On April 8, over 75 clergy and leaders from PICO affiliate Queens Congregations United for Action (QCUA) in New York City joined with other community-based organizations and workers in Queens to call for a just development at Willets Point.

Willets Point is a 61 acre area of land next to Shea Stadium (home to the Mets baseball team) in Queens. The area is currently home to 250 businesses with over 1,300 blue collar workers, predominantly in the automotive industry. The city is proposing to move out the businesses and redevelop the area to include housing, office space, retail and entertainment space, and a hotel/convention center.  However, the plan does not include viable alternative work options or compensation for the displaced workers nor real affordable housing that area residents could afford.

Just before the season opening Mets game at Shea Stadium, QCUA leaders, along with several hundred community leaders and workers, marched to the stadium to draw attention to the redevelopment and to call on Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Economic Development Corporation to include low-income housing and new job training for workers, especially those earning below $25,000, as part of the city's plan.

The project now goes through a public planning process.  QCUA plans to continue their campaign to ensure that this and any development in Queens is inclusive and accessible to the current residents.

For more information on Queens Congregations United for Action, call 718-426-6564 or email info@qcuapico.org

Media Coverage
Willets Point Residents Protest Development Plans