At a news conference today, Speaker Quinn, together with Mayor Bloomberg, Council Member Hiram Monserrate, Land Use Committee Chair Melinda Katz and Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber, announced their support for the Willets Point Redevelopment Project, and urged the rest of the Council to vote in favor of the proposal. The following is a statement from Speaker Quinn.

“The Willets Point Redevelopment Plan is sure to create New York City’s next great neighborhood and I am proud to give it my support. Special thanks to Land Use Committee Chair Melinda Katz, Council Member and State Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber for their hard work on this plan.

“Through collaboration with many different city agencies, community groups, and labor organizations, this redevelopment project will become a major engine for economic growth for New York City. In fact, projections show that over the next 30 years, this redevelopment plan will have at least a $4.2 billion impact on our city. The mixed-use program will create thousands of new permanent jobs and construction jobs. Over the coming years, Willets Point will be transformed from a contaminated industrial site to a dynamic regional destination.

“As we find ourselves in the midst of an economic downturn, I urge my fellow members to support responsible and visionary developments like Willets Point. As we confront such hard economic times, these important projects will create jobs, generate revenues and help keep our City moving forward.”