Relocation deal with Willets Point waste company may fall through: Source
By Stephen Stirling
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| A deal with Crown Container Co. that was in place to move the waste transfer station to Maspeth may be in jeopardy. Photo by Stephen Stirling |
A day after the city announced a substantial land acquisition from a Willets Point property owner, the TimesLedger has learned a previous deal may be in jeopardy of failing.
A source with knowledge of the negotiations said Thursday that complications have surfaced in the deal Crown Container Co. had reached in principle with the city. The agreement with the 23,000-square-foot waste transfer facility was never formally announced by the city, but owner Jerry Antonacci told the TimesLedger on Aug. 20 that he had agreed to sell his property to the New York City Economic Development Corporation and relocate to Maspeth.
Reached for comment, Antonacci said all hope was not lost for the relocation deal, but that the situation was “bleak.”
“As of right now we haven’t signed anything. We’re still trying to work through, but as of today it doesn’t look good,” he said. “But we’re still open to continuing negotiations with the city.”
Reached for comment the EDC, which is hoping to buy out or relocate the 260 businesses at Willets Point to create a sprawling, environmentally sustainable neighborhood, said that all negotiations are confidential but productive discussions continue with several land owners in the area.
On Wednesday, the EDC announced it had acquired 44,500 square feet of land owned by MA Realty, a firm which rents its space to tenants in the area, marking the sixth deal struck with a property owner since negotiations began in the spring.
“MA Realty is pleased to accept what we believe to be a fair offer by the city of New York for our property at Willets Point,” an MA Realty representative said in a statement. “The city bargained in good faith at every step of the process and we particularly commend the city’s Economic Development Corp.”
The collapse of the Crown Container deal would be a setback for the city, which has so far signed agreements to acquire less than four acres of land in the 62-acre industrial enclave.
The City Council is expected to vote on the project this November and more than 30 of its members have publicly signaled their apprehension towards voting for a plan that could include the use of eminent domain.
The city has said it will only utilize eminent domain if all other options are exhausted, but the slow and often prickly negotiations with property owners have continued to push the use of the controversial practice to the forefront of the debate.
If the plan is approved, the city hopes to raze the entire area and complete a multi-million-dollar environmental remediation to pave the way for a massive residential and commercial community adjacent to the new Mets stadium. The proposed plan would include up to 5,500 housing units, more than 2 million square feet of retail and office space and a 400,000-square-foot convention center designed to present an alternative to the Javits Center in Manhattan.
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, ext. 138.
A source with knowledge of the negotiations said Thursday that complications have surfaced in the deal Crown Container Co. had reached in principle with the city. The agreement with the 23,000-square-foot waste transfer facility was never formally announced by the city, but owner Jerry Antonacci told the TimesLedger on Aug. 20 that he had agreed to sell his property to the New York City Economic Development Corporation and relocate to Maspeth.
Reached for comment, Antonacci said all hope was not lost for the relocation deal, but that the situation was “bleak.”
“As of right now we haven’t signed anything. We’re still trying to work through, but as of today it doesn’t look good,” he said. “But we’re still open to continuing negotiations with the city.”
Reached for comment the EDC, which is hoping to buy out or relocate the 260 businesses at Willets Point to create a sprawling, environmentally sustainable neighborhood, said that all negotiations are confidential but productive discussions continue with several land owners in the area.
On Wednesday, the EDC announced it had acquired 44,500 square feet of land owned by MA Realty, a firm which rents its space to tenants in the area, marking the sixth deal struck with a property owner since negotiations began in the spring.
“MA Realty is pleased to accept what we believe to be a fair offer by the city of New York for our property at Willets Point,” an MA Realty representative said in a statement. “The city bargained in good faith at every step of the process and we particularly commend the city’s Economic Development Corp.”
The collapse of the Crown Container deal would be a setback for the city, which has so far signed agreements to acquire less than four acres of land in the 62-acre industrial enclave.
The City Council is expected to vote on the project this November and more than 30 of its members have publicly signaled their apprehension towards voting for a plan that could include the use of eminent domain.
The city has said it will only utilize eminent domain if all other options are exhausted, but the slow and often prickly negotiations with property owners have continued to push the use of the controversial practice to the forefront of the debate.
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Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, ext. 138.
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of yournabe.com.
QUEENS wrote on Sep 20, 2008 6:48 PM:
" WHAT KAREN SAID IS RIGHT ITS ALL B.S WHAT THE CITY IS DOING "
dont trust this city wrote on Sep 20, 2008 6:50 PM:
" dont trust the city for any thing thet just want willets point for free "
liars wrote on Sep 20, 2008 7:26 PM:
" they tried to screw crown what do you think they will do to the rest of you? all their land is contaminated and they try to make a deal to pay 1/2 the price on paper and the rest in a discount on their land , and guess what if they go to eminent domain they pull out the 1/2 priced contracts and show the judge and screw eveyone again. what a great city huh? "
M. Bloomberg wrote on Sep 21, 2008 5:09 AM:
" I will make sure EDC pays everyone twice the market value of their property. Even if it comes from my own pocket. I PROMISED my freind Fred Wilpon I would get this done. Also Clare Schulman will be arrested and Helen Marshall will be asked to retire. Also, Community Board 7 will be selectively disbanded and will be replaced by members of WPIRA. Fair?. "
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KAREN STARUCH wrote on Sep 20, 2008 7:32 AM:
WHAT EDC IS DOING IS TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU THAT 'LOTS' OF DEALS ARE IN PLACE ALREADY. WELL GUESS WHAT?,THERE ARE AGREEMENTS (ONLY 4) AND THEY ARE TENUOUS AND BASED ON MANY ASSUMPTIONS AND 'IFS'. AND MY SOURCES TELL ME, THEY(EDC) ARE SCRAMBLING TO PRESENT EVEN MORE 'DEALS' BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL VOTES ON THE PLAN.....AGAIN, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL BEWARE, THEY ARE TRYING TO DUPE YOUR BODY AND ALL OF NY CITY! "