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July 9-July 15, 2021
Community Board 7 votes against SCA’s
proposed plan for Bay Terrace school
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Community Board 7 voted
against the School Construction
Authority’s proposal for
a new 572-seat public school
in Bay Terrace on Monday,
June 28, despite a growing
need for primary school seats
in School District 25.
Board members voted
23 against and 13 in favor
of approving the site on a
44,000-square-foot vacant lot
on the corner of Water’s Edge
Drive and 24th Street. Critics
of the plan cited various
issues including lack of community
input, increase in vehicular
traffic and concerns
of building a school in an area
with a high water table.
According to a demographic
analysis done by an SCAfunded
consultant as well as
data from the Departments of
City Planning, Building and
Housing Preservation and
Development, CEC 25 is projected
to have 22,908 students
enrolled in pre-K through
fifth grade, which translates
to a potential increase of up
to 4,653 students compared to
current enrollment.
CB 7 Education Co-Chair
Arlene Fleishman said that
seven of the area schools in
CEC 25 are “between 111 and
130 percent over-utilized”
including the Bell Academy
and P.S. 169, which are both
undergoing expansion projects
to accommodate more
students.
“The 150 new seats are
being added to each of those
two schools and it will still be
overcrowded. We cannot keep
saying ‘not in my backyard,'”
Fleishman said in her opening
statement.
In order to alleviate overcrowding
The site of the proposed Bay Terrace school. Photo via Google Maps
and building overutilization,
the Bay Terrace
site and four others in Flushing,
Whitestone and College
Point are under consideration
for the SCA to build schools
for CEC 25.
A common concern
amongst CB 7 members and
attendees was that the proposed
school would be built
on land that often experiences
flooding due to its proximity
to Little Neck Bay.
“This is being built on
swamp land,” one commenter
said. “I don’t find this an ideal
location, not because it is in
my backyard but because it
truly is not an ideal location.
There are better locations
that would service this need
with better transportation.”
Others worried that a new
school would create an influx
of traffic on the already busy
Water’s Edge Drive.
“The Towers at Water’s
Edge use Water’s Edge Drive
to enter and exit their garage;
the traffic is constant.
Again, where are you going to
put the buses and the parents
driving to pick up the kids?
It’s a narrow road. Bad idea,”
the commenter said.
Some were also concerned
that the school construction
would cause damage to nearby
homes and apartments.
SCA representatives assured
the community that
they would take three to six
months to conduct the proper
environmental studies, taking
into account the area’s
noise, traffic, historical impacts
and pollution, before
moving forward.
Joseph Di Benedetto, CEC
25 president, said that he
had “complete confidence in
the SCA” and the work that
they’ve done building other
schools across the city.
“The community needs to
stand up and defend and fight
for the rights of students. I
don’t see anyone here talking
about what the children need,
what our kids need,” Di Benedetto
said. “Our kids are in
desperate need of seats.”
SCA communications and
external affairs manager
Kevin Ortiz told Patch that
the agency was “disappointed”
CB 7 rejected the proposal
since CEC 25 schools are overcrowded,
especially in the
sub district which includes
Whitestone, College Point and
Beechurst.
“We’ll continue to work
with stakeholders and our
partners at DOE to provide
the seats and resources our
students need and deserve,”
Ortiz wrote in his statement.
The June 28 meeting was
the first part of the SCA’s public
process in engaging the
community and addressing
their questions and concerns.
According to the agency, they
will continue to accept comments
on the proposal until
July 20, 2021.
Anyone who wants to
submit comments can do
so directly to their office at
30-30 Thomson Ave. to Executive
Vice President Steve
Lawitts or emailed to sites@
nycsca.org.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260-2583.
Vol. 85 No. 28 24 total pages
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