Less than a month after the state's highest court struck down plans for a mega mall next to Citi Field, community advocates have introduced an alternative redevelopment strategy for Willets Point.
City Council Candidate Hiram Monserrate and community groups are calling for 5,500 affordable housing units on the property. The former lawmaker's original plan back in 2008 called for just over 1,900 affordable units.
They're also now calling for new schools and daycare centers to be brought to the area.
Proponents of the alternative plan say the taxpayer money originally allocated for the mega mall could help pay for the project.
“The money came from us and we got the shaft. And our community is fed up,” Monserrate said.
“You want this land? You got to fight for it,” said Bertha Lewis, Founder and President of the Black Institute. “And we're going to fight to the death because you're killing us already.”
The plan also requires half of construction contracts to go to minority and female-owned businesses.