Local Business Owners Express Concerns With Flushing Commons Development

Borough President Katz set up a Flushing Task Force to help businesses though the $850,000,000 construction project at Flushing Commons. As the Times Ledger reports, there are still lingering questions for the neighborhood as construction starts up. The city does plan to establish a $2,250,000 program called the Flushing Small Business Assistance Program to help businesses during construction, but some business owners didn’t think the city offered enough details as to how the money would be spent. And business owners still worry that the massive construction project will deter people from nearby stores and restaurants. The Task Force plans to meet regularly to tackle these issues; the next meeting is scheduled for May.

The article also offered a handy construction timeline for the Flushing Commons project. Right now the developers are working on electrical work, changes to ramps and other internal updates necessary for excavation. Construction should start in late May or early June and this first phase will last until 2017. The entire project includes housing, commercial space, parking, a public park and a YMCA.

Katz Starts Flushing Task Force [Times Ledger]
All Flushing Commons coverage [Q’Stoner]