Queens Borough President Helen Marshall approved two projects in Downtown Flushing, Flushing Commons and Macedonia Plaza helping to revitalize the Borough of Queens and create approximately 2,600 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.

Rendering courtesy of NYCEDC

The $850 million Flushing Commons project will transform what is now a 5.5- acre, city-owned municipal parking lot into a mixed-use development including up to 620 residential condominiums, a 1.5-acre town square of open space with a fountain plaza, 1,600 parking spaces, a 62,000-sq-ft, state-of-the-art YMCA, 36,000 sq ft of community space, up to 275,000 sq ft of retail space and up to 234,000 sq ft of office and/or hotel space. The project is seeking to achieve LEED certification.

Flushing Commons is a joint venture of Rockefeller Group Development of New York, TDC Development Corporation, a local Flushing developer and Architect, Perkins Eastman of New York. The project was selected as a result of a Request for Proposals issued by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, based on recommendations made by the Development Framework for Downtown Flushing. The Development Framework is a year-long, community-based, planning effort undertaken by the Downtown Flushing Task Force which consists of city and state agencies, local elected officials, advocacy groups, community members and local business leaders.

The second project approved is Macedonia Plaza a companion project to Flushing Commons. Macedonia Plaza is a 140-unit affordable housing project being developed on a 30,140-sq-ft portion of the municipal parking lot site by Macedonian Community Development Corporation, an extension of the Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church. The project will also contain 7,292 sq ft of ground floor retail, 5,828 sq ft of community space and 18,834 sq ft of open public space.

Uniform Land Use Review Procedure will finish in late July/early August 2010. If approved, construction on the two projects will begin in 2011 with occupancy planned for 2013.