Just behind Citi Field Stadium, the 'Iron Triangle,' the colloquial term for Willet's Point, is a desolate landscape.

In 2011, the Iron Triangle had a grand total population of ten. The 7 train lurches above, ferrying passengers to watch the ball game. At ground level is a terrain absent of sidewalks, prone to flooding due to the lack of sewer system, ridden with potholes.

Some bodegas and convenience stores are wedged between body shops and metalworking plants, perhaps feeding the 1,400-1,800 employees who work for the 150 or so firms in the area.

The zoning of the area reflects its industrial activity. Businesses include scrap yards, waste processing sites, auto shops and dealers. It is fabled that an entire car could be taken apart, its individual pieces making their way through each of the specialized shops in the Iron Triangle.

Various development plans have sought to turn over the area. In was early as 1964, Robert Moses proposed the incorporation of the area into nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. His ambitions were shut down when business owners hired Mario Cuomo as their lawyer.

Urban renewal finally won out in 2011, after hold outs on almost every front. A fleet of apartment buildings, schools, parks, and retail space will take over the area by 2020, once all toxic materials are cleared. (Note: this was originally written in 2019. The actual groundbreaking for the development project did not happen until 2021.)