Flushing medical facility a mystery to officials

Several local elected officials in Queens said they were left in the dark on a multimillion dollar medical center development scheduled to break ground in March on three plots of land at 42-31 Union Street in downtown Flushing, according to Yournabe.com. Marilyn Bitterman, district manager of Community Board 7, said that she and other area officials weren’t informed of developer Fleet Financial Group’s plans — either by city officials or the developer itself. “What a mess it’s going to be,” Bitterman said. “If it goes in as an as-of-right development, there’s nothing we can do.” The development, planned as a mixed-use hospital and apartment complex, has been granted $14 million in tax-exempt stimulus bonds, according to a representative from the Economic Development Corporation. State Senator Toby Stavisky said that while the Department of Buildings may have approved the plans, local officials should have been made aware of the upcoming project. “I know we have secrets, but I don’t think this proposal should be a secret,” Stavisky said.