"The plan for Willets Point enters month six of the seven-month public approval process, having been reviewed and approved by the local Community Board, the Borough President and now the City Planning Commission. At each step of the process, the plan has been refined based on extensive input from the public and from officials, and each time, the conclusion has been unmistakable: this plan must go forward. The environmental contamination that exists at Willets Point cannot stand, and the opportunity to create new housing, parks, office space, retail amenities and more than 5,000 permanent jobs should not be passed up. The plan will continue to be refined as City Council Members review the plan, ask questions and provide input. I am confident that, at the end of the day, they too will choose to address the challenges that have plagued Willets Point for decades and act to create new economic opportunities for all Queens residents.

"The Planning Commission's approval of our Hunters Point South plan to transform vacant waterfront property in Queens into 5,000 units of housing, 60 percent of which will be reserved for moderate- and middle-income residents, is just as significant. This week, we announced that we have reached the midway point in our $7.5 billion plan to build and preserve affordable housing for 500,000 New Yorkers. One of the most vital projects of our historic plan is Hunters Point South, which will create housing affordable for 3,000 moderate- and middle-income families, including our police officers, nurses, teachers and public employees."