Con Ed-Fed Ex Deal Dead

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris at one of many protests at Con Edison's 20th Avenue location in Astoria.

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris announced on Monday that Consolidated Edison has decided to suspend its talks to sell a large portion of its 20th Avenue location in Astoria to Steel Equities, which had planned to bring a Federal Express distribution center to the location. "We are suspending plans regarding the sale of a parcel of our Astoria property, and are re-evaluating our options," Mike Clendenin, a spokesperson for Consolidated Edison, said.

Gianaris praised the community's efforts that were successful in preventing yet another industrial facility from entering the community.

"Today's announcement is a testament to what this community can accomplish when we work together and do not give up," Gianaris (D-Astoria) said. "It was not easy, but I am grateful that our voices were finally heard and that we will be spared from yet another burden to the quality of life in our neighborhood."

The proposed facility would have led to dozens of large trucks and even some tractor-trailers driving through neighborhood streets on a daily basis, as well as infringing upon existing sports fields that currently occupy the space.

Gianaris, along with City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., state Senator George Onorato, the United Community Civic Association (UCCA) and many other community organizations, worked tirelessly to defeat the plan that so many in the neighborhood opposed. In addition to voicing his objections to Con Edison and Federal Express, Assemblyman Gianaris also expressed his concerns to the state Public Service Commission and proposed legislation in Albany to provide local communities with the chance to prevent utilities like Con Edison from selling property located in their neighborhoods.

"It is not often we get to say that Con Edison listened to our concerns and responded, but this is such a moment," added Gianaris. "I hope this signals the beginning of a new era in which the opinions of Western Queens residents are finally taken seriously by this utility."

Rose Marie Poveromo, UCCA president, agreed. "We're very pleased that Con Ed finally came to its senses and realized that this is a community under assault," she said. However, Poveromo also expressed misgivings about the possible use for the site. "I hope those 21 acres don't become the relocation of the Willets Point [businesses]," she said. "We had two or three town hall meetings and meetings at my home, we spent hours speaking to the right people, so I'm pleased we were able to stop Fed Ex. After all that, we don't want the site to become available to the Willets Point people."

The subject of the possible purchase of the Con Ed-owned site by Federal Express came to the community's attention at the January 2008 meeting of the Community Board 1 cabinet. According to a story by Thomas Cogan in the January 23 edition of the Gazette, Steel Equities Development Company intended to buy 225,000 square feet of land at 20th Avenue and the end of 36th Street from Con Edison so a Federal Express distribution center could be built on the site. Long Island Citybased National Envelope Company previously had intended to buy the site from Con Ed and construct a facility, but protracted protests and other difficulties

persuaded National Envelope to withdraw. Reports circulated that Fed Ex would one day be running

many 18-wheel tractor-trailers into the complex and distributing their contents to a fleet of delivery vans. This would be done on a 24/7 basis, it was further assumed, raising the specter of increased pollution and rising asthma rates. Throughout 2008 voices were raised in opposition to the proposed sale at community board and civic association meetings and numerous protests were held at the site.