Pharma giant Pfizer announced yesterday that it would be shuttering the Flushing Avenue plant where the company commenced operations 156 years ago towards the end of next year. Along with concern about the closing’s impact on the location’s 600 workers came speculation about its real estate implications. In addition to the 660,000-square-foot plant betwen Marcy and Tompkins, the company own another 15 acres of land nearby, including the site of the charter school it launched recently. The availablity of a site this size provides Mayor Bloomberg with a rare opportunity to achieve his affordable housing goals. The area would have to be rezoned for residential, but the Mayor said yesterday that he planned to pursue that course of action. As for Pfizer? “We will look for a solution in keeping with the surrounding neighborhoods,” a spokesman said. What would you like to see done with the site?
Shutting Doors Where a Drug-Making Giant Began [NY Times]
Pfizer to Axe Brooklyn Plant [NY Post]
Pfizer Job Cuts May Mean Loss Of Tax Breaks [NY Sun]
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