FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com march 21, 2013 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3 Renderings courtesy of USTA If approved, the expansions at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center would include a new stadium and the removal of 0.68 acres of parkland. COMMUNITY BOARDS SPLIT ON USTA BY TERENCE M. CULLEN [email protected] The votes are in on the muchdebated expansions to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and the results are mixed. Half of the six voting Community Boards are in favor of the US Tennis Association (USTA) moving 0.68 acres out of its current property — so long as the organization meets certain conditions set by each board. Board 6 voted 21-6 and Board 8 26-8 in favor on Wednesday, March 13; Communty Board 3 voted 33-1 against the next night. The six advisory decisions will now go to Borough President Helen Marshall, who has 60 days to decide on the expansions. Marshall’s decision then goes to the City Council and the City Planning Commission. Marshall will hold a forum on the plan April 4 at Borough Hall. The Borough Board, led by Marshall, will vote on the plan April 8. Two boards voted against the proposal last week, one of which could switch to yes if USTA meets nine regulations — similar to those set by other boards — including setting up a conservancy for the park. Community Board 7 voted yes, but with eight conditions, on March 11. Each board has recommended USTA discount court prices for seniors and children, and invest in the park’s crumbling facilities. “Community Board review was the first step in a multi-layered governmental review process that also includes the borough president, City Planning, City Council and State Legislature,” said Tennis Center Chief Operating Officer Danny Zausner. “We look forward to continuing our dialogue as we move through the different phases.” Parkland advocates against the plan, however, say they’re going to continue informing residents of the downside of the plans. “I think the community boards’ vote will have no impact whatsoever on the BP’s vote or the City Council members,” said NYC Park Advocates president Geoffrey Croft. “They seem perfectly willing to give away additional parkland to this private business for concessions.” WILLETS PROJECT SET FOR REVIEW BY TERENCE M. CULLEN [email protected] The redevelopment of Willets Point will now go through a rigorous review process after its study was approved by the Department of City Planning (DCP). The plan, approved by DCP on Monday, March 18, will undergo a Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), first going to Community Board 7, which includes Willets Point, for an advisory vote. Borough President Helen Marshall will then get the plan for her own recommendation, and then the City Council and DCP will review. Between development at Willets Point and the addition of the shopping mall dubbed “Willets West,” the mixed use area will include housing, retail, hotels and an entertainment center. Jesse Masyr, the project’s lawyer, said he’s confident the various levels of voters will jump on board with the plan, citing the environmental cleanup that will come first. “This marks a critical step towards beginning the long-needed cleanup of toxic land in Willets Point that for years has damaged the waterfront and been a blight on the community,” a spokesperson for the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) said. If the City Council ultimately rezones the area, the joint venture, between Related Companies and Sterling Equities, would begin cleaning up the 23 acres commonly called the Iron Triangle. New York City has dedicated $100 million to removing spoiled soil and creating an infrastructure at Willets; the rest of the project is privately financed. NYCEDC has pushed for the project since updated plans were announced last June — much to the chagrin of some Willets Point business owners. Michael Rikon, the lawyer for Willets Point United, said the seven-month approval process was merely a formality at this point. This didn’t stop Rikon, however, from saying there were reasons why the project should be fought — including building Willets West on what is mapped as parkland. “The whole thing and the whole process is a shame,” he said. “There could be 15 great reasons why there should be a condemnation of the plan.”
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