Willets Point

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.

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.