Gothamist: Willets Point Locals Sue City Over Neglect

sonyactivision

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:06:38 -0500

The mayor gets his way, clears the site, and then the mortgage crisis kills those housing developments. Then Wal-Mart moves in and residents repair their cars in its parking lot. The cycle of life continues...

Snoopy

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:10:01 -0500

At least the people sleeping in cars are not being supported or paid for by tax payers dollars like the affordable housing shits that would occupy the condemned property. They are working rather than moaning.

likesrudylikesbooty

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:02:09 -0500

Makes as much sense as bulldozing a 2 block swath of Broad Street for new luxe condos because some specialists are suspected of insider trading. The above sounds like issues for the EPA, INS, and NIOSH. But of course, eminent domain is another way to solve those problems too.

GM

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:01:48 -0500

The place is a complete dump. I find it hard to believe that any of these guys are running an honest business that pays their fair share of taxes. On top of that, the workers operate in horrid conditions - to paint they just close the garage doors most of the way and go to town. They use paper masks, which doesn't do anything to protect against the paint fumes and there is no other ventilation than a slightly open door. Many of these guys are not citizens and I've seen them just sleeping in customers cars at night. If we could start with the facts here, it'd be nice. However Bloomberg seems to continually get on people's bad sides because he has trouble with that.

jnguy

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:27:39 -0500

rtd2101, What developer friends are you talking about? You mean the ones that he lashed out at for contributing to everyone's campaign before the deadline? And, he calls his mother everyday. Need to stop hatin'.

JenChungsBra

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:22:29 -0500

Uhh, how about this one Yellowfoot. Straight from the Supreme Court itself: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062300783_pf.html Protesters actually tried to get Justice Souter's vacation home seized by eminent domain after that decision. http://www.calpropertyrights.com/pdf/1-21-06_AP_GroupSeeksSouterEviction.PDF

matty

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:44:31 -0500

why is there no infratstructure in this part of the city? No sewers? wtf?

skowen

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:31:07 -0500

http://current.com/items/87589751_willets_point_behind_the_curbline

lucyvanpelt

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:14:36 -0500

$%#&! *Cheeses*! I'll shut up now.

lucyvanpelt

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:13:36 -0500

Er, I meant "takes a front seat." This sort of thing cheese me off so badly I get mentally ruffled. . .

lucyvanpelt

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:12:21 -0500

Unless it's being seized to be raised, decontaminated, and made into an eco buffer zone (which is what SHOULD have happened in the developmental "luxury" mess going on just across the water from WP), the city should leave those poor guys alone. Or, preferably, give them the infrastructure improvements they need. Development and improving the lives of the wealthy always takes a back seat to the environment and improving the lives of the poor. In Queens and elsewhere. Surprise, surprise.

YELLOWFOOT

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:57:37 -0500

I'm not saying the government hasn't tried I'm saying they haven't been very successful unless the area's buildings have been abandoned. This web site is about how to stop the city from abusing eminent domain and has a bunch of success stories i haven't been able to find one yet that has gone threw all of the appeals and has actually happened. just alot of them trying to

Ph

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:49:20 -0500

I think we need to stop building shiny nice things on top of superfund sites. Just repave the friggen place and leave it be.

JenChungsBra

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:34:22 -0500

There have indeed been cases where private land -- even private residential properties -- were seized by government to turn it over to developers. It has happened and it's spawned a whole protest movement that I support wholeheartedly. In fact, the first site that comes back in a Google search for "eminent domain abuse" already has this story on their "In the News" section: http://www.castlecoalition.org/

rtd2101

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:09:01 -0500

Bloomberg would seize his own mother's house by eminent domain if it meant one of his developer friends would make a few bucks. The man is a disgrace. Absolute disgrace of a human being. Greedy, out of touch, underhanded rich asshole.

YELLOWFOOT

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:05:59 -0500

I was reading about this the other day and did some research on eminent domain and found that in cases where towns and cities have tried to claim peoples property for developers to build condos and such have been unsuccessful because the Law is only there to obtain land for things such as public roads and parks not private residence. this will take many yrs. and the city will eventually just get over it or Bloomburg will leave office and it will die.

blablanyc

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:59:35 -0500

Bloomberg has got to quit these land grabs.

starrygordon

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:57:54 -0500

I believe the the vision of our lords and masters for this city does not include manufacturing. It is to be a city where rich people live and play; the only other people who need to be around will be the servants, and they can probably be trucked in from New Jersey. Willetts Point affords yet another opportunity to create a Gold Coast, or rather one might say a Gold-paint Coast, for those who aren't rich enough to live in the big time, like Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and so on. There are huge amounts of money to be made constructing cheesy glitz.

matty

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:57:32 -0500

"Not to mention that the place is essentially a toxic shithole" My guess is the land is polluted from years for dumping engine oil into the soil. The amount of money to create a clean up will be extremely expensive.

likesrudylikesbooty

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:55:56 -0500

Not to mention that the place is essentially a toxic shithole. Are they going to drain the malodorous Flushing River and fill it with artesian water? Is the mayor going for another swing and a miss?

arsguide

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:39:45 -0500

the notion that the city can seize your property so that it can give it to a for profit business is unamerican. The fact that it happens so often around here makes me wonder what country I'm actually living in. What happened to America and my right to life, liberty and property.

Kelsey Grammer Police

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:39:22 -0500

At least in the first rendering it shows a plane taking off from LaGuardia. No one will want to live in the flight path that close to LaGuardia.

JenChungsBra

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:38:19 -0500

I've gotten a few car windows fixed there over the years. It's like a little bit of the third world right here in NYC.

Snoopy

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:22:16 -0500

The city should leave them alone. They provide much needed edginess to the city. Where else can you get that third world feeling? I thought the city was trying to retain manufacturing jobs? Whenever the city wants to do something they wave the "affordable" housing flag. That's bullshit. Who would want to live in the flight path of an airport?