A New York court has obstructed a plan for the construction of a shopping mall close to the Mets' home, specifically at a Queens park at Citi Field, Newsday reported.
The Appellate Division under four judges ruled that the Willets West mall enterprise was unlawful due to the fact that although the land is paved over, it is still a part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. It said that without consent coming from the state Legislature, the land cannot be handed to developers.
According to Daily News, the judges turned down an argument from the city that a law previously passed in 1961 authorizing the building of the Shea Stadium also permitted the construction of a mall and reversed a lower court verdict that had discarded the suit.
"No reasonable reading ... 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 panel noted.
The Willets West mall project was part of a redevelopment plan for Willets Point by Michael Bloomberg, the city's former mayor. The shopping mall set to be built by Related Companies and Sterling Equities, who also owns the Mets, was supposed to be constructed in a parking lot by the Mets stadium, the problem is: The lot is enclosed in the park.
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens), who initiated the lawsuit together with a group of supporters said, "This is a huge victory. They are going to have to rethink the whole project. This is... a reaffirmation that park land is sacred and you can't just give it away."
The Law Department of the city issued a statement in response to the ruling and said, "We are disappointed in the Court's decision and are reviewing our options."
Willets Point is an area mainly enclosing CitiField and a part of Flushing Meadows Park, as well as the zone recognized as the Iron Triangle, a rugged-looking but exceedingly functional collection of scrap metal, hauling, auto-repair and other establishments located at the eastern area of the park, as per City Limits.
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