Unveiled earlier this week by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the area around Citi Field in Queens is due to become "the site of historic private investment," as a result of a deal reached with developers Sterling Equities and Related Companies.
The deal gives new legs to the $3 billion project at a site that has "bedeviled officials for decades." The project will begin with an investment of $100 million by the city on the demolition and
cleanup of the former auto repair shops and junk yards to the east of the stadium, and the installation
of basic infrastructure. The first major piece of development scheduled to come online will be Willets West, a "mega entertainment/retail hub" that will consist of transforming the former site of Shea Stadium, and a current parking lot, into "more than one million square feet of retail,
movie theaters, restaurants, venues, and, of course, parking."
Only after that portion of the project is completed will 2,500 units of housing be constructed. "That the housing comes so late in the game has got more than few [sic] politians [sic] up up [sic] in arms," writes Tom Stoelker. "The Daily News reported early this week that City Coucilmember [sic] Karen Koslowitz was not pleased. It's a pretty sensitive topic that was initially raises [sic] in The Wall Street Journal last month, which cited Willets Point and Atlantic Yards as examples of where housing was used to win favor with the locals but ends up being the last component of the project scheduled for completion."
FULL STORY: Willets Point Brings Retail Revelry, Puts Housing on Back Burner
La Guardia AirTrain Plan Moves Forward, Circuitous Route and All
Not everyone thinks the governor’s expensive plan to improve access to the beleaguered airport will actually improve access.
Critiquing Gov. Cuomo's LaGuardia Airtrain Proposal
LaGuardia lacks an AirTrain, unlike the two other airports that serve the New York City area, so public transit access is available via Queens and Manhattan buses. But would a $450 million proposal by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo remedy the problem?
NYC E-Scooter Program Threatened Despite High Ridership
Rental scooters in Queens and the Bronx provided close to two million trips in 2024, with many trips starting or ending near transit. Some city officials want to remove them.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie