Friday, February 19, 2010

EDC dropping convention center from Willets Point plan

From the Queens Courier:

In an effort to connect with small businesses in the area, newly-elected Queens City Councilmembers recently met with members of the Queens Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s Jackson Heights headquarters.

Some of the issues they discussed included the loss of area hospitals, the Aqueduct Racino project and the possible altering of the original Willets Point revitalization project.

When the meeting touched on the Economic Development Corporation’s possible abandoning of the proposed Willets Point convention center, Councilmember Karen Koslowitz, of District 29, said that dropping that aspect in particular would be disastrous to the local economy.

“To abandon the original plan would be terrible,” said Koslowitz. “What they are doing is taking away jobs and money from us.”


Hmmm... where is this coming from, eh? The entire project was based on

a) the site being too polluted to stay that way (therefore the entire thing needed to be remediated at once)
b) jobs, jobs, jobs anchored by the convention center.

Part a) was tossed out the window when they went to a phased approach and part b) is on its way out, probably because TDC doesn't think they can build a convention center or it won't be profitable enough for them.

Amazing how the city can approve one plan and then replace it with something entirely different without any elected official raising hell or an investigation being commenced. And the best part is that the City, via Claire Shulman, continues to lobby itself (as well as the state and feds which need to sign off on their disastrous Van Wyck ramp plan) with our tax money even now that we are broke with the electorate begging for crumbs.

Gotta love this city! Developers are ALWAYS the priority!

LIES, LIES, LIES.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like when people are expressing their opinion and thought. So I like the way you are writing

Anonymous said...

Probably a good idea. I just don't see impossible-to-get-to Willets Point ever being a big (or tiny) convention destination. How about a park, guys? Some fishing piers? Some green space? Too complicated for you to have thought of that?

Anonymous said...

How about letting the people who legally own their property keep it?

NYC Educator said...

During the campaign, Bloomberg was all about jobs. Then DC37 supported Thompson and he fired 500 of the lowest paid workers to save 14 million bucks. Immediately after that, he paid school custodians 15 million to open and close gates. I think the Post said it was 50 thou per gate.

Nice work if you can get it.

Georges said...

Work on the expansion of the Javits Center first. Why build this convention hall in the middle of nowhere?

Convention goers want and should hold their events in Manhattan. The Javits expansion plan needs a Governor who has nerves of steel to ram this through. Wait till next year when Gov. Coumo is in office to get this done, perhaps.

Anonymous said...

The only reason Bloomberg is touting growth, growth, growth is because it is lucrative for developers and destructive for everything else. This city needs to stop growing so that the many issues plaguing it have a chance to stabilize.

NYC presents the image of a "luxury city" (promoted by Bloomberg) only to the most deluded of tourists.

Anonymous said...

The day this happens will probably be the day I move. Is there anything that can be done to stop this?

Anonymous said...

My goal? Shulman in an orange jumpsuit! Any takers?

Anonymous said...

They need a Major League Soccer stadium there. Nothing else.

Anonymous said...

They need to put in sewers and fix the streets. Nothing else.

Anonymous said...

they need to stop planning things on other peoples land

Anonymous said...

My goal? Shulman in an orange jumpsuit! Any takers?

Shulman is an old fart...and nothing smells worse than an old fart. Just ask HAckerman.