sustainable development

One City/One Future: A Blueprint for Growth That Works for All New Yorkers

Report last updated April 16, 2009

This Blueprint for Economic Development is the product of four years of collaboration by civic leaders, neighborhood advocates, community development organizations, labor unions, local development corporations, environmentalists, and others to make economic development work for New Yorkers -- to improve economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and the quality of life in our city.

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: