Top stories to watch for in central Queens in 2022
When the city announced plans to place a 175-bed men’s “barracks-type” shelter in Briarwood sometime in 2022, residents
rallied and launched an online petition to shut down the facility in their neighborhood. Courtesy of James Gennaro
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JAN. 7 - JAN. 13, 2022 15
2022 PREVIEW
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Looking ahead to 2022, here are
three ongoing developments in central
Queens to look out for, including
the opening of the controversial
Briarwood men’s homeless shelter,
the Queens Boulevard development in
Forest Hills and the LaGuardia
AirTrain project.
Briarwood men’s homeless shelter
When the city announced plans to
place a 175-bed men’s “barracks-type”
shelter in Briarwood sometime in 2022,
residents rallied and launched an online
petition to shut down the facility
in their neighborhood. The proposed
site for the shelter, located at 138-50
Queens Blvd., is within close proximity
to Archbishop Molloy High School,
Hover-Manton Children’s Playground
and the Briarwood Public Library.
At a rally held in January, Councilman
James Gennaro said the shelter
will effectively “kill the potential of
new development and vaporize untold
millions in commercial and residential
property values.”
Gennaro and Senator Leroy Comrie
also sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio
in June 2021 to abandon the city’s
plans to open the shelter.
The Briarwood location will offer
individuals the opportunity to be sheltered
in their home borough, closer
to their support networks, including
schools, jobs, health care, family, social
services and communities they
call home, according to the Department
of Homeless Services (DHS).
Westhab, a housing and social services
provider, will supply those resources
to the shelter, where 30% to
40% of the residents would be mentally
ill and/or drug users. They will have
the option of utilizing those services.
It’s an initiative under de Blasio’s
“Turning the Tide on Homelessness”
plan to end the use of stop-gap measures
like cluster sites and commercial
hotel facilities citywide.
DHS said their plan for transforming
the city’s shelter system is “committed
to ensuring that, over time,
shelters are distributed equitably to
meet the need in all five boroughs,
including in communities like this,
that do not have any DHS shelter of
this kind (serving single adult New
Yorkers).”
Queens Boulevard development
After public hearings and discussions
regarding the demolition of the
Tower Diner and Trylon Theatre to
make way for a new development on
Queens Boulevard, Community Board
6 in November voted in favor of the
project, but with certain conditions.
The applicant, RJ Capital Holdings
under Trylon LLC, is planning to erect
a 15-story building on the triangular
block of the Trylon Theatre that houses
the synagogue at 98-81 Queens Blvd.
and Tower Diner at 98-85 Queens Blvd.
The proposal is a 153,000-square-foot
development, which includes 144 total
units with 44 of those units as affordable
housing at an average of 80% Area
Median Income (AMI) under the city’s
Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program,
commercial space and parking
spaces.
During the borough president’s
virtual Land Use Committee hearing
held on Dec. 23, Forest Hills residents
read their testimony to save the Tower
Diner and Trylon Theatre.
Evan Boccardi, who spoke on behalf
of Michael Perlman, of the Rego-
Kew Forest Preservation Council,
said they’re not against the height of
the building or its location, but the destruction
of the art deco theater that
harks back to the 1939 World’s Fair and
the history of Queens.
“The developers spoke of willingness
to integrate elements of the facade
into the design of the new building,
and we hope that the borough president
will emphasize that clearly with
the petition circulating the neighborhood
in the amount of 4,100 signatures
that people recognize the historical
value of a building,” Boccardi said.
Following the board’s vote on the
project, Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards will review the
plan and offer a yes or no recommendation.
The proposal will then head to
the City Planning Commission for approval,
and the City Council for a final
vote.
LaGuardia AirTrain development
Plans to move forward with the
LaGuardia AirTrain project have
been halted after Gov. Kathy Hochul
requested a thorough examination of
mass transit options to reduce traffic
and increase connectivity.
“We must ensure that our transportation
projects are bold, visionary
and serve the needs of New Yorkers,”
Hochul said. “I remain committed to
working expeditiously to rebuild our
infrastructure for the 21st century and
to create jobs — not just at LaGuardia,
but at all of our airports and transit
hubs across New York.”
A panel of three experts will study
alternatives for the $2.1 billion project.
The experts will analyze alternative
connections to the airport, such as
dedicated bus lanes; a subway extension;
new ferry service; light rail from
nearby subway and commuter train
stations; and other new and emerging
technologies, according to the Port Authority.
The LaGuardia AirTrain, which
would connect the airport to the Willets
Point transportation hub near Citi
Field, was proposed by former Gov. Andrew
Cuomo.
According to the Port Authority,
the LaGuardia AirTrain would reduce
traffic congestion on local streets and
highways and provide benefits identified
by residents, including job creation
and a $50 million investment in
the Flushing Bay Promenade and other
local parks.
The project has received criticism
from East Elmhurst residents, lawmakers
and local leaders, who have cited
health and environmental impacts
as well as a questionable approval process.
Those concerns include the project’s
impact on communities; inadequate
funding for park and promenade
land; lack of targeted jobs for residents;
property damages to businesses and
homes; and overcrowding and accessibility
issues on the LIRR and 7 train.
State Senator Jessica Ramos said
the project “doesn’t serve our neighbors,
nor does it actually provide a logistical,
climate-conscious solution to
the problem it’s supposed to solve.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
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