16 The Queens Courier • july 31, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Some small business owners, residents continue to say no to BID in Jackson Heights, Corona THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano Residents and business owners shared their thoughts on the proposed expansion of the 82nd Street Business Improvement District during a public meeting. Paperwork filed to convert abandoned warehouse to homeless shelter BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ @ericjankiewicz [email protected] Developers have filed paperwork with the Department of Buildings to convert an abandoned Glendale warehouse into a homeless shelter, according to city records. The site, at 78-16 Cooper Ave., is where the city proposed a homeless shelter through Samaritan Village. The estimated cost, according to the records, is $3,727,100. The building permits are pending until City Comptroller Scott Stringer signs off on the proposed homeless shelter, a bureaucratic process that can take months or years according to Stringer’s spokesman. The owner, according to the filed paperwork with the Department of Buildings, is Daniel Rabinowitz and the request for construction was filed on July 11. “I don’t have a response,” Rabinowitz told The Courier. “I try to do the right thing. I don’t mean any harm.” Several residents recently became aware of the filing and many in the group suggested swamping the applicants with calls and emails, a strategy they used on Stringer’s office and other politicians. “So since the project has not gone to the comptroller’s office yet — why is the building owner filing permits for construction — are they all so confident that this will pass the comptrollers sic office or is the corruption deep enough that it will?” Kathy Masi, president of the Glendale Civic Association, asked on Facebook. BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected]/@ aaltamirano28 Some residents and business owners are asking the community to vote no to the expansion that would bring a business improvement district (BID) to the communities of Jackson Heights and Corona. The 82nd Street Partnership, a nonprofit group promoting the current local BID covering four blocks and over 160 businesses, announced last year it would be extending all the way through 114th to form the Jackson Heights-Corona BID. It was later revised to stretch from 82nd to 104th Street and down Junction Boulevard. The corridor will include a total of 440 lots and about 850 commercial tenants. Residents and business owners who oppose the BID raised concerns during a July 24 public meeting. They mentioned issues such as gentrification and the rising of costs and taxes. “Right now they say $1,000 annually, once the project gets approved then a little bit more, a little bit more they squeeze one’s throat,” said Sergio Ruiz, a business owner of 15 years, about the estimated yearly cost per lot in the district. Tania Mattos, a member of the coalition Queens Neighborhoods United, said the group has been trying to educate members about what a BID is, the voting process and options, and they have been cleaning Roosevelt Avenue every two weeks. “Roosevelt Avenue does not need the BID,” Mattos said. “It needs the city to wake up, to realize it has neglected Roosevelt Avenue for decades and I’ve seen it personally. Instead the broken sidewalks, perishing and poorly maintained elevated train is blamed on the residents.” According to Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, the concept of the BID came from every community resident she had spoken to expressing concerns about the safety and cleanliness of Roosevelt Avenue. “They want to be able to walk, they want to be able to shop, they want to be able to come with their families and contribute to the businesses,” Ferreras said. “We have a very different and very vibrant business corridor. We deserve better. We deserve to be able to have a business corridor that is vibrant, clean and safe.” Other business owners at the meeting showed their support for the BID and tried to encourage audience members to vote yes. “We have to give it a chance and give ourselves a chance,” said Rosita Cali, business owner and Jackson Heights resident for 17 years. “Let’s give ourselves the room, the chance to have the opportunity to try this and also if something comes out wrong we have the right to say that it’s not right. But if we give the opportunity and this is positive, why not enjoy all the changes?” In the upcoming weeks, business owners, residents and property owners on Roosevelt Avenue will have to vote on whether they want the BID in their community. “The BID is really an advocate for the business community. The goal here is to improve the shopping environment, make it cleaner, safer, more inviting and better for the small business,” said Seth Taylor, executive director of the 82nd Street Partnership. For more information, visit JHCoronaBID.org.
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