8 The QUEE NS Courier • OCTOBER 6, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Woodside residents are troubled by this church’s plan to build a bigger facility Sinai Chapels president honored for community service Members of Queens’ Jewish community gathered at Young Israel in Jamaica Estates for the Queens Jewish Community Council’s 20th Testimonial Breakfast on Sunday, September 16 to honor Michael Resnick with the council’s annual community service award. Also honored were Svetlana (Lana) Levitin and the Queens NYPD. Resnick, President of Sinai Chapels in Fresh Meadows, was honored for his community service and philanthropy in the Jewish community. He and his father, Seymour Resnick, opened Sinai Chapels in Fresh Meadows in 1981, and have continuously been a source of compassionate care and support for the Jewish community in times of need. Michael and his wife Dennie live in Manhasset Hills. They have three adult children and a grandchild. (L to R) - Rabbi David Keehn, President Queens Jewish Community Council (JCC); Michael Nussbaum, VP of Queens JCC and Editor of Queens Tribune; Michael Resnick, President of Sinai Chapels; and Cynthia Zalisky, Executive Director of the Queens JCC. ONSITE DOCTORS • EYE EXAMS • CONTACTS • 1 HOUR SERVICE • VISION PLANS ACCEPTED • SUNGLASSES • LOWEST PRICES WE ARE A GVS & DAVIS VISION PROVIDER Fall Savings BAY TERRACE SHOPPING CENTER 211-51 26 AVENUE • BAYSIDE, NY 11360 718.631.3699 *FREE Eye Exam with the purchase of glasses. Contact Lens Exam and fitting add’l. *See store for details. $9999 NO-LINE BIFOCAL EYEGLASSES Includes: EYE EXAM, No-Line Bifocal Lenses & Frame Select frame with select clear plastic no-line bifocal lenses\ +/- 4 sph., 2cyl. up to 2.50 add. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. Offer valid at this location only. 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Includes polycarbonate lenses, plastic and metal frames. Select frames with clear plastic single vision lenses +/- 4 sph, 2 cyl. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this locationonly. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans, or packages. QC QC Expires 10/27/16 QC BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua Woodside residents are not happy about a controversial neighborhood church’s plans to expand its building and add 150 parking spaces. On Sept. 27, architects for The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, located at 68-03 Roosevelt Ave., presented their plan at a public hearing. Currently, the building is in an area zoned for manufacturing. The church is seeking a zoning variance from the Boards of Standards and Appeals (BSA) to reclassify the space as residential, according to Jessica Rubenstein, spokesperson for land-use attorney Eric Palatnik. This change would allow the onestory building to reach five stories; the current 45-foot building would be demolished to make way for a new 79-foot structure. The new building would be 30 feet higher than any surrounding structures. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, which started in Brazil and has locations worldwide, is looking to make this space its east coast headquarters. Residents who showed up to the meeting expressed several concerns with the plan and pointed at the church’s controversial practice of prosperity gospel, which is the belief that donating to the church can increase one’s financial wealth. Woodside also has a large Filipino population and several Filipino residents who live near the church, an area dubbed “Little Manila,” attended the meeting to voice their opposition. Groups like the Filipino American Democratic Club of New York expressed concerns with parts of the plan, including the height of the project and parking issues it would bring. Aries Dela Cruz, president of the club, argued that developers did not thoroughly think through many aspects of the plan. An 11-foot fence surrounding the property would create a “deadzone,” Cruz said, and the block would be devoid of any retail space and could encourage loitering. He also said that the three year construction period would severely impact traffic in the area. The church is located near the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and Roosevelt Avenue is notorious for congestion issues. The 150-space parking lot would have an entrance and exit located on the avenue. “The fact that they’ve chosen exit and entrance right on Roosevelt Avenue – that’s wild,” Cruz said. “It’s egregious. I don’t see any other facility on Roosevelt Avenue that does that.” Nelson Canter, the church’s attorney, said the church is looking to give their facility a facelift because the current space is too cramped. The new design would add 10 rectories, expand the sanctuary from one story to two stories, add classrooms for religious education and a recording studio to televise services for its congregants nation and world wide. Canter said parking would be provided to the community from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. when it’s not in use by the church and that this would “ameliorate” the parking problems rather than exacerbating them. The church’s existing capacity is 400 to 500 people but the expansion would allow for an occupancy of 996. In a previous interview, Rubenstein said the church currently can fit around 900 congregants in its space. Lisa Ann Deller, chair of the Land Use Committee for Community Board 2, said the board shared similar concerns. “It’s a very large project and there are a lot of issues, a lot of concerns,” Deller said. “We have zoning for a reason.” Deller was told by church parishioners that, out of the three services the church holds on Sunday, only one is heavily attended – approximately 600 people worship during that hour. The church has to provide five findings to support their case for a variance but Deller said they have been “very unclear” as to why this variance is necessary. The church can build higher asof right but not the full five stories unless the variance is granted. Church representatives will present the plan again at the CB 2 meeting on Nov. 3 in Sunnyside. The BSA has not scheduled a meeting to discuss the church’s variance yet, according to Deller. Photo courtesy of Aries Dela Cruz A church in Woodside wants to expand its its building but is facing opposition from residents
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