Develop Willets Point

8 responses so far ↓

• 1 BiggieSmalls // Jul 23, 2008 at 8:39 pm

  something doesnt add up..

  Fodera says 3/4 of the employees at his location work for other companies that rent space from him yet he also says 18% of his gross sales is day to day walk in..

  seems he has an inordinate amount of excess capacity at his location and a very high day to day carry out business for a bakery ingredient distribution business.

• 2 flushingrl // Jul 24, 2008 at 4:23 pm

  What are you implying? Are you in that business? Is there an expected amount for Mr. Fodera’s cash and carry business?

  Isn’t it possible that Mr. Fodera generates income from his rentals but uses the space he needs to run his business? I’m trying to understand what you are implying about Mr. Fodera’s business that doesn’t add up.

  I might add, from the picture it certainly looks impeccably maintained. The building is beautiful with a lush lawn and landscaping.

• 3 BiggieSmalls // Jul 24, 2008 at 4:49 pm

  just what i said.. i dont see how he gets 18% of his sales from walk ins for a wholesale food distribution business.. ive a friend in that business (wholesale food distribution) and any walk in business he gets is very incidental. especially when fodera claims a national geographic distribution that requires him to be so close to the airports that he cant be anyplace else.

  further, if he has 75% excess capacity at the WP location it makes sense that he has no need for 3.25 acres of property.. especially if - as you say - a large portion of the land is lush lawn and landscaping.

  and if you are familiar with the location of Fodera foods, his locations ON Northern Boulevard which is NOT in Willets Point Proper (where most streets never were maintained) but on a main thoroughfare that gets paved and plowed regularly. for him to say that his streets arent paved and plowed regularly is simply false.

  Generally, i questions Fodera’s motivation and most of the WPIRA. I think they all essentially squatted on this completely unimproved M3 property and now want to reap the big payday when the zoning is changed and their property is suddenly ripe for development. they can easily run their businesses elsewhere - esp guys like Fodera and House of Spices who run a food distribution business which can easily be moved elsewhere to areas that have OTHER food distribution businesses…

  additionally.. M3 zoning is meant for heavy industries that generate noise, traffic and pollutants..which are NOT Food wholesale businesses

• 4 flushingrl // Jul 24, 2008 at 5:19 pm

  I was looking at the picture-it looks like Fodera has a lush lawn in the front. I actually am not familiar with the actual location though the building looks beautiful and historic. How can any of us presume what Fodera’s space needs are for his business? If he purchased that property as he says in the article in the seventies that would hardly make him a squatter and would certainly allow him to generate rental income from his property. Isn’t buying property an investment? It sounds to me like he has people who bring their vehicles and pick-up goods. Perhaps they don’t buy in enough quantity to have it delivered. What’s WPIRA?

• 5 BiggieSmalls // Jul 24, 2008 at 9:03 pm

  all i can do is read HIS words where HE says 75% of the workers at his location are working for other companies renting space from him. and wonder why he cant move if he really isnt using all the space for his business.

  WPIRA is Willets Point Industry and Realty Assoc.. the org that is “dedicated to owner development of the WP Area”

  They are not against development per say. they want to reap all the benefits them selves of the zoning change.

  Incidentally.. I bet you didnt know that Fodera and House of Spices WERE basically given the land that they run their businesses on by the City in the early 1970’s.. the NYC admin.. in all its infinite wisdom.. decided to try to change the areas businesses and get food processing / distribution companies in there to offset the high crime illegal toxic activities that occupy MOS T of the Land and contribute to the blight..

  Well they gave sweetheart deals to a few minority run food biznesses to be trail blazers in the wild west of Willets Point.. they knew what they were getting when the City GAVE them the land on the cheap. Now they claim that this land is so vital to their businesses which i think is a crock.,.

  House of Spice and Fodera arent really part of the WP problem.. they are TWO of the lots that run respectable businesses (out of 80 lots and 250 businesses) there and dont harm the environment and add to the blight..

  but by being greedy and refusing to negotiate and aligning themselves with the scum that is WP they become part of the problem.

  Lastly.. Fodera resides in the old Empire Millwork Building which was built in 1938 and is the only decent structure on the WHOLE 60 acres.. the EDC has said it is NOT a significant structure though and has no historic significance..

  ALl this info is in the EDC documents Chris has linked to..

• 6 flushingrl // Jul 26, 2008 at 8:42 am

  OK Biggie-I did my homework. Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions and info however misguided and questionable some of it may be.

  I remain puzzled by your problem with the fact that Mr. Fodera utilizes a portion of his property for his business and rents the rest out. Clearly, he derives revenue by renting his property. It is the same as if you bought a multi-family house and lived in one unit and rented the others for income. I fail to see your problem with this. It would seem that he would lose this income if he were relocated.

  Next myth to debunk-According to the following info I found in the New York Times, House of Spices did get some kind of deal from the city to relocate in 1990.

  BIG CITY
  A Tale of Two Cities, Only One With Sewers
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  By SUSAN DOMINUS
  Published: May 9, 2008
  Correction Appended

  When Gordhandas Soni, the owner of an Indian food company, agreed to relocate his warehouse and factory to Willets Point, Queens, back in 1990, it never occurred to him to ask about some of the more basic amenities — the sewage system, for example. “You never ask, ‘You have sewers here?’ ” said Mr. Soni, whose business is called House of Spices. “In America, right here, in the heart of New York City? No! It never occurred to me to ask. It would be silly to ask.”

  Gordhandas Soni runs House of Spices, which makes and distributes Indian food. He has sued the city over the lack of sewers.
  By the time Mr. Soni figured out that there was no modern-day sewage system in place, he said, he was too far along in the deal to back out. But he couldn’t have missed some other glaring problems that plague the area, just east of Shea Stadium. It is not unusual for visitors to his factory to get about halfway down his street, Willets Point Boulevard, and then turn around, convinced that no thriving business could possibly have its home there. The streets in the area, bounded by Willets Point Boulevard, 126th Street and Northern Boulevard, lined bumper-to-bumper with auto-body shops and junkyards, are famously puddled, potholed and barely paved. The ride is so uneven, so hard on a vehicle (to say nothing of the passengers), it’s as if the road is conspiring with the repair shops to deliver them even more business.

  Mr. Soni was willing to put up with primitive plumbing and the developing-nation aesthetic of the area, known as the Iron Triangle, for a great deal and a chance to expand. At the time, the city, eager for his business in the area, offered perks like low-interest loans and a freeze on real estate taxes for 20 years. Now, 18 years later, the same city that lured him to the area is trying to coax him away, as it paves the way for a huge, green redevelopment of the area that would include restaurants, housing, a convention center, parks and shops to go hand-in-hand with the Mets new baseball stadium across the street.

  Fodera Foods, on the other hand, according to all articles, has been located in Willets Point since the early 1970’s when it appears they bought the building they occupy privately. No sweetheart city deals. Check your sources there. They had nothing to do with the House of Spices deal and in fact have been in Willets Point about 18 years longer. Secondly, I don’t believe they would be considered a minority run business, even in the 70’s when they bought the property, as the prior generation was American born. According to news articles, company was started 80 years ago in Brooklyn by immigrant grandfather of the Mr. Fodera pictured in article. He is third generation.

  Next myth- How do you know that Mr. Fodera is refusing to negotiate with the city? I would think that information would be confidential. I also fail to see how Mr. Fodera can possibly be called greedy. I have not once, in any newspaper, seen him ask to be rezoned. He has only asked for the basic services and infrastructure that is the city’s responsibility to provide AND which he has been paying substantial taxes for; and he has asked to be left alone to continue doing business in Willets Point as he is established there. Who is the greedy one here? Who is really going to profit when this is all said and done? Who is going to own the land? The city? Some unknown developer? Let’s be honest here-who is really going to profit from the demise of the Willets Point businesses community?

  Next myth: I went on WPIRA website. Thank you for pointing me there. In a prior post, you said that Fodera Foods is on Northern Blvd therefore has street maintenance. However, on WPIRA website, there is a video which clearly shows a puddle the size of a lake right in front of Fodera’s beautiful historic building. They “affectionately” call it “Fodera lake”. So again I have to say -get your facts straight.

  I think we should leave Fodera alone now as this is really not just about him but an issue much larger.

  As a lifelong Met fan, this marks the end of an era for me. I know for certain I would never use a restaurant/retail area before or after a game because I will no longer be able to afford my tickets. My great view ends this season. I guess I feel a bit like the old Empire Millwork Building, a loyal, decent, consistent fan, representative of decades of Met history , but of no significance.

• 7 flushingrl // Jul 26, 2008 at 9:08 am

  One last comment: According to this article in the Observer- Mr. Fodera was willing to speak to the city and filled out a survey indicating his needs. The city came back with locations and facilities that simply would not work for him. Another myth debunked!

• 8 BiggieSmalls // Jul 26, 2008 at 12:22 pm

  the only thing im puzzled with is the WPIRA demands that THEY reap the benefits of a rezoning and rebuilding of Willets point which has to be remediated at taxpayer expense. The area NEVER HAD Sewers and DRAINAGE.. it WAS A SWAMP.. the residents moved there for the cheap land and tax breaks at diffrent times during the past 50 years.. they knew the problems when they moved their businesses there.. So Soni says he NEVER KNEW his land didnt have connections to the sewers and no paved roads before he accepted his sweet heart deal???? come on./…really? and this guy employs 100 people in the largest plot in WP? he negotiated for land that he didnt know was in a blighted area?

  Fodera got a similar deal as Soni to relocate his business to WP.. he got his deal in the 70’s and Soni came in the early 90’s.. Fodera is using land he got tax breaks on to rent to third parties.. i really dont care about this from a business perspective.. but he says he CANT move his business unless he gets similar land when 75% of his capacity is subletted is not right. he can move.. just like he moved from brooklyn to WP in the 70’s/ he needs how ever many thousand square feet or acres when Fodera Foods ISNT EVEN USING THAT ??

  fodera and the rest of WPIRA didnt ASK to be rezoned.. but he sees it coming and its a windfall when his M3 zoned land is cleaned up - at city expense and is now available for development as retail and commercial ..and instead of having toxically polluted land with no possible drainage they have clean land that is worth 10 times..

  but the WPIRA is taking a stand that they WILL NOT negnotiate unless the threat of Eminent Domain is taken off the table.. its right on their site.. they wont negotiate a price for their land.. the big joke is Sambucci (a WPIRA member) already went behind their backs and negotiated a deal..

  regarding so called Fodera lake.. the area is a flood plain with ZERO Drainage.. most of the run off contains toxic pollution from the other WP tenants and pollutes Flushing river.. but Northern Blvd is plowed and paved.. the inner streets of WP are not and have never been plowed or paved.. they are dirt roads.. the “lake” is a result of the lack of drainage in the area.. not a function of it being plowed or paved… it has ALWAYS flooded.. ALWAYS.. thats why Empire Millwork bailed on the place.

  so why in the world would a so called respectable business owner decide to keep his business amung these deplorable conditions?

  why would someone who says that 18% of his gross sales is carry out choose to keep their business in a spot that is flooded when it rains?

  why would a business man subject his employees to work in a potentially toxic environment for eight plus hours a day?

  i think the reason is because he thinks the land underneath his business contains a gold mine..

  the city wants to rebuild this area desperately because its a hovel and fred wilpon is buddies with bloomberg and he will do anything to make nothern queens a destination for tourists.. centered around Citi Field and a new convention center.. thats fine by me cause im a mets fan too..and i want my team to play in an area that is NOT bombed out BEIRUT.. but for Fodera and the rest of the busineses to make this much of a fuss and not just negotiate a fair deal for their land — LAND that is in its CURRENT STATE — makes them the greedy squatters that are standing in the way of progress that will benefit the ENTIRE area..

  the part of the Soni article you failed to quote is below

  Even if the city could make him whole, Mr. Soni wonders, why shouldn’t he get some additional compensation for the inconvenience of losing his property? As he put it, why should the city “take away from the small guy like me and give to a billion dollar company just so he can make another billion dollars?”

  So Soni - who received massive tax breaks and cheap loans to move to an area that he DIDNT EVEN KNOW didnt have sewers not wants to hold up the process to make a few extra dollars on his sweet heart deal??

  Lets talk about greed huh? of course they can move.. of course they can sell for a good price.. MORE than they paid .. much more.. and receive NEW Tax breaks and incentives in their new locations. but they see the payday of major development and want to hold out for the last dime.. thus holding up progress that wil benefit ALL new Yorkers.

  their site talks all about the development plans.. what should they care about the plans? the area NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP and made into something for all New Yorkers.. not just the greedy current landowners who see a pot of gold at the end of their bombed out rainbow..

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