Olympian makeover for Queens

A new Shea Stadium may be part of a larger transformation in Queens that would turn one of the city's perennial eyesores into a trendy mix of retail, entertainment and housing.

The city Economic Development Corp. is sitting on 14 different development concepts for Willets Point, a 48-acre outback of junkyards and auto-body shops.

"Many of the ideas for the area are spectacular," Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said.

"Many of them include retail and entertainment-related complexes," added Liu, a member of the city's Willets Point Advisory Committee. "Housing is a component in some of the plans. Some of the plans envision a new commercial district. Some of them call for an entirely new community - residential and commercial mixes."

He declined to name the developers who offered ideas, citing requests for confidentiality. Development officials also declined to identify the companies.

The EDC had invited developers to submit by March 15 "expressions of interest" in the Willets Point peninsula, after the agency had announced a development plan for downtown Flushing, which is just east of the area.

That plan called for "a large-scale development" in Willets Point that "provides a significant economic benefit to the area and transforms Flushing into a true super-regional destination."

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall expressed support for a Queens Chamber of Commerce proposal to build a hotel with a conference center.

And if the city wins the 2012 Olympics, EDC spokeswoman Janel Patterson noted that plans for Willets Point would have to incorporate an international broadcast and media center.

The Flushing plan also recommended that a strategy be drawn up for "site acquisition" in Willets Point. It said the relocation of some 83 businesses, most of them auto-related, would cost at least $130million.

Liu said last Sunday's unexpected announcement about the new Mets ballpark, which could be converted for the Olympic Games in 2012, "will only serve as a catalyst" for Willets Point redevelopment.

Yet others said not so fast.

"We want to make sure that the legitimate business owners here are compensated and are dealt with fairly," said Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Jackson Heights), whose district includes Shea Stadium and Willets Point.

He was joined by car-repair workers, who said they will be willing to relocate elsewhere in the borough.

Some Willets Point business owners have sought help from the Neighborhood Retail Alliance, a group that successfully led a fight against a Wal-Mart in Queens.

"We're concerned about the fate of the merchants in Willets Point," said Richard Lipsky, a spokesman for the Neighborhood Retail Alliance. "Right now, they're an afterthought," he said. "They are being treated like slum dwellers, and that's not fair."