Industry NYC: In Citi Field’s shadow, junk yards thrive
Photo: Almudena Toral
A man stood on top of a four-foot scrap metal pile, digging through the jagged-edge pieces, looking for something he wasn’t finding. Below the pile sat a stagnant pool of water mixed with oil and other runoff from the nearby car shops. Above him, a street sign that reads “Willets Point Boulevard.” A few yards away stands a man in a ratty sweatshirt, dirty jeans and ball cap, watching the people drive down the dirt road, each looking for cheap car repairs or parts.
“Look at it. It looks like downtown Kabul here,” Paul Cohen, Willets Point business and property owner said while standing in front of his business.
The chilly Tuesday afternoon was just another day in Willets Point, Queens, a 62-acre section of land comprised mostly of small, family-owned auto body and car part-shops. Many of the businesses have operated here for decades, with parents passing down the businesses to their children.
The torch may not be passed down to future generations, though. Thanks to a redevelopment plan spearheaded by Mayor Bloomberg and the city of New York, the businesses in the area are targets for relocation to make way for a new convention center, mixed-use housing and retail shops. Meanwhile, Willets Point—and the hundreds of workers and small business owners that earn their living there—are in limbo as the forces of change threaten to come charging into the area.