City Closes More Willets Points Businesses

Citi Field is abuzz after the Mets’ home opener, but small business owners at Willets Points are under siege.

CHANGING SCENERY: Across 126th St. from Citi Field is a row of auto shops. Citi Field stadium will come with a retail district, which will displace 250 businesses in Willets Points, Queens. Christine Lin/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—As the brand-new Citi Field is abuzz after the Mets’ home opener Monday night, small business owners at Willets Points are under siege. In the past two weeks, over a dozen businesses have been closed by the City in what seems like a blitz attack to make way for new retail area to accompany the stadium.

To protest the forced closings and to urge Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make good on the plan to relocate the industrial operations in the area, the Urban Justice Center and a gathering of local business owners and workers held a press conference outside of the stadium.

“The City has failed to negotiate with the businesses of Willets Point,” said Wayne Mahlke, a spokesperson for New York State Senator Hiram Monserratte. In the past two weeks, 18 Willets Point businesses were closed, he said.

Left Hanging

The plan for the new Willets Point retail district, as approved by the City Council, involves negotiating with owners to sell their property and then a place to which they can relocate their operations. Approximately 250 businesses, most of which are in the auto repair and junkyard industries, will need to be moved.

According to the New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC), which is leading redevelopment plans, site acquisition and relocation should be underway now and into the summer in order to raze the site in 2010. So far, no concrete relocation plans have been made clear to business owners.