Court Rejects Parkland Shopping Mall Deal In Flushing Meadows Corona Park

"...the public trust doctrine is clear that any alienation of parkland must be explicitly authorized by the legislature. No reasonable reading of Administrative Code section 18-118 allows for the conclusion that the legislature in 1961 contemplated, much less gave permission for, a shopping mall, unrelated to the anticipated stadium, to be constructed in the Park. "  -  New York State Appellate Division 

Proposed Nightmare - Willets Point West.   In 2013 the Related Companies and Sterling Equities - a joint venture between the principle owners of the New York Mets and developer Related Companies received approval from the City Council to build a 1.4 million square foot mall as part of a 48 acre project in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. In a ruling issued today the New York State Appellate Division unanimously rejected the plan stating that it violates the Public Trust Doctrine because it did not get New York State Alienation approval.  The proposed mall was never part of the original Willets Point development that was approved in 2008. 

Queens

By Geoffrey Croft

The New York State Appellate Division unanimously rejected the building of a massive shopping mall on city park land because it failed to first obtain New York State Alienation approval.

The court ruled that the project violates the Public Trust Doctrine and prevents any construction from going forward.

The Queens Development Group - a joint venture between The Related Companies and Sterling Equities, whose owners are New Yorks Met's principle owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz,  are attempting to build a 1.4 million square foot mall as part of a 48 acre project in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

In 2013 the powerful and politically connected developer and Met owners received approval from the City in a sweet-heart Bloomberg administration billion dollar land grab.

October 10, 2013 Delivering The Deal.  A beaming Related Companies' Charles  J.  O'Byrne, Queens City Council member Julissa Ferreras,  Jeff Wilpon - New York Mets COO and the executive vice-president of Sterling Equities and son of New York Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon, and Glenn  A. Goldstein - president of Related Retail and registered lobbyist, pose in City Hall shortly after a City Council vote. (Photo: William Alatriste /New York City Council via A Walk In The Park) 

Today the court ruled that the original 1961 legislation which authorized the building of Shea Stadium did not grant the developers permission to build the proposed mall nor allow the city to give away the land for non-park purposes.

"...the public trust doctrine is clear that any alienation of parkland must be explicitly authorized by the legislature. No reasonable reading of Administrative Code section 18-118 allows for the conclusion that the legislature in 1961 contemplated, much less gave permission for, a shopping mall, unrelated to the anticipated stadium, to be constructed in the Park, " the court stated.

"Its focus is on the stadium, and the stadium only. There is simply no basis to interpret the statute as authorizing the construction of another structure that has no natural connection to a stadium.

The proper interpretation of the statute is critical in this case, because, under the public trust doctrine, dedicated park areas in New York are impressed with a public trust for the benefit of the people of the State, and their "use for other than park purposes, either for a period of years or permanently, requires the direct and specific approval of the State Legislature, plainly conferred.

To look past the specific examples, as respondents urge, would be to purposely ignore the clear intent of the legislature to curtail the use of this portion of the Park to a stadium," the decision stated.

The city has been desperately trying to rely on a 1961 bill that never replaced parkland used for Shea Stadium. Critics of the plan also argue that if the 48 acres being proposed for mall use are no longer needed for parking then it should revert back to its original recreational use. 

The Queens Development Group hired Judith Kaye, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York state.

In court Kaye laughable argued that retail shopping is a recreational activity.  

Today's decision can be appealed to the state’s highest court.  Because the Appellate Division voted unanimously the Court of Appeals must agree to take the case.  

In February 2014, a coalition of area residents,  environmental groups including NYC Park Advocates, business and home owners, and State Senator Tony Avella filed a lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court demanding the City halt its illegal handing over of mapped Parkland to build a mega-mall.

“Today’s decision sends a message loud and clear – our parks are not for sale," State Senator Tony Avella said in a statement.

"The fact of the matter is, this land was intended to be parkland, not the development of a shopping mall. In a city where public land is in short supply, simply handing parkland over is a betrayal of the public trust. The court has affirmed what we have been fighting for all along, and I am thrilled to see this decision come down on the side of justice,” the Senator said.  

"I am very pleased that the Appellate Division, in blocking the development of a shopping mall on parkland next to Citifield, has upheld the ancient common law doctrine that requires any government agency to obtain the approval of the State Legislature before disposing of parkland," the plaintiff's lawyer John R. Low-Beer said in a statement.

"This extra layer of protection for parkland has evolved in recognition of the fact that parkland is a scarce and precious resource.  It makes it a little bit more difficult for our government to give such land away.  It makes sure that we think twice before doing so, no matter how worthy or expedient the proposed project may be."

The proposed mall on parkland was never part of the original Willets Point development that was approved in 2008.   The most telling and disturbing comments relating to lack of accountably and desire to protect the 48 acres of public parkland however came shortly after the October 10, 2013 vote. Council member Julissa Ferreras attempted to justify and explain why the public parkland was now part of the deal and was given away - the developers and the Mayor wanted it.   "The mall is something that the developers and the administration believe is necessary to be able to support the build-out of Willets Point,"  she said.  (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) 

Decision Below

Matter of Avella v City of New York

2015 NY Slip Op 05790

Decided on July 2, 2015

Appellate Division, First Department

Mazzarelli, J.p., J.

Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.

This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports.

 Decided on July 2, 2015 

SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION First Judicial Department

Angela M. Mazzarelli,J.P.

Dianne T. Renwick

Sallie Manzanet-Daniels

Darcel D. Clark, JJ.

100161/14 15026

[*1]In re Senator Tony Avella, et al., Petitioners/Plaintiffs-Appellants, The City of New York, et al., Respondents/Defendants-Respondents.

Petitioners/plaintiffs appeal from the judgment of the Supreme Court, New York County (Manuel J. Mendez, J.), entered August 21, 2014, denying the petition for declaratory and injunctive relief in connection with the construction of Willets West, a retail entertainment center, in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and dismissing this hybrid CPLR article 78 and declaratory judgment proceeding.

John R. Low-Beer, Brooklyn, and Law Office of Lorna B. Goodman, New York (Lorna B. Goodman of counsel), for appellants.

Zachary W. Carter, Corporation Counsel, New York (Michael J. Pastor and Richard Dearing of counsel), for municipal respondents.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York (Jonathan L. Frank and Judith S. Kaye of counsel), for Queens Development Group, LLC and Queens Ballpark Company, L.L.C., respondents.

Fox Rothschild LLP, New York (Karen Binder and Jesse Masyr of counsel), for Related Willets, LLC and Sterling Willets LLC, respondents.

MAZZARELLI, J.P.

In 1961 legislation related to a stadium that was anticipated to be constructed in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens (the Park) was enacted. It was entitled "Renting of stadium in Flushing Meadow park; exemption from down payment requirements," and codified in Administrative Code of the City of New York § 18-118. The stadium that the legislation anticipated being constructed by the City in the Park was indeed built, and opened as Shea Stadium, the home of the New York Mets. In 2006, the owners of the Mets and the City agreed that the stadium would be demolished and replaced with a new stadium immediately to the east. That stadium, Citi Field, opened in 2009. The area where Shea Stadium once stood, and where Citi Field now stands, is bordered on its west by Willets Point. Willets Point is a 61-acre area that has long been considered by the City to be blighted. Indeed, Willets Point has no sewers, sidewalks or streetlights, is replete with potholed and rutted streets, and is prone to flooding. In 2008, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) embarked on its most recent attempt to develop Willets Point. It developed a plan that envisioned a mixed-use community including thousands of residential dwellings, 1.7 million square feet of retail space, 500,000 square feet of office space, 400,000 square feet of convention center space, 700 hotel rooms, 150,000 square feet of community facility space, a school, thousands of parking spaces, and at least eight acres of publicly accessible open space. In addition, the plan contemplated raising the level of Willets Point to address recurrent flooding conditions, remediating environmental conditions caused by decades of contamination and adding new streets along with sanitary and storm-water improvements. In connection with the plan, in November 2008 the City Council approved a number of zoning and mapping actions pursuant to the City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which established a "Special Willets Point District."

While the City initially sought to develop the entirety of Willets Point in one phase, this turned out to not be feasible because the size of the project and the state of the economy would prevent any interested developer from securing the necessary financing. Instead, the City determined, implementation of the development plan would have to be done in phases, and in May 2011 EDC issued a Request for Proposals to private entities for a modified development plan. In May 2012, EDC accepted a development plan submitted by the "Queens Development Group" (QDG), a joint venture between entities controlled by Sterling Equities Associates, the owner of the Mets, and The Related Companies, a real estate development firm. QDG proposed a two-phase project. Phase 1A, which was set to commence in 2015, would involve the construction of "Willets West," a retail mall and movie theater, on 30.7 acres of an existing parking lot adjacent to Citi Field, located outside the Willets Point Special District. Like the stadium, Willets West would be situated inside the Park. Phase 1A would also see the remediation of 23 acres of Willets Point, including installation of sewage systems, roads and ramps to access local highways, parking spaces, and the development of a 200-room hotel. Phase 1B, expected to commence in 2026, would involve the construction of mixed-income housing, a public school, and additional acres of open space. However, under the agreement between EDC and the joint venturers, the developers could avoid having to build Phase 1B by paying $35 million in liquidated damages.

In 2013, QDG and EDC jointly applied to the City Planning Commission (CPC), and submitted ULURP applications for a demapping of streets in Willets Point, a number of special permits, and a revision of the Special Willets Point District zoning. This was to allow "transitional" uses of the area, specifically interim parking lots and space for "active recreation." The ULURP applications were reviewed by two local community boards, with one recommending approval and the other recommending disapproval. The Queens Borough President approved the application with certain conditions. CPC then conducted its review and [*2]held a public hearing. After receiving a final environmental impact statement, CPC approved the application. None of these approvals directly pertained to the Willets West property, and during the approval process, CPC stated that questions concerning the development of Willets West on mapped parkland were not subject to the commission's land use jurisdiction and were beyond the scope of the application. The development plan subsequently was approved by the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee of the City Council, the Land Use Committee, the City Council and the Mayor.

Petitioners, who are a State Senator, not-for-profit organizations, taxpayers, businesses, users of the Park, and other affected persons, brought this proceeding to enjoin the development of Willets West. In addition to injunctive relief, petitioners sought declarations that the City Council's approval of resolutions to facilitate construction of Willets West was arbitrary and capricious, that construction of the proposed shopping mall on unzoned property would violate section 11-13 of the New York City Zoning Resolution, and that the failure to apply for zoning changes or submit a new lease for Willets West through ULURP (New York City Charter § 197-c and § 197-d) was improper. As their central claim, petitioners sought a declaration that the parking lot on which Willets West would be built, which is the site that previously housed Shea Stadium, remains subject to the public trust doctrine, because it remains mapped parkland. They contend that Administrative Code § 18-118 does not provide authorization for the project, as the legislation "was only for the stadium itself and ancillary public purposes for the benefit of the people of the City, not for a gigantic commercial development profiting private real estate developers and retailers."

Respondents sought dismissal of the petition, arguing that the City's leasing of the parking area in Willets West that is designated parkland does not violate the public trust doctrine. They interpret Administrative Code § 18-118 as authorization by the State to alienate the area where Citi Field now stands for any listed public purposes, including those to be promoted by the development of Willets West, such as amusement, entertainment and the improvement of trade and commerce. Respondents further argued that since the parkland where Willets West is being developed remains under the control of the Commission of Parks and Recreation, there is no need for a zoning amendment designating a zoning district pursuant to Zoning Resolution § 11-13. They assert that since the lease for the mall is expressly authorized by statute, the statute overrides any other local law and the project thus does not require approval through the ULURP process. Finally, respondents argued that the challenged determinations approving the zoning actions were not arbitrary or capricious.

The court dismissed the proceeding. Its analysis of Administrative Code § 18-118 concluded that, rather than authorizing use of the property for a stadium alone, "the legislature took into consideration alternate uses of the property" and permitted approval of leases "for other uses to benefit the public." It further found that the legislative history of the 1961 statute establishes that "although the state legislature's initial intent for the parkland was Shea Stadium, other uses were acceptable" for public purposes for the benefit of the people of the City, including "improvement of trade or commerce." Finding that § 18-118 "applies to the use of the property for a shopping mall (that includes public programming space and a movie theater) will serve the public purpose of improving trade or commerce" and "will also serve the public purpose of ultimately altering the blighted Willets Point into a mixed use community," the court held that the public trust doctrine was not violated. The court also noted that "improvement of trade or commerce resulting from leasing the parkland including use as a shopping mall, is part of the development plan for purposes of creating an entire special district' and community which ultimately will result in the public benefit of removal of urban blight from Willets Point," and that the City has already undertaken substantial efforts in obtaining possession of property and relocating business in Willets Point.

Having found that Administrative Code § 18-118 applies to the development of Willets West, the court concluded that this legislative authorization removes the need to apply ULURP and Zoning Resolution § 11-13, noting that they do not apply where there is state legislation governing a specific land use. Accordingly, the court found that "there is no need to address Petitioners' arguments concerning the requirements of ULURP and [] Zoning Resolution § 11-13." The court nevertheless concluded that ULURP does not apply to the development plans and review of the business terms for the disposition of the parkland formerly used for Shea Stadium, as these powers have devolved to the Mayor, who has approved the development plan. Finally, the court found that the City's challenged determinations have a rational basis and are not arbitrary and capricious.

This dispute turns on whether the plain language of Administrative Code § 18-118 compels a narrow use of the parkland in question such that any additional construction on it must be directly related to a stadium, or whether any such construction on the parkland must only be related to one of the purposes delineated in § 18-118(b). The proper interpretation of the statute is critical in this case, because, under the public trust doctrine, dedicated park areas in New York are impressed with a public trust for the benefit of the people of the State, and their "use for other than park purposes, either for a period of years or permanently, requires the direct and specific approval of the State Legislature, plainly conferred" (Friends of Van Cortlandt Park v City of New York, 95 NY2d 623, 632 [2001] [internal quotation marks omitted]). Stated differently, parkland may be alienated or leased for non-park purposes as long as authorized by the legislature (see Miller v City of New York, 15 NY2d 34 [1964]), and the "legislative authority required to enable a municipality to sell its public parks must be plain" (Aldrich v City of New York, 208 Misc 930, 939 [Sup Ct, Queens County 1955], affd 2 AD2d 760 [2d Dept 1956]).

We thus turn to the language of Administrative Code § 18-118. It provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

"a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, general, special or local, the city, acting by the commissioner, with the approval of the board of estimate, is hereby authorized and empowered from time to time to enter into contracts, leases or rental agreements with, or grant licenses, permits, concessions or other authorizations to, any person or persons, upon such terms and conditions, for such consideration, and for such term of duration as may be agreed upon by the city and such person or persons, whereby such person or persons are granted the right, for any purpose or purposes referred to in subdivision b of this section, to use, occupy or carry on activities in, the whole or any part of a stadium, with appurtenant grounds, parking areas and other facilities, to be constructed by the city on certain tracts of land described in subdivision c of this section . . ."

Section (b) of the statute, in turn, provides that

"b. Any contract, lease, rental agreement, license, permit, concession or other authorization referred to in subdivision a of this section may grant to the person or persons contracting with the city thereunder, the right to use, occupy or carry on activities in, the whole or any part of such stadium, grounds, parking areas and other facilities,

"(1) for any purpose or purposes which is of such a nature as to furnish to, or foster or promote among, or provide for the benefit of, the people of the city, recreation, entertainment, amusement, education, enlightenment, cultural development or betterment, and improvement of trade and commerce, including professional, amateur and scholastic sports and athletic events, theatrical, musical or other entertainment presentations, and meetings, assemblages, conventions and exhibitions for any purpose, including meetings, assemblages, conventions and exhibitions held [*3]for business or trade purposes, and other events of civic, community and general public interest, and/or

"(2) for any business or commercial purpose which aids in the financing of the construction and operation of such stadium, grounds, parking areas and facilities, and any additions, alterations or improvements thereto, or to the equipment thereof, and which does not interfere with the accomplishment of the purposes referred to in paragraph one of this subdivision. It is hereby declared that all of the purposes referred to in this subdivision are for the benefit of the people of the city and for the improvement of their health, welfare, recreation and prosperity, for the promotion of competitive sports for youth and the prevention of juvenile delinquency, and for the improvement of trade and commerce, and are hereby declared to be public purposes."

Respondents interpret the words "right ... to use, occupy or carry on activities in, the whole or any part of a stadium, with appurtenant grounds, parking areas and other facilities" in § 18-118(a) as authorizing the use of any part of the stadium, any part of the grounds, any part of the parking areas, or any part of any other facilities constructed on the site, so long as any such use is for one of the delineated purposes. They assert that because Willets West would "use" the parking areas, and because a shopping mall would satisfy § 18-118(b) by "improv[ing] . . . trade and commerce" for "the people of the city," it is authorized by the statute.

Petitioners counter that the term "use" is not broad enough to embrace a construction project of the type proposed by respondents. They argue that the language employed makes clear that, in enacting § 18-118, the legislature, contemplating the construction of a stadium in the Park, intended to provide only for how the stadium itself, and any necessary supporting facilities, such as parking lots, could be used. According to their contentions, the statute is concerned with trade and commerce that is conducted specifically with reference to the stadium. Therefore, they assert, it does not matter that the Willets West project is an improvement of trade and commerce, even one crucial to the reclamation of Willets Point.

In determining which party's construction of the statute is correct, we must adhere to the traditional rules of statutory construction. The primary rule is that "courts are obliged to interpret a statute to effectuate the intent of the Legislature, and when the statutory language is clear and unambiguous, it should be construed so as to give effect to the plain meaning of the words used" (People v Finnegan, 85 NY2d 53, 58 [1995], cert denied 516 US 919 [1995] [internal quotation marks and brackets omitted]). Further, "[i]t is an accepted rule that all parts of a statute are intended to be given effect and that a statutory construction which renders one part meaningless should be avoided" (Rocovich v Consolidated Edison Co., 78 NY2d 509, 515 [1991]). Finally, we must be mindful of "the statutory context of the provision" (New York State Psychiatric Assn., Inc. v New York State Dept. of Health, 19 NY3d 17, 24 [2012] [internal quotation marks omitted]).

We find that the overriding context of Administrative Code § 18-118 concerns the stadium to be built in the portion of the Park delineated therein. Interpreting the language plainly, the statute, boiled down to its simplest form, authorizes the City to permit "persons" to avail themselves of the stadium which the City plans to construct. Its focus is on the stadium, and the stadium only. There is simply no basis to interpret the statute as authorizing the construction of another structure that has no natural connection to a stadium.

This interpretation is confirmed by the use limitations laid out in subdivision (b). To be sure, the general purposes laid out in § 18-118(b)(1), considered in a vacuum, are not necessarily related to a stadium. Indeed, if one stopped reading after the words "improvement of trade and commerce," one might be led to believe that the uses contemplated by the legislature were without limitation. However, the general purposes are followed by specific examples, to wit: [*4]"professional, amateur and scholastic sports and athletic events, theatrical, musical or other entertainment presentations, and meetings, assemblages, conventions and exhibitions for any purpose, including meetings, assemblages, conventions and exhibitions held for business or trade purposes, and other events of civic, community and general public interest." Each of these examples is traditionally associated with a stadium. Obviously, Shea Stadium was used by the Mets for many years, and was also used to stage other professional and non-professional sporting competitions. Similarly, we know that Shea Stadium was used for musical presentations, such as the famous performance there by the Beatles. No actual examples of "meetings, assemblages, conventions and exhibitions" come to mind that took place at Shea Stadium, but one could envision such events being suitable for a large stadium. Indeed, Yankee Stadium has been known to host religious services. One could also imagine a large trade show, such as a car or boat exhibition, being staged at a stadium.

The fact that the examples given by the legislature as types of uses that improve trade and commerce all naturally relate to uses of a large stadium is significant to our analysis. That is because the canon of statutory construction known as ejusdem generis "requires the court to limit general language of a statute by specific phrases which have preceded [FN1] the general language" (McKinney's Cons Laws of NY, Book 1, Statutes § 239). Stated differently, the general phrase becomes "known by the company it keeps" (People v Illardo, 48 NY2d 408, 416 [1979]). Here, the purposes for which the "stadium, grounds, parking areasand other facilities" may be used are unquestionably wide, but only to the degree that they fit within the specific examples provided by the limiting language. To look past the specific examples, as respondents urge, would be to purposely ignore the clear intent of the legislature to curtail the use of this portion of the Park to a stadium. Accordingly, we are not permitted to construe the statute as authorizing uses merely related to the improvement of trade and commerce. We must interpret it as requiring any proposed use to be associated with the stadium and the necessary and natural appurtenances to it.

Section 18-118(b)(2) is also not supportive of respondents' position, because its use authorization is even narrower than subdivision (b)(1). Any use of the Park permitted by that subsection must be related to the financing of the construction and improvement of the stadium, and, according to the section, must "not interfere with the accomplishment of the purposes referred to in" subdivision (b)(1). Accordingly, pursuant to our construction of the statute, the uses described in subdivision (b)(1) must still relate to the stadium itself and the naturally expected uses of a stadium as listed in subdivision (b)(1).

We take no issue with the notion that Willets West is a potential driver of trade and commerce, and that it is a worthy first step in the City's long-stated desire to breathe new life into a neighborhood that is in dire need of improvement. However, the public trust doctrine is clear that any alienation of parkland must be explicitly authorized by the legislature. No reasonable reading of Administrative Code section 18-118 allows for the conclusion that the legislature in 1961 contemplated, much less gave permission for, a shopping mall, unrelated to the anticipated stadium, to be constructed in the Park. Further, it is simply not in our power to set the doctrine aside, no matter how worthy a proposed use of parkland may be. Here, while there is a legislative mandate for the use of the Park, that mandate does not encompass the use proposed by respondents. Thus, the Willets West project must be enjoined.

Accordingly, the judgment of the Supreme Court, New York County (Manuel J. Mendez, J.), entered August 21, 2014, denying the petition for declaratory and injunctive relief in [*5]connection with the construction of Willets West, a retail entertainment center, in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and dismissing this hybrid CPLR article 78 and declaratory judgment proceeding, should be reversed, on the law, without costs, and the petition granted to the extent of declaring that construction of Willets West on City parkland without the authorization of the state legislature violates the public trust doctrine, and enjoining any further steps toward its construction.

All concur.

Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Manuel J. Mendez, J.), entered August 21, 2014, reversed, on the law, without costs, and the petition granted to the extent of declaring that construction of Willets West on City parkland without the authorization of the state legislature violates the public trust doctrine, and enjoining any further steps toward its construction.

Opinion by Mazzarelli, J.P. All concur.

Mazzarelli, J.P., Renwick, Manzanet-Daniels, Clark, JJ.

THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT.

ENTERED: JULY 2, 2015

CLERK

Footnotes

Footnote 1: Here the limiting terminology follows the general, but that distinction is immaterial. 

Related Companies and Sterling Equities are looking to build a 1.4 million square foot mall on 48 acres of mapped parkland in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, west of Citi-Field stadium.  This represents the largest public parkland giveaway in recent history. The proposed   Willets Point West Mall project would allow the seizing of the public parkland to be used exclusively for non-park purposes without first getting State Alienation approval as is required under the law.  The construction of such a mall on public parkland would be unprecedented. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) 



Proposed Mall.



Read More:

Court halts ‘Willets West’ mall project in Queens park near Citi Field

New York Daily News - July 3, 2015 - By Lisa L. Colangelo, Erin Durkin

Near Citi Field, Plans for Willets West Are Ruled Illegal

New York Times - July 2, 2015 -  By Richard Sandomir  

Plan to put mall next to Citi Field needs state approval, judges rule 
New York Post - July 2, 2015 -  By Lia Eustachewich 

Court blocks Willets West mall project

Queens Chronicle - July 2, 2015 - By Peter C. Mastrosimone

State Legislature Must Approve Queens Project,  Panel Rules

New York Law Journal - July 6,  2015 - Andrew Denney  

Judge Dismisses Flushing Meadows Park "Willets Point West" Lawsuit - Group Vows To Appeal
A Walk In The Park - August 20, 2014 

Lawsuit Filed To Stop Mega-Mall In Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
A Walk In The Park - February 11, 2014 

Willets Point Lessons: Trading Parkland for Developer's Donation
A Walk In The Park - November 3, 2013

Related Co. Strikes Gold As City Council Approves Park Land Grabs Deals - Willets Point West & Ruppert Playground Development 

A Walk In The Park - October 10, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft 

Willets Point Land Grab In Flushing Meadows Park Blasted

A Walk In The Park - August 9, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft   

New York Court of Appeals To Hear Controversial Union Sq. Park Restaurant Case

Baby Yoga  - 2012 - Union Square Park Pavilion.  For more than 130 years, the park‘s pavilions have served many vital functions - a playspace for children, a bandstand, a reviewing stand, a speakers’ rostrum, and as a focal point for countless labor rallies and social protests. Despite this history, and the serious need for additional recreational and sheltered community space, since 2004 Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Union Square Partnership — a Business Improvement District/Local Development Corporation — have attemped to sieze thousands of square feet of potential recreation and neighborhood space by turning the historic pavilion into a high-end restaurant.  The BID has been allowed to dictate public land use policy aided by an eight million dollar anonymous donation.

In doing so they have also attempted to by-pass the NY State Legislature in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine, a law that provides robust protection for parkland and dates back to the 19th century in New York, and has its roots in ancient Roman law. 

For the first time in more than twelve years The New York State Court of Appeals will consider the Public Trust Doctrine,  and will hear oral arguments on Tuesday at 2:30 and shown live on the Court's website.  

(Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge

From Free Children, Cultural, First Amendment and Community Park Uses To This.  Rendering of proposed high-end bar and restaurant in the historic pavilion by Chef Driven Market, owners of Five Napkin Burger chain.   

The area around Union Square Park has the lowest amount of playground space but the highest concentration of restaurants in the entire city.  In Community District 5 there are only two playgrounds, but there are more than 150 eating establishments, bars and markets within just a two-block radius of the park.   

Will the de Blasio administration defend a failed Bloomberg-era privatization policy.   

— Geoffrey Croft

Albany/Manhattan

On Tuesday, January 14, 2014, and for the first time since Friends of Van Cortland Park v. City of New York in 2001, the New York Court of Appeals will consider the Public Trust Doctrine, which provides that once land has been acquired for use as a municipal park, it cannot be used for any other purpose without the approval of the State Legislature.  In Union Square Park Community Coalition (USCC), et al. v. City of New York, et al., the Plaintiff community group USCC — which is responsible for the rebirth of Union Square Park after decades of neglect — opposes a Bloomberg-era plan to install a high-end, commercial restaurant in the Park's historic Pavilion at the expense of children and the greater community.    

In January 2013, the Supreme Court in Manhattan in a strongly worded opinion blocked the restaurant as a violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.  Later in the year, the Appellate Division reversed the lower court's decision with a summary, one sentence decision.  On appeal, the Court of Appeals will consider the Public Trust Doctrine that dates back to the 19th century in New York, and has its roots in ancient Roman law, and provides robust protection for parkland.  

The Court of Appeals will hear this case at a critical time. Parkland alienation, the sale, lease or use of parkland for non-park purposes without legislative authorization, is a growing concern.  Increasingly, municipal governments are taking parkland from communities, using them as cash cows or as free real estate for commercial or industrial purposes in flagrant disregard of the law.  Tuesday's Court of Appeals argument comes on the heels of two decisions in the last month - Spring Creek Park in Brooklyn and NYU -  in which NY state courts found that the City violated the Public Trust Doctrine by allowing city parkland to be used for non-park purposes without approval from the State Legislature. 

Sanford (Sandy) Weisburst from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP will be presenting oral arguments for the plaintiffs.

 “The plan for the Pavilion and the plaza threaten the historical use of the North Plaza as a public gathering place, and excludes the public from an important part of the public park," said NY State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, whose district includes Union Square Park and is a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

"The pavilion should be re-established to its original intent as public space.  The Parks Department should open the building for free public uses as well give other organizations the opportunity to submit proposals in a fair and open process that allows for community input.” 

July 14, 2013 - Tango in the Park.   The Union Square Partnership BID has spent millions of dollars trying to prevent the public from accessing the pavilion.  The proposed restaurant would be open from the spring through the fall when the public's use and need of the park is the greatest.

From Arts & Cultural Programming to This.  Rendering of the exterior of the proposed Chief Driven Market high-end restaurant in the historic pavilion.  The proposed commercial entity would prohibited a variety of community uses in and around the building.


"The Pavilion should returned to its historic role as a recreation site for children,” said former City Council member and plaintiff Carol Greitzer.  

“We hope the new administration will now work with us to restore the too-long-idle Pavilion to its traditional historic role.”    

Ms. Greitzer also pointed out that the adjacent playground had few play features for children with disabilities, and little for older kids. She said the pavilion should be utilized to provide expanded services for these and other groups. 

 “The Union Square Partnership/Bloomberg Administration plan to build a restaurant at the expense of the children and the community is shameful,” said Geoffrey Croft, a plaintiff and board member of The Union Square Community Coalition which brought the suit. 

“No BID should be allowed to dictate public land use policies, and especially under the influence of anonymous donations.”

"The factual record clearly establishes that the proposed pavilion restaurant does not serve proper park purposes," said Reed Super, Esq., founder of Super Law Group who have represented USCC since 2008. 

"We look forward to our day in court and to a decision that preserves the pavilion for community use and upholds the core principles of New York's Public Trust Doctrine."  

Background:  The area around Union Square Park has the lowest amount of playground space but the highest concentration of restaurants in the entire city.  In Community District 5 there are only two playgrounds, but there are more than 150 eating establishments, bars and markets within just a two-block radius of the park.   Since 2004 the community around the park has been fighting an irresponsible plan by the Union Square Partnership,  a Business Improvement District/Local Development Corporation, and the Bloomberg administration to install a high-end restaurant depriving children and the community of desperately needed play space. 

The neighborhood has long fought to use the covered Pavilion as it was originally intended, for children and community uses.  The Pavilion should be renovated and restored to its former uses which include a sheltered, indoor recreation center that serves a variety of year-round recreation and free public uses.  

Despite vehement community opposition the plan would take away thousands of square feet of potential recreation and community space for six months of the year in order to accommodate a seasonal restaurant.  

The BID is being allowed to dictate public land use policies aided by an eight million dollar anonymous donation. It has spent millions of dollars attempting to take away and privatize much needed public space from the community - unlike Manhattan's other pavilion in Columbus Park which was handsomely restored and given back to the neighborhood for community activities.  

Table For Two?  Eliminating the park's historic free speech and rally space. The proposed new seasonal restaurant including the outdoor seating area is expected to severely impede on the parks' historic first amendment and free space role in the Northern plaza as the city will be less inclined to issue permits for large gatherings in order to protect the commercial interests and the physical "improvements" of the restaurant. 

Allowing the Pavilion to be converted into a seasonal restaurant will dramatically alter the Park's historic first amendment and free speech uses. Union Square was designated as a National Historic Landmark in large part because of these uses which began in 1882.

Bloomberg-era free speach policy impacted the use of the pavilion.  On May Day 2012 marchers were kept away from the building (above) by galvanized steel crowd control barricades (below) manned by park workers.





















Critics also charge that allowing the Pavilion to be converted into a seasonal restaurant will dramatically alter the Park's historic first amendment and free speech uses. Union Square is a National Historic Landmark because it was the site of the first Labor Day celebration in 1882 when the pavilion in the north end first served as the platform for speakers, as it has done on countless other occasions since. 

In March 2012 the city quietly approved a new fifteen-year deal with Chef Driven Market, LLC the owner of a number of high-end restaurants to build a controversial restaurant with upscale prices in the Children's Pavilion in Union Square Park.  A previous deal collapsed in September 2011. 

In 2004, Save Union Square Park, a grass roots, community - based campaign was organized by NYC Park Advocates to advocate for the needs of the community. With the help and support of 57 community organizations, including USCC, one of the City's oldest park advocacy organizations, elected officials and a broad-based labor coalition, the campaign succeeded in defeating a controversial plan to create a year-round restaurant and greatly increased the amount of playground space, much of it recaptured from play areas lost to the previous seasonal cafe.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have vowed to continue to try to prevent the City and the BID from taking way potential play space from children and the community. 

State Senators Liz Krueger and Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Deborah Glick and former Council Member (now Manhattan Borough President) Gale Brewer have joined the fight by filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief. 

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is representing The Union Square Park Community Coalition (USCC) and several individual plaintiffs in the in the New York Court of Appeals.  The Quinn Emanuel team is led by partner Sanford (Sandy) Weisburst and includes of counsel Andrew Dunlap and associate Yelena Konanova.

Super Law Group, LLC has represented USCC in its efforts to return the Union Square Park pavilion to community use since 2008, and has twice obtained preliminary injunctions blocking the proposed restaurant.  The Super Law Group team is lead by Reed Super and includes associates Alexandra Hankovszky and Edan Rotenberg.  

Arte Institute's NY Portuguese Short Film Festival at Union Square Park Pavilion - 2012.  

Tango In The Pavilion. - 2013. The community has been fighting for the space to be used for desperately needed play space for children and other free community uses. 

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New York Post - January 13, 2014 - By Julia Marsh 

Judges to Consider City Plan for Union Square Park Restaurants

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Judge Stops Union Square Restaurant Plan

A Walk In The Park - January 9, 2013 - By Geoffrey Croft

Pricey New Union Square Restaurant Operator Named- Lawsuit Being Prepared

A Walk In The Park - March 14, 2012  - By Geoffrey Croft

Occupy Wall Street Student Rally At Union Square Park

A Walk In The Park - November 17, 2011 

Controversial Union Sq. Restaurant Deal Collapses

A Walk In The Park - September 7, 2011

Union Square Park Pavilion Concessionaire Announced - Lawsuit Being Prepared

A Walk In The Park - May 17, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg's Union Square Park restaurant deal tasteless

New York Daily News - April 30, 2008 - By Juan Gonzalez

Judge Blocks Overhaul of Union Square Park

New York Times - April 23, 2008 - By Timothy Williams

Judge Extends Injunction Against Union Square Restaurant 

NY1 - April 28, 2008

Groups Protest Planned Restaurant In Union Square Park

NY1 - October 17, 2005

Bloomberg Unveils Redesign Plan for Union Square Park

Faces Chants of Protesters

The New York Sun - October 26, 2004 - By Dina Temple-Raston

Harlem Playgrounds/Garden Stolen For Charter School - Lawsuit

Ground was broken in April on a $100 million five-story Harlem Children's Zone charter school on the St. Nicholas Playground North site. A lawsuit filed yesterday in New York State Supreme Court alleges the taking the playground for a non-park purpose required New York State alienation approval and as a result is a violation of the Public Trust Doctrine which protects parkland. Press Release below. (Photo: DNAinfo)

Manhattan

Residents of the St. Nicholas Houses and state Sen. Bill Perkins filed a lawsuit Thursday to block the construction of a $100 million Harlem Children's Zone charter school in the middle of the public housing complex, according to DNAinfo.

The suit challenges the way the project was approved, said Sadia Rahman, an attorney for the Urban Justice Center who filed the action along with the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project.

According to the suit, NYCHA should have sought permission from the city and the state Legislature before removing the parkland the school is being built upon. Some residents have opposed the project because they say the 135,000 square-foot-school imposes upon their quality of life by taking away open space.

"You just have a better quality of life when you can walk out your door sit on a bench and read a book or feed the squirrels," said Rahman.

The St. Nicholas Houses, located between West 127th and West 131st streets and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards, is part of a New York City Housing Authority superblock. Buildings, parks, playgrounds, parking lots and open space stand in areas that were once part of the city street grid.

"Families there use the space as part of their recreation and socializing, they have gardens and the kids play there. They are opposed very strongly to the taking of their open space and replacing it with a charter school," said Perkins, who has strongly opposed the charter school movement.

Construction of the school began in April. It will house 1,300 students in grades K through 12 and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt construction.

NYCHA declined to comment on pending litigation. The city and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are also named in the lawsuit.

Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone, said the benefits of the school outweigh the loss of open space.

"While we regret the loss of any green space in Harlem, we believe creating an unparalleled educational opportunity for the children of St. Nicholas Houses, as well as a year-round community center, more than balances the impact of losing some green space," Canada said.

President Obama has modeled his anti-poverty program "Promise Neighborhoods" after the program at Harlem Children's Zone.

Canada said that the approval process was "open" and "well within the law." The ultimate goal is to "break the cycle of poverty," he said.

The project has also addressed residents' concerns by replacing all the playgrounds, providing landscaping in other areas and easing the inconvenience of construction by providing "dozens" of residents with air conditioners.

Residents have said they are not against Canada's mission and that there are other locations where he could build a school.

"To say we are against education because we are against the school's location is like saying you have a problem with God because you have an issue with one church," said William Danzy, co-founder of Citizens for the Preservation of St. Nicholas Houses, and one of 92 residents who are plaintiffs in the suit.

"Harlem is more crowded now than ever before. To take this oasis away, this view, these trees and the seating capacity its a terrible situation," he added.

Perkins said the case is also about setting precedent. The project is part of a wave of city-driven efforts to carve up NYCHA superblock housing projects to installnew private projects. The school on the grounds of St. Nicholas Houses also represents the first time NYCHA has broken up one of its superblock housing complexes.

NYCHA also recently launched a partnership with Harlem RBI to build an $85 million charter school project that includes a park renovation, new headquarters for the group and 90 units of affordable rental housing on what is now a parking lot at Washington Houses in East Harlem.

"My concern is, now it's charters, but what's next," Perkins asked.

Rahman agreed. "If NYCHA can succeed here, the dominoes will start to fall and you will hear about other developments losing playgrounds and parking lots to private entities," she said.

Read/View More

St. Nicholas Houses Residents Sue to Block Charter School Construction

DNAinfo - July 21, 2011 - By Jeff Mays

NYC Stole Our Park

WPIX - July 21, 2011

(Video)

URBAN JUSTICE CENTER AND THE NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND JUSTICE PROJECT ANNOUNCE LAWSUIT THAT ALLEGES VALUABLE PARK WRONGLY TAKEN BY NYC

Lawsuit Alleges That Valuable Park Wrongly Taken By NYC

NEW YORK- More than 100 residents of Harlem’s St. Nicholas Houses today joined in a lawsuit seeking to prevent the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), HUD and the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) from allowing improper construction of a new charter school amid public housing at the St. Nicholas Houses. The lawsuit, filed by the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center (UJC), and the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project, two non-profit advocacy groups, argues that NYCHA’s recent $7 million sale of the public housing property to HCZ takes valuable and much needed park land used every day for generations by residents and the surrounding Central Harlem community.

“This isn’t ‘spare’ land, it’s land that residents of St. Nicholas Houses use every day and is part of our lives,” said Frances Hinton. “Like everybody else in New York we used this parkland to teach our kids to ride bikes, to play games, and to relax outside under beautiful mature trees when it’s hot. The park has been central our community for recreation for over 50 years. Now the City has bulldozed it to build a charter school.

“Park land in New York City is precious and if we take it we need to be absolutely sure it is good for the community— this is not,”; said Harvey Epstein, director of the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center. “St. Nicholas residents expect and deserve to know that the City is on their side, but given this process, I don’t think we can say that. St. Nicholas residents and Harlem deserve better.”;

“The cutting down of 100 veteran shade providing trees, construction of a 5 story (75 foot building on 30,000 square feet) for 1,300 students, with its shadows, obstruction of sunlight, creation of a heat island, loss of 2 playgrounds and gardens, and passage of thousands of cars and buses through the once safe site is true danger for the thousands of the St. Nicholas residents (many of whom are elderly, children, and/or suffering from asthma and diabetes. The decimation of the one-mile walking circle created and financed by the City’s own Health Department’ Anti-Diabetes program and the obstruction of parent’s sightlines of their children playing in the Circle serves as sad and harmful indicators of the City’s disregard of the interests of St. Nicholas residents and of the Public Trust Doctrine,” said Joel Richard Kupferman, Executive Director of the New York Environmental Law & Justice Project.

The land being used for the charter school is directly in the middle of the development, and lays on important parkland, known as the “Circle” for residents. Under the current plan, the school has destroyed:

More than 100 mature trees

Two children’s playgrounds

Three long lasting community gardens

The historic walkways and landscaping

An open playing field

Many Benches and game tables

Nesting grounds for migratory birds and black squirrels

HCZ originally said they would give priority to St. Nicholas children, but have since modified that promise and said preference will only be given to the kindergarten class of 2013-14.

The lawsuit filed today in New York State Supreme court alleges:

Taking parkland: The construction of a charter school within the St. Nicholas development is an “unlawful alienation of public trust parkland.”;

Flawed City and Federal Process: The lawsuit alleges that NYCHA received approval for the process from HUD and the City Planning Commission by submitting inaccurate and highly misleading information in order to obtain swift agency approval, including masking the residents’ overwhelming objection to the development plan and grossly inadequate and inaccurate environmental assessment forms.

Disturbing Peace: The demolition of the Circle at St. Nicholas is a breach of habitability for tenants

Failing to Comply with Land use Laws: NYCHA failed to comply with the requirements of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (“ULURP”). The lawsuit states that NYCHA should have been subject to ULURP because Harlem Children’s Zone eventually conveyed that land to another City agency, the Department of Education, and that this blatant attempt to evade ULURP review contravenes the law and public policy.

The St. Nicholas homes were built by NYCHA between 1950 and 1954, and are comprised of 13 14-story buildings. They are located between 127^th and 131^st streets between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Fredrick Douglass Boulevard.

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