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Willets Point

Willets Point

Project posted April 16, 2009

Community Planning for Economic Development

As the City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) moves to redevelop Willets Point, an industrial area nestled between Corona and Flushing north of Flushing Meadows Park, the Pratt Center for Community Development facilitated a series of workshops to identify and prioritize the concerns of area residents, business owners and workers.

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Protecting New York's Threatened Manufacturing Space

Issue Brief posted April 16, 2009

When Mayor Bloomberg came into office in 2002, New York City had 12,542 acres of land where manufacturing businesses could legally operate. Today, thanks to zoning changes, it has fewer than 10,746, and another 1,800 acres would be converted to other uses under proposed rezonings. This Pratt Center Issue Brief assesses the loss of manufacturing land, looks at its impact on local businesses and job opportunities, and recommends measures for preserving what's left.
 

 

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Economic and Workforce Development

Project posted April 6, 2009

Planning for Jobs and Training Opportunities

The Pratt Center has been in the forefront of efforts to make sure that New York City's land use and development policies and programs promote strong employment and training opportunities, and link major economic development projects with nearby residents and workers.

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Willets Point Redevelopment

Testimony last updated October 17, 2008

Testimony to the New York City Council Regarding the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan

Brad Lander
Director, Pratt Center for Community Development
October 17, 2008

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the proposed Willets Point Redevelopment Plan. I am Brad Lander, director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, an university-based non-profit organization that aims to create a more just, equitable and sustainable New York City, by assisting low and moderate income communities in planning for and realizing their futures. We are a member organization of and provide support to Queens for Affordable Housing, a coalition of more than a dozen Queens-based community groups that is working to ensure that new residential development in the borough creates housing that is truly affordable to a diverse mix of Queens residents.

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Pratt Center eNews - Summer 2008

News last updated September 4, 2008

In this Issue:

  • A Message from Pratt Center Sustainability and Environmental Justice Director Joan Byron
  • Mapping New York's Dwindling Manufacturing Land
  • Promoting Public Plazas
  • Downtown Brooklyn Report Supports Affordable Housing Advocacy
  • Energy Matters Launches
  • Seeking Policies to Support Independent Businesses
  • Meet Pratt Center's Summer Interns
  • Contribute

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Pratt Center eNews - Spring 2008

News last updated May 3, 2008

In this Issue:

  • A Message from Pratt Center Director Brad Lander
  • Better Jobs for New Yorkers
  • COMMUTE Puts Bus Rapid Transit on the Map
  • Pushing a New Vision for Willets Point
  • Meet the Pratt Center Staff: Michael Bogdanffy-Kriegh and Rebecca Reich
  • Pratt Center Receives EPA Environmental Quality Award
  • Helping New Orleans Rebuild
  • Introducing Energy Matters
  • Contribute

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Pratt Center eNews - Fall 2007

News last updated November 1, 2007

In this Issue:

  • What Banh Mi and Child Care Have in Common
  • Elena Conte: Community Action and Citywide Change
  • Downtown Brooklyn Reassessed
  • Campus Connection: A Sustainable Pratt Institute
  • Preservation and Planning: The Next Generation
  • Cypress Hills Breaks Ground
  • Redefining ReDefining Economic Development
  • Change a Light, Change the World
  • Save the Date: Pratt Center Gala, February 26, 2008

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Willets Point Redevelopment Plan

Testimony last updated May 1, 2007

Testimony Regarding Draft Scope of Work for Environmental Impact Statement

Mercedes Narciso, R.A.
Senior Planner, Pratt Center for Community Development
May 1, 2007

Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony today. The Pratt Center for Community Development is pleased to submit comments on the Draft Scope of Work for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Willets Point Development Plan. My name is Mercedes Narciso and I am a Senior Planner with the Pratt Center for Community Development, a university-based center that works for a more just, equitable, and sustainable city for all New Yorkers by helping communities to plan for and realize their future. We are also members of Queens for Affordable Housing (QFAH), a coalition of community-based organizations that was formed in 2005 to ensure that new residential development in the borough creates housing that is truly affordable to a diverse mix of Queens residents.

We believe that the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan has the potential to generate growth in an equitable manner. However, it is essential to recognize that this project -- rooted in large-scale eminent domain & the displacement of 250 businesses, estimated to provide more than 1,000 blue-collar jobs -- must have very substantial benefits for low-income, working-class, and moderate-income Queens residents. We believe the plan should incorporate the following recommendations:

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Building in Good Jobs

Report last updated December 7, 2006

In cities around the country, private sector development and public sector support have combined to create building booms in places that only a few decades ago were in seemingly irreversible decline. However, both working poverty and chronic unemployment in central cities remain disturbingly high.

Workforce "linkage" policies present an opportunity to help people make a lasting exit from poverty by tying economic development projects directly to the creation of quality jobs and training opportunities for people struggling to get ahead.

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Willets Point Request for Proposals

Testimony last updated June 1, 2006

Statement Calling for the Cancellation of the NYC Economic Development Corporation's Willets Point RFP

Paula Crespo
Pratt Center for Community Development
June 1, 2006

The Pratt Center for Community Development is honored to be here with such a wide range of colleagues — diverse groups who care about manufacturing jobs, affordable housing, community planning, and open and transparent government — to call for the cancellation of the NYC Economic Development Corporation's Request for Proposals for Willets Point.

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