FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 • The Queens Courier 3 Bayside HomeGoods to open in October The long-awaited HomeGoods store at Bay Terrace Shopping Center in Bayside is finally arriving. A customer service representative from parent company TJX Companies Inc. confirmed that the location will officially open on Sunday, Oct. 16. The chain offers a unique variety of housewares in all areas, including kitchen, bed, bath, dining and outdoors. Selections include furniture, lighting, rugs, home accents and seasonal decor. Cord Meyer Development Company, owner of the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, signed a lease with HomeGoods back in May. The store is situated between Lane Bryant and Verizon Wireless. It was previously a Barnes & Noble bookstore, which closed back in December 2015 after the lease was not renewed. Suzanne Monteverdi Little Neck LIR bridge work starts The pedestrian bridge is out at the Little Neck Long Island Rail Road station until next month. Crews demolished on Friday night, Sept. 16, the former 54-foot steel truss overpass bridge linking the Little Neck station’s eastbound and westbound platforms. The bridge, which was installed in 1989, will be replaced by a prefabricated span that will be installed in or about late October. Until the bridge is replaced, customers only be able to access the platforms from the parking lots on either side of the tracks near the railroad crossing at Little Neck Parkway. For more information, call 511 and say “LIRR.” Robert Pozarycki Jamaica group eyes new retail center A huge parking field in the heart of Jamaica may soon be transformed into a giant retail and residential complex, if the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) has its way. The organization announced on Sept. 19 that it is seeking proposals from developers for the construction of a 500,000-square-foot project at 90-02 168th St., which is presently a 99,500-square-foot parking lot that the GJDC owns. Elected officials across Queens have pointed to Jamaica as the site of the next great development boom in New York City, and according to GJDC President and CEO Hope Knight, this lot presents a “tremendous opportunity to create a transformative project that will be key in Jamaica’s resurgence.” “This development has the potential of bringing a much-needed general merchandise store and family style restaurant back to the area to support the growing population and volume of daily shoppers that is at an all-time high,” Knight said. The GJDC’s request for proposals calls for the creation of at least 250 mixed-income residential units, a portion of which would be reserved for artists. The developer would also be required to create at least 75,000 square feet of retail space, helping to address a growing need for additional commercial options in Jamaica. Robert Pozarycki Photo via Google Maps 23rd Avenue and Corporal Kennedy Street ROADBLOCK City refuses again to install all-way stop signs at a pair of ‘dangerous’ Bayside street corners By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 The decade-long fight for an all-way stop at two Bayside intersections has hit yet another roadblock. State Senator Tony Avella announced on Monday, Sept. 19, that the Department of Transportation (DOT) denied his most recent request for the installation of all-way stop signs at two Bay Terrace intersections: 23rd Avenue and Corporal Kennedy Street and 23rd Avenue and 211th Street. “My constituents and I have continually expressed the dangers these intersections present for our community,” Avella said. “Unfortunately, DOT has denied my multiple requests for additional controls at these intersections, dating back to my tenure in City Council. Despite their denials, this is a very dangerous location. The road curves, visibility is limited, and part of 23rd Avenue prior to the curve is uphill.” According to the DOT, the lawmaker’s most recent request was turned down because traffic at the two locations “do not meet nationally recognized safety standards for the installation of a stop sign.” Still, Avella disagrees. “In addition to the risks posed to motorists and pedestrian safety, the current traffic conditions at these intersections make it difficult for residents of the Bay Club, a large co-op development, to enter and exit their complex,” wrote Avella. “The Department of Transportation’s lack of action will continue to put the community in danger.” The two intersections are also nearby Bay Terrace Shopping Center: an outdoor mall that houses more than 50 restaurants, shops and businesses. “We completed our analyses last summer at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Corporal Kennedy Street and the intersection of 23rd Avenue and 211th Street in Bay Terrace, Queens,” said a DOT spokesperson in a comment to QNS. “Factors such as vehicular and pedestrian volumes, crash experience, vehicular speeds, visibility and signal spacing were all taken into consideration in making our determination. Based upon our evaluation of the data collected, ‘Multi-Way Stop’ controls are not recommended at this time. The existing controls are the most appropriate for these intersections.” October 15 & 16 U NL IMITE D B EE R TASTIN GS TICKETS AVAILABLE AT QueensBeerFest.com LOCATED AT LIC FLEA & FOOD 5-25 46TH AVE. LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS
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