Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Willets Point businesses protest being screwed
Sunrise Cooperative, consisting of tenant businesses being evicted from Willets Point, Queens, calls upon Council Member Julissa Ferreras to not abandon Sunrise's effort to relocate to the Bronx, Mayor Bill de Blasio to intercede, and alleges a lack of diligence by the Urban Justice Center concerning the Bronx relocation site, at this press conference held on June 1, 2015 in Willets Point. In English and Spanish.
Recording © 2015 LoScalzo Media Design LLC. Reproduction prohibited.
Noteworthy portions include at 11:55, the plea that Council Member Julissa Ferreras "cannot abandon us" (In Spanish) and at 20:47, the Q&A leading to Sunrise's allegation that Urban Justice Center "did a wrong job" (in English). The Bronx relocation site cannot be renovated due to a lack of permits, but a contract between NYCEDC and Urban Justice Center provided $150,000 to Urban Justice Center for tasks that were supposed to include relocation "due diligence" and "permitting." Despite the lack of permits necessary to renovate the Bronx relocation site, Urban Justice Center oversaw Sunrise agreeing to vacate Willets Point Phase One by June 1, 2015.
8 comments:
A week and one half ago Melinda Katz, Claire Shulman and others attended a Met game at Citi Field courtesy of a group that supports the re-development and land grab.
Goodbye Willets point and hello shopping mall.
The Mets are nothing more than a real estate deal masquerading as a baseball team.
The way the city fathers see it, Willets Point has been an eyesore for many, many years. Now it can be cleaned up for major development.
Protest all you want. Nobody likes a junkyard. Besides, Flushing needs to expand westward. The old colony is getting too crowded.
Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras promised in no uncertain terms that these businesses will be relocated. She touted the site in the Bronx and the $5.8 million deal with Sunrise. Now the businesses say she hasn't returned their calls in months, and due to permitting red tape for the Bronx site, renovations cannot start and the deal appears to be falling through. Ferreras can and should intercede in this, as should Mayor de Blasio. For Ferreras to hide while these evictions proceed, suggests the whole claim of relocation was a ruse.
Important to understand here that they are not protesting the eviction per se. Because although they are unhappy with it, they did accept to be relocated to the Bronx. The problem now is that the de Blasio administration has not followed through with the relocation. The new structure where their businesses will be housed has been severely delayed and a shovel has not gone in the ground. They are not going to leave until they have somewhere to go. That not only makes sense, it is fair.
El Diario reports that spokesperson for Council Member Julissa Ferreras essentially says she refuses to get involved now to help with the relocation:
http://www.eldiariony.com/mecanicos-de-willets-point-realizan-huelga-de-hambre
Rough translation / excerpt: "Whatever breach of contract between EDC and Sunrise Cooperative should be resolved between them and will be subject to the terms they agreed."
China West will be what the expanded Floo-shing colony will be called.
When Shulman finally kicks the bucket, they will erect a monument to her in the Willets Point junkyard.
It might be a bronze fifty gallon oil drum with a bar relief of her face on it.
"Thanks be to "Granny Shulman" the mother of WP's redevelopment".
Where is Wellington Chen these days? You don't see much of him or Shulman together as they used to be.
Moving all the auto repair and parts shops to the Bronx won't help Queens drivers. Who wants to pay to cross a bridge to get things that used to be available a short ride away?
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