The Court of Appeals rendered a decision on June 6, 2017 which enjoined the proposed development of parkland in Willets Point, Queens as a shopping mall and movie theater on Citi Field’s parking lot. Matter of Avella v. City of New York, 2017 N.Y. LEXIS 1403.
The city has a long ignominious history of attempts to develop the area.1 After the last attempt, the city requested development proposals. Queens Development Group proposed a multi-phase development. The first phase called for a retail mall to be built entirely on parkland.
