRA, LLC.
Their proposal seeks to
revitalize 29 acres of inactive
and underutilized land that
the developers say will provide
substantial public benefits
such as a privately funded and
maintained road network and a
160,000-square-foot waterfront
promenade along Flushing
Creek that will both be publicly
accessible.
The plan also includes 1,725
residential units, including affordable
housing, 879 hotel keys,
office and community facilities,
retail space and parking spaces
to help alleviate traffic along
College Point Boulevard.
In response to the CPC’s
vote, the developers said they’re
pleased that the City Planning
Commission has voted to move
the application forward.
/QNS.COM
