Willets Point, Queens : NYC Tourist Guide

Willets Point

Willets Point, also known locally as the Iron Triangle is a neighborhood of Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens with no sidewalks or sewers, and as of 2007 only one resident. It is bounded by Northern Boulevard to the north, 126th Street and Shea Stadium to the west, Roosevelt Avenue to the south and the Flushing River to the east. The IRT 7 Train stops near the southwest corner of the "Triangle", at Roosevelt Avenue at 126 Street near Corona Yard.

The area was named after Willets Point Boulevard (actually a long, wide alley), which passes diagonally through the area to the east, crossing a bridge that was torn down in the middle 20th century and forming a road running to the cape of the same name at the confluence of the East River and Long Island Sound. The original Willets Point is the site of Fort Totten near Bayside but over the course of the 20th century it became less common to use the name "Willets Point" in its original sense, and more common to apply it to this area.

The area is very industrial and is filled with auto repair shops, scrap yards, waste processing sites, and similar small businesses. In times of severe rain, flooding is common. A recent Hunter College study found that Willets Point was a "unique regional destination" for auto parts and repairs.

It was also the location for a proposed stadium for the 2012 Summer Olympics and press center, which would have replaced Shea Stadium and the car junkyards; however, New York City lost its Olympic bid. Nonetheless, a new baseball stadium is planned to be built on a slightly different site for the New York Mets that is to be named Citi Field.

Plans are underway to replace the scrapyards and industrial sites with a sustainable and affordable mixed-use development including a convention center and 5,500 units of housing. On May 1, 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced new plans for urban renewal in the area, calling Willets Point "another euphemism for blight." The plans include environmental clean-up and business relocation.

Although technically part of Flushing, Willets Point has Corona's ZIP code (11368).