Council OKs Queens, Brooklyn MXDs

NEW YORK CITY-Two big mix-used projects crossed the approvals process finish line Thursday as the City Council gave its blessing to Flushing Commons in Queens and the New Domino on the Brooklyn waterfront. Approvals on both projects were tied to modifications requested by council members.

In the case of Flushing Commons, being developed by a joint venture of the Rockefeller Group and TDC Development and Construction Corp., the council sought and got a number of concessions, mainly from the Bloomberg administration. They’re intended to benefit local merchants, who have spoken out against the project on grounds that construction and the loss of parking could disrupt their businesses. Among the $6-million package is $2.25 million for marketing and advertising support through the Flushing Small Business Assistance Plan.

The five-acre parcel on which the $900-million, 1.2-million-square-foot project will be developed currently is the site of Municipal Parking Lot 1. It will contain a 1.5-acre town square, a 500-unit condominium, 35,000 square feet of retail, a new YMCA, a hotel and a 1,600-space underground parking facility. An adjacent 140-unit affordable housing development, Macedonia Plaza, is sponsored by the Macedonian African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In late June, the council’s Land Use Committee and Subcommittee on Zoning gave unanimous approval to CPC Resources’ $1.2-billion project to redevelop the former Domino Sugar factory, paving the way for Thursday’s vote by the full council to complete the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process. At that time, Council Member Stephen Levin counted himself pleased with modifications that included shortening the project’s two apartment towers from 40 stories to 34 while maintaining the same number of affordable housing units. Earlier this year, the project’s design was modified to incorporate the iconic Domino Sugar sign after protests from community groups.

Thanking Levin and Council Member Vito Lopez for their help in shaping “a constructive compromise,” CPCR president and CEO Michael Lappin says in a statement, “Reaching this milestone enables us to translate the extraordinary benefits of the New Domino into enduring reality to serve the residents of Williamsburg and the city. We look forward to the start of construction next year.”

The project will include 2,200 apartments, including 660 affordable housing units. Also part of the New Domino plan are four acres of public parks, a riverfront esplanade, 128,000 square feet of retail space and 147,000 square feet of community facility space.