FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 12, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
CPC approves Flushing waterfront proposal
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED AND
ZACH GEWELB
editorial@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e 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.
Th e City Planning Commission’s 11-2
vote is a milestone for the development,
which is steadily gaining momentum aft er
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.”
Th e three developers behind the Special
Flushing Waterfront Development
include F&T Group, United Construction
& Development Group, and Young Nian
Rendering by Hill West Architects
Group, known collectively as FWRA,
LLC.
Th eir proposal seeks to revitalize 29
acres of inactive and underutilized land
that the developers say will provide substantial
Special election to fi ll Lancman’s seat set for February
BY ZACHARY GEWELB
zgewelb@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday set the
date for a special election to fi ll Rory
Lancman’s City Council seat. Th e election
is set for Feb. 2, 2021.
“Th is date, within the window allowed
by the City Charter, will facilitate maximum
voter participation,” de Blasio said
on Nov. 6. “I encourage all eligible Queens
residents to vote early, in person or by
absentee ballot in the upcoming special
election.”
Lancman, who’s represented his native
Council District 24 since 2014, vacated
his seat on Nov. 4 to take on the new
position of statewide Special Counsel for
Ratepayer Protection.
In his new role,
Lancman, who was
term-limited, will represent
the interests of residential
and commercial
customers of New York’s
regulated electric, gas,
water and telecom companies.
He will participate
as a party in Public Service
Commission proceedings, conduct
hearings and investigations,
undertake discovery to compel
documents and testimony,
and otherwise marshal the
resources of the Department
of Public Service to safeguard
the interests of ratepayers and
hold accountable those utilities
and telecoms which fail to
meet their contractual
and regulatory obligations to their
customers.
Th e 24th Council Districtcovers eastern
Queens neighborhoods, including Kew
Gardens Hills and Fresh Meadows.
Moumita Ahmed, Stanley N. Arden,
James F. Gennaro, Neeta Jain, Dilip Nath,
Deepti Sharma, Soma Syed, Mohammed
S. Uddin and Sandra Ung have already
fi led to run for Lancman’s seat, according
to the New York City Campaign Finance
Board.
Gennaro previously served as a councilman
in Queens from 2002 to 2013 before
he joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration
as Deputy Commissioner for New
York City Sustainability and Resiliency
at the New York State Department of
File photo/QNS Environmental Conservation.
public benefi ts 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.
Th e plan also includes 1,725 residential
units, including aff ordable housing, 879
hotel keys, offi ce and community facilities,
retail space and parking spaces to
help alleviate traffi c 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.
“With 3,000+ permanent jobs, a new
traffi c-alleviating public road network,
publicly accessible waterfront with public
amenities, and $164+ million in projected
annual tax revenue among many
other benefi ts, SFWD will bring Queens a
step closer to the future our communities
deserve,” the developers said.
Th e 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. Our vocal community submitted
more than 300 letters supporting the
project, showing that our vision resonates
with those we are working to serve,”
the developers said. “Without question,
the months since COVID-19 have been
among the most trying times our city has
ever seen. Th ere is no better time to give
Flushing and New York City this exciting
new chapter.”
Meanwhile, opponents of the proposal
have said that the rezoning of the waterfront
will exponentially increase the process
of gentrifi cation and displacement.
Th e MinKwon Center for Community
Action along with the Greater Flushing
Chamber of Commerce and Chhaya
CDC, had fi led 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,
Th e 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.
Th e 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. “Th ere 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.
Th e developers are thrilled with the
amount of support that was off ered 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. “Th e
Council also received more than 330 letters
of support for the District from Flushing
residents and business owners in advance
of the hearing. Th is is an outstanding outpouring
of support from our community
for this project. It’s clear the people of
Flushing want to move forward, and they
believe strongly enough to be heard.”
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