From left: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and EDC President Seth Pinsky

Rather than ceasing to lobby following Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s finding that the city’s Economic Development Corp. illegally lobbied to win redevelopment projects, the agency is restructuring to allow them to comply with the law, a spokesperson for the EDC explained (correction appended).

Crain’s reported that the EDC has split into two entities, the New York City Economic Growth Corp. and the New York City Land Development Corp. By Aug. 1, the EDC will merge with the EGC, the advocacy arm, allowing the EDC to lobby for the first time since the attorney general launched the investigation. [more]

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

A three-year investigation into the lobbying efforts of the city’s Economic Development Corporation has concluded that the body illegally lobbied for developments in Queens and Brooklyn, the New York Times reported.

The office of the state attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, found that the EDC “played a behind-the-scenes role,” backing two groups that lobbied for Willets Point and Coney Island projects. The groups admitted fault, the Times said, and no civil or criminal penalties will be imposed. [more]

Sterling's Fred Wilpon and the Willets West retail center

Did the Related Companies and Sterling Equities have an unfair advantage in securing the bid to develop Willets Point? Sources told the Queens Times Ledger that none of the other bidders were aware that land to the west of Citi Field, which is currently used as a New York Mets parking lot and owned by the Wilpon family that heads Sterling Equities, was up for development. That’s where the partnership plans a 1 million-square-foot retail and entertainment complex called Willets West. [more]

The city’s Economic Development Corporation wants proposals from developers who would like to build and maintain underutilized industrial plots in three New York City boroughs. These include 95,000 square feet at 2399 Watson Avenue in the Bronx’s Zerega section, 80,000 square feet in East New York, Brooklyn, 53,000 square feet in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and 40,000 square feet in Queens’ College Point Corporate Park at 28th Avenue and 122nd Street. Each site is eligible for sale or lease. [more]

600 Food Center Drive

The City’s Economic Development corporation issued a request for proposals to develop a 200,000-square-foot rooftop farm in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx that would be one of the world’s largest such farms, Architecture News reported.

The request calls for private developers to build nearly 10 acres of farming space on the roof of a Hunts Point warehouse, at 660 Food Center Drive, that houses distribution facilities for Sultana Distribution and Citarella, according to DNAinfo. [more]

The New York City Economic Development Corporation today announced that it has selected Guido Passarelli & Sons to develop a 10-acre retail site on Staten Island. The site, located in the island’s Charleston neighborhood, has approximately 130,000 square feet of retail space, according to a statement from EDC. If the proposal successfully navigates the public approval process, Passarelli will pay $7.1 million for the site and spend an additional $25 million on construction, EDC said.  [more]

The lot at East Houston Street and Broadway, located next to the Hollister store

Instead of a six-story retail space that the city proposed to erect on the southeast corner of Broadway and East Houston Street, Soho residents say they want open space, DNAinfo reported.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation is currently looking for ways to sell or rent the site, which is now used at as a Metropolitan Transportation Authority parking lot and an outdoor fruit vendor. The space could accommodate retail, commercial occupants or even tenants in light industrial occupations. [more]

The Bronx

Developer Equity One has been tapped to build an 80,000-square-foot commercial project along the Broadway retail corridor in the Bronx, according to a statement from the New York Economic Development Corporation today. The firm will spend $54 million to construct a new, 133,000-square-foot, two-story multi-tenant retail development and a parking facility on the site in the Kingsbridge area. EDC claims the development will create 250 new jobs, some full- and some part-time. [more]

A rendering of the unveiled Coney Island entrance (credit: NYC Economic Development Corporation)

City officials revealed a plan for a new entrance to Coney Island Beach during a Brooklyn Community Board 13 economic development committee meeting yesterday, the New York Post reported. [more]

Fresh Kills from above

The city has issued a request for proposals to design, construct, install and operate solar and wind power facilities at Fresh Kills on Staten Island, according to a statement received today.

Approximately 75 acres of land are available to be developed into large-scale renewable energy facilities. When completed, the project could more than double the city’s current renewable energy capacity, the statement said. [more]