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Connecting Willets Point to the diverse fabric of Queens, bringing economic opportunity to a community that has long been underserved.

The Need

With limited infrastructure and a history of environmental degradation, Willets Point is located within the 100-year flood plain. The City has been working with community partners such as the Queens Community Board’s 7, 3 and 4, to reimagine Willets Point in ways that would create new opportunities for residents and businesses. By leveraging the area's strategic location, Willets Point could better serve the nearby neighborhoods by providing spaces for schools, delivering on much needed affordable housing, jobs and recreational needs to better serve residents. Willets Point can realize its full potential to serve the nearby communities with investments in affordable housing, critical infrastructure and remediation of historically contaminated land.

A Vision and a Plan

The next phase of transformation in Willets Point is the result of historic public-private investment to turn the area into a true mixed-use, mixed income neighborhood—turning the tide on decades of neglect to bring the community long-term economic opportunity.

In November 2022, Mayor Adams announced a vision for Willets Point that is anchored by 2,500 new affordable homes, the largest 100-percent affordable, new construction housing project in New York City in 40 years. The plan will also bring New York City’s first soccer-specific stadium along with public open space, a hotel and neighborhood-serving, ground-floor retail shops that will create good-paying jobs for community residents. All told, the project is expected to create over 16,000 jobs as well as generate $6.1 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years.

Willets Point

Watch the video, Willets Point: Investing in the World's Borough

This plan is the result of a partnership between NYCEDC, the City of New York, New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and Queens Development Group (QDG), a joint venture of Related Companies and Sterling Equities. The future of Willets Point is being driven by historic public-private investment to turn the area into a true mixed-use, mixed income neighborhood—turning the tide on decades of neglect to bring the community long-term economic opportunity.

Meeting a Community’s Needs

The plan for Willets Point builds on the City’s first phase of investment in the community, which will include the first 1,100 100% affordable homes, a new 650-seat standalone public school, new public open space, and significant infrastructure investment—all meeting long-standing needs. This phase also included significant remediation of the formerly contaminated soil that historically gave Willets Point its “Valley of the Ashes” reputation.

Historic Transformation

01
06
Conceptual rendering of Willets Point
Conceptual Rendering
By The Numbers

1.5K

permanent jobs + 14,200 construction jobs

By The Numbers

$6.1B

in economic impact

By The Numbers

2.5K

100% affordable homes

Conceptual Rendering of Willets Point Stadium
Conceptual Rendering
By The Numbers

650

school seats

Willets Point Task Force

This proposal was first recommended by the Willets Point Task Force convened in 2018. The task force—chaired by then-Borough President Melinda Katz and Council Member Francisco Moya—was a group of Queens stakeholders that met to define the vision for the future of the area.

Over four months, the task force identified community priorities and produced recommendations for the City-owned land, including a scenario that reimagined the Special Willets Point District as a hub for a new soccer stadium with public facilities, programmed open space with active and passive uses, and new homes at a range of affordability levels.

The significant infrastructure investment for this project will include additional environmental cleanup—supplementing the ongoing remediation work—as well as installation of new storm and sanitary sewers, reconstruction of streets, and improvements to the existing streetscape.

This next phase of the Willets Point transformation will need to go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the New York City Public Design Commission, and Environmental Review, beginning in 2023. Find more information on the the task force here.

Related Documents
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  • Willets Point ULURP: CB7 Land Use Committee Meeting November 15, 2023
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation September 13, 2023
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation May 10, 2023
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation February 8, 2023
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation September 28, 2022
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation April 6, 2022
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation April 29, 2021
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation December 8, 2021
  • Queens CB7 Quarterly Meeting Presentation December 18, 2019

View additional information about the Willets Point Development including documents relating to city planning commission resolutions, the Willets Point Phase 1 RFP, Willets Point Design Guidelines, and off-site infrastructure improvements such as NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Permit. Environmental Review documents can be downloaded through the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination’s website.

Contact Us

Contact: [email protected]

Learn more about the project.