News: I Will be on NY Mets Daily Podcast Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, I’ll be interviewed on the podcast for New York Mets Daily. Head on over there if you’re interested. You can listen to the streaming podcast or subscribe/download the feed from iTunes.
Update: A representative of the WPIRA, some of the biggest opponents of the Mayor’s plan, will be on the podcast as well tomorrow.
23 Comments to News: I Will be on NY Mets Daily Podcast Tomorrow
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Welcome to Develop Willets Point
give em hell chris…the DWP army stands with you
what army? smalls and a bunch of invisable people?
Good luck Chris. I’ll make it a point to listen in.
Thanks for the support. Someone from WPIRA is also scheduled to join the show, now, as well.
YouTube - Eminent Domain drinking with bob look it up great video
hey donna-
thanks for the link.
when did the city bring in all those stray dogs and roosters running around willets?
and what department brings in all the abandoned burned out cars on the sides of the streets?
if all the tin shacks in that video dont show the blight that is willets i dont know what does..
biggie your acting smallie , is that why they call you biggie smalls? no kidding if that stuff was dumped in front of say mcshanes office would someone not be arrested? where is the enforcement thats the problem ! garbage breeds garbage and the city knows this the city has abandoned the legitimate businesses of willets point long ago . no streets ,sewers , services and ENFORCEMENT thats why it looks the way it does it has been intentionally NEGLECTED now the city wants to give everything to a politically connected doveloper and give him the whole ball of wax and steal these peoples land who have endured 30 years of neglect thats the STORY smalls not dogs running around , your talking about destroying proples lives which i think you would agree is more important than having a BEER after the game to celebrate. AND IF YOU DON’T AGREE YOU HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM
no kidding.. these people own waste disposal and transfer stations.. you’d think they could take a little initiative to clean up THEIR mess. if someone dropped a burning hulk of a car in front my my business id make sure it wasnt there when i opened the next day. you cant continue to blame the city for your mess. in my business i pay for my own garbage removal.
and what about the hydraulic spills, waste oil spills, heavy metals, decrepit leaking underground storage tanks and illegally disposed of cleaners and solvents on the property of the chop shops and junk yards?
i suppose that is the cities neglect as well.
i know of NO OTHER place in NYC where there are roosters running free around transmitting god knows what diseases . not to mention the stray dogs and cats roaming the streets with their own problems. there isnt even a rooster control department to call for that.
like i said b4and you ignored.. i live on a dirt road with a septic system and my land doesn’t look like that.
you land owners should be ashamed of yourselves for running businesses in that dreck and subjecting your clients and employees to those conditions..
im sorry if my words offend you but that place is a shanty town and it aint ALL the cities fault. the guy on your video was right.. it looks like a bombed out 3rd world country — and its not just a few potholes that makes it look that way
seriously donna.. lets hae an intelligent conversation..
you are obviously affiliated with Bono sawdust..
so why cant bono sawdust be moved to ANY OTHER place and thrive? everything i hear from jake is that his grandfather started the biz on this land and thats all well and good but sounds a little zealoty and not reasonable. businesses move locations all the time without incident. no offense.. but you make sawdust and cleaning supplies.
id like to understand Bono’s POV without all the rhetoric. i really would
im not affiliated with bono and your still missing the point ,maybe because you have a smallie brain? if you read right i said i know that besides the legitiamate businesses the others were not policed by the city , how else could they get away with it ? if it was done on main street it would have been taken care of in 10 minutes so why did they let it go on for so long while all the other businesses not are seen as the junk yards and chop shops. ENFORCEMENT THATS WHAT YOU PAY TAXS FOR THAT AND NOT GIVING THEM STREETS AND SEWERS HAS CREATED THIS MESS. and if you would have read the papers and kept up on this for the lasy 30 years you would have known that crown container tried cleaning the streets with their own street sweeper and the city came and impounded it for doing their job. so much for a initiative huh? how many 311 calls need to be placed? how many video survallance tapes have to be shown of illegal dumpers ? how many times do have to be told we can’t arrest him or fine them ? how many times before you get the picture that the city will not help you because they want EVERYONE out even thou you did nothing but help & complain ? how many times? so dont tell me they should be ashamed , the city should be ashamed, and this is all part of the wpira lawsuit against the city with mountains of evidence to back it up . beleive me i alone have 30 responses from the city promising to fix the sewers & streets and to promise to do sting operations on illegal dumping and a host of other problems, guess what? never happened,and it our fault? your a sick and selfish puppy smalls you need help . how dare you say shame on us you sound loike claire shulman now!! shame on us for trying to save our land, businesses and livelyhood. i hope 1 day the city dont come for you and your dirt road and your septic system you know something better can be built that can produce more tax revenue than you pay now can be built. in their words your blighted smalls thats my pov and i take offence to you liking the legitiamte business of willets point who stayed and thrived despite the neglect to the chop shops and junk yards. SHAME ON YOU
ok so if you are not affiliated with Bono then who are you affiliated with? you sound like a total insider.
I mean if I owned a business in an area that had neighbors like you do i’d be a complete raging psycho against their sloppy careless practices..
if I owned a business in a area that i couldnt get a cert of occupancy for my property and had NO change of EVER expanding or improving my property id be FIRST in line for the city to buy me out of the hell hole so i could go somewhere else and run my business
if i owned a business in an area that was so messed up that clients were scared to visit my shop and workers didnt want to come down and apply (T. Mina said just such a thing as did Soni)
id be praying for someone to take me out of the proerty so i could move somewhere and grow
what gives that makes your company so dead set on staying in willets and not wanting to take the first train out of dodge??
hey listen.. the city can come try to take my land away too.. they have to prove its blighted which they’d have a tough time doing. not so tough with willets.. no matter what side of the debate you are on you have to agree with that..just because something else can generate more tax revs doesnt mean you qualify as blighted.. that just plain false.
so donna.. lay off the rhetoric and answer the questions above.
what gives that makes your company so dead set on staying in willets and not wanting to take the first train out of dodge??
WHAT DO THINK THE ANSWER COULD BE . WAIT LETS WAIT MAYBE THE SMALLIE BRAIN WILL KICK IN. YOU STILL DON’T GET IT SMALLIE DO YOU ? THEY HAVE STOLEN OUR TAX DOLLARS FOR 30 YEARS & NOW THE WANT TO STEAL OUR LAND. WHY HAS ONLY 3 MEANINGLESS BUSINESSES & 1 LAND OWNER SOLD? BECAUSE THE CITY WANTED TO MAKE A SPLASH AND PUT PRESSURE ON THE OTHERS . THEY TOOK THE 4 EASIEST PEOPLE TO MOVE AND OPENED THE BANK TO THEM .THEY HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATING WITH A GUN ON THE TABLE ,NOTHING BUT TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, YOU CAN’T MAKE A DEAL LIKE THAT ITS IMPOSSIBLE AND FORCES EVERYONE TO WANT TO DIG IN AND FIGHT. NOW I ASK YOU THIS YOU HAVE BY THE TIME IT DONE A 9-12 BILLION DOLLAR PROJECT THE CITY HAS ONLY ALLOCATED 150,000,000 FOR LAND PURCHASES (71$A FT ) APPRAISALS ARE ANYWHERE FROM 220-240 A FT PLUS FITURES & MOVING COST. REMEMBER ITS HIGHEST AND BEST USE . THAT MEANS WHAT EVER THE LAND GOES FOR THINK OF A 2 STORY BUILDING ON IT BECAUSE IT 2X USE. SO IF YOU HAD 10,000 SQ FT IT WOULD BE 20,000SQ FT x LAND PRICE SO THE CITY IS SAYING MAKE A DEAL OR THE GUN WILL KILL YOU LATER. THAT IS THE RESENTMENT FROM THE BIG BUSINESSES WE KNOW EVERYTHIME THEY CALL THEY LOG IT INTO THEIR BOOK AS EVIDENCE AND THEN THEY SAY WE’VE MADE 500 CALLS. JUST THINK OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS PROJECT AND IF THE CITY DOUBLED EVRYONE UP LIKE RATNER DID IT WOULD LEAVE A FEW HOLDOUTS AND THE PLAN WOULD MOVE AHEAD 100% BUT THE CITY INSTEAD TRYS AND STEAL IT SO NOW THET HAVE A WAR ON THEIR HANDS. IF YOU WERE RUNNING THE EDC SMALLIE HOW WOULD YOU APPROCH THE BIG BUSINESS WITH OFFERS? YOU HAVE TO ASK YOUSELF IF THE OFFERS WERE SO GREAT WHY HAVEN’T THEY SOLD? ANSWER THAT AND YOU ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS
so the primary reason most firms arent negotiating is because the offers have been too low?
thats fine. if your appraisals are 220-240 /sq ft then that should be the starting point not $71.
i wouldnt call sambucci a meaningless business that is easy to move but thats besides the point. i think more owners will start to come around soon as the numbers arent as large as thought. there are only 20 or so resident owners and 50 or so landowners. and of course the 250 tenant businesses who will be relocated in mass..
but you have to be reasoned and understand that your valuation should be based on unimproved m3 heavy industrial property and not commercial zoning.. these 12 million dollar an acre figures are a bit far fetched
i think generally the offers have been a starting point and any negotiation has back and forth. but to just shut down and not negotiate just makes your ED nightmare ultimately come true.
the paranoia of the process (real or imagined) is a real sticking point. i sense a fear and distrust of the city which is understandable as well.. but at some point isnt it better to just move on and grow your business in a more appropriate place?
so donna, is there a real reason why your business couldnt relocate to another area of the city and flourish?
really, no one wishes your business any harm. i dont think a long protracted legal fight with city hall would benefit your bottom line. especially if during that fight you continue to not be able to expand your business or improve your property.
good luck in whatever happens but its my opinion that to not negotiate and fight to the end is a harmful and losing battle.
were trying but were not going to give it away thats what it comes down too . yes we could move and we would be able to keep our business going but it all comes down to value . if someone told you they would give you 200,000 for your house that you know is worth 500,000 and the hold the eminent domain card what would you & mcshane do? give it to them so you can enjoy a beer or fight for whats right . i don’t mean to keep bringing up the past on how the city screwed all of the ” real businesses ” but when they do this and then they lie in the media and say they have been fair then you can understand why the city is not trusted and why we fight. like i said before if the city is fair this deal will happen if not this is a case to go to the supreme court and win because the taker is the blighter. no one wants to go that far but if needed we will!! al we as is be fair and don’t penny pinch us . i think that sums it up maybe better than i said in my other responses
Sure. .everyone wants what’s fair.. Taking me for an example if my neighbors houses went into total disrepair and they started to leave burned out cars on their lawns and have unsanitary conditions that would most definitely affect MY land value …I would move to act on THEM and sue them to clean up the land.
By the same token most people realize that there are a handful of businesses (maybe 15) in the triangle that operate above board and run a clean shop.. I think the main problem is the. 50 absentee landlords who just colllect probably exhorbitant rents and don’t maintain their property..
My guess is the cities next step is to go hard after these individuals and their property because it’s clear they are the root of the problem in willets — and I think you would agree with that.
Where we may differ is the sewer situation. Since there has always been septic and no sewers in willets I can’t see why that is an issue. Further I understand there would be a need for an additional pumping station to serve the triangle which is a significant investment.
Let me ask u one more question.
From your comments above, did you say that you have video of people illegally dumping in WP and when u call the cops they don’t come out but when the carting co’s in the triangle try to clean it up by themselves the police impounded their equipment??? That sounds pretty incredible.
yes we have video we did complain and zero also a member of wpira had his street sweeper impounded for cleaning the streets sick right? also the streets have been storm sewers drains just to handle excess water and guess what ? they are all clogged and never serviced by dep despite again numerous complaints . now i know what you say about the chop shops & junkies are true and the absentee land owners but my point is if the city knew ( which you know they did ) and with us always complaining then why didn’t the city do something about it ? that and the itentional neglect of not installing sewers and streets is why we feel how we feel , and i know your tired of hearing it but those are the facts. in 1992 our wpira members met with claire shulman at foderas office and we begged her for streets sewers and ENFORCEMENT of the people who were doing wrong, her response was NO!! I HAVE BETTER PLANS FOR WILLETS POINT!! even despite a study done by the edc which said to do what we had just asked her . so now 16 years later this witch wants to be a hero and make it look like were the bad ones and she is the savior , that and all that i said in my last response i think you can get an idea of how the 15 that operate clean and have been trying to fix the area feel and that they are again trying to punish us by the way the edc is negotiating with us so this is why you see the big resistance from this group. and it will continue untill the city is real and fair i hope you can understand that. this group is more well funed than any group ever to fight eminent domain we don’t like wasting $$$ but if forced we will
so why don’t u put that video on YouTube I’d the wpira website?
And what about the historical articles?
And the info about crown having equipm
so why don’t u put that video on YouTube Or the wpira website?
And what about the historical articles?
And the info about crown having equipment impounded?
How did the police know he was cleaning the streets if they never come into the triangle ?
And why doesn’t the wpira go after the absentee landlords and the real polluters in the triangle?
I think you’d have a better chance aginst them in the legal courts and the court of public opinion
and did the wpira ever consider hiring private security? At least for the nights? It sounds drastic but lots of companies do it — and with a group of members the cost would be spread around.
Sorry about the double posts– my phone is going a bit bonkers
maybe we should have , but why should we have too? anyway enough on this subject
Donna:
As I see it, you’re wasting your time and energy with the likes of “BiggieSmalls,” who is as ignorant as they come. Why bother?
Two points:
(1.) There are MANY more than just 15 clean and legitimate businesses operating in Willets Point. They’ve thrived for decades despite the City’s neglect, because they provide vital sevices to a broad customer base that comes from as far away as Canada. For the City not to make preservation of ALL of the businesses the top priority is ridiculously poor planning, and New Yorkers aren’t going to tolerate it. “Retraining” already skilled workers for inferior, retail jobs would be a step backwards, and unacceptable.
(2.) No Willets Points business is “wasting money” (as you wrote) by resisting this takeover attempt. After the property owners win, if any of them subsequently decides to voluntarily sell to a developer, I suggest that they increase the price of the property by a reasonable amount to cover all costs incurred over the years to retain it. Additionally, the selling price of any Willets Point property should NOT be based upon present conditions and use, which have been artificially suppressed by the City; but rather, the price should take into account that the property is the prime component of what the City says will be New York’s “next great neighborhood.” If so, then Willets Point property values should be similar to those of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan.
At present, the overwhelming majority of City Council members believe that the proposed redevelopment plan does not adequately protect and indemnify the existing Willets Point businesses (whether land owners or not); and they also oppose any use of Eminent Domain in this instance. Community Board 7 and Helen Marshall have raised many additional issues that will be scrutinized, some of which probably can never be adequately resolved. For example, Community Board 7 has in effect recommended that $300,000,000 (300 million) be set aside exclusively for traffic mitigation; the City is initially offering only five million. The difference between what is needed and what is likely to be available is so extreme as to be laughable (except that we won’t be laughing if we become the victims of the result).
legal , you are 100% right maybe i didn’t come across as i wanted but iagree 100% withyou we will win when it comes down to it . we have been neglected and why should the business take less because of the citys neglect, i know my boss won’t. and the funny part is the property they are showing my boss is contaminated and been sitting like that fo 15 years or more and is city owned . how ironic huh?
LA - to your two points -
regardless of how many “clean and legitimate” busineses are in the triangle the land that these businesses reside on has been treated as a toxic waste dump for over 50 years by the tenants that reside on the land. this is no fault of the city - just the neglect of the tenants or landowners.
further to your point , if - as you say - people come froma s far as Canada to visit the WP businesses they can certainly travel a few extra miles to a new location that is more eco friendly and is not a blight. And NO ONE suggests retraining the existing WP workers for retail jobs - that is just a ridiculous statement that is beyond response.
your second point shows no knowledge of zoning or the “legal authority” of the state in Eminent Domain cases. the land is currently zoned as M3 heavy industrial and most structures on the point have no certificate of occupancy and no ability to obtain a building permit due to substandard existing conditions of the strucutures on the point. if existing landowners chose to sell privately that land could never be used for anything but heavy industrial unless the new owner got a zoning change and performed the necessary remediation to bring the site up to code. this includes any environmental remediation for the toxic waste on the property owners land. the negotiated price would be for land WITHOUT sanitary sewers and assumes the same level of infrastructure in place.
so without the govt stepping in and uniting the triangle under one property owner and changing the zoning the triangle will always remain the toxic waste pit that it is today.