Thursday, September 27, 2012
On September 27th, the Bloomberg administration hosted a scoping meeting to inform Queens residents of the economic, environmental and social impact of building a new shopping mall in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Queens Housing Coalition (QHC), a union of seven grassroots community organizations including Catholic Migration Services, attended the meeting to share their concerns about the project, part of Mayor Bloomberg’s larger development plan for Willets Point.
Ivan Contreras with Queens Housing Coalition members, advocating to ensure that affordable housing is included Mayor Bloomberg’s development plan for Willets Point.
The issue of language barriers during these proceedings was raised, as the borough has a diverse population, yet no language translators were made available at the meeting. At the meeting, Catholic Migration Services also provided information to attendees about our housing and employment legal services.
El 27 de Septiembre del año 2012, se llevo acabo una audiencia publica con el objetivo de dejarle saber a los residentes de Queens cuales serian los impactos económicos, ambientales y sociales que un centro comercial construido en el parque de Flushing traería a la comunidad. La Coalición de Vivienda de Queens una unión de siete organizaciones comunitarias incluida la oficina de Emigración Católica asistió a esta audiencia con mas de 30 integrantes que estuvieron en contra de que se construyera un centro comercial en un área publica. “ No queremos otro mall” fue uno de los estandartes que La Coalición de Vivienda de Queens trajo a esta reunión.
Queens Housing Coalition members at the scoping meeting.
Article by Ivan Contreras, Queens Housing Coalition Coordinator.
