8 The QUEE NS Courier • november 19, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Forest Hills to get second stand-alone Shake Shack By Angy Altamirano [email protected]/@aaltamirano28 Forest Hills is shaking it up. Shake Shack, the critically acclaimed “roadside” burger stand that has locations throughout the United States and the world, announced Monday that it will be opening a new location in 2016 at 71-26 Austin St. This is the second stand-alone Shake Shack slated to open in the new year in the “World’s Borough,” as the company announced in June that a location would be coming to Queens Center in Elmhurst. “It feels good to continue to deepen our footprint in our hometown of NYC,” a Shake Shack representative said. Shake Shack also has opened sites in JFK Airport and Citi Field. The establishment is known for its 100 percent all-natural, antibiotic-free Angus beef burgers, crinkly cut fries and much more. Photo by Evan Sung Councilman Vallone’s helicopter noise resolution heard by City Council By Alina Suriel [email protected]/@alinangelica The City Council held a hearing last week on a resolution calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to redirect the North Shore Helicopter Route away from north Queens. The route requires helicopter pilots to fly along the north shore of Long Island rather than directly over communities, and was established after numerous community noise complaints regarding air traffic between Long Island and Manhattan. The route’s protection, however, does not extend west of Long Island to northeast Queens. Councilman Paul Vallone, the resolution’s sponsor, said the hearing is a critical next step for what he hopes to be the eventual passage of the resolution. “The now infamous North Shore route must be re-examined to stop the assault on our quality of life for the benefit of the helicopter industry and their Hamptons commuters,” said Vallone. “I am tired of an industry that hides behind the FAA and Port Authority without offering any voluntary changes to a system that they can easily fix without legislation.” Vallone is also pushing to have legislation drafted that would require the City Council to be notified of annual data on the location, routes, rules and regulations pertaining to commercial and tourist helicopter routes. Community leaders fighting to raise awareness on the issue attended the hearing to testify in favor of the resolution. Tech consultant Daniel Aronoff—developer of a website enabling residents to digitally submit helicopter noise complaints—said that the helicopter noise has increased significantly over the last few years. “Longtime Whitestone residents can attest that nobody paid any attention to a passing helicopter when daily operations did not exceed a dozen a day,” Aronoff said. “However, we are at a point where during peak season we are likely to see that many in half an hour.” George Mirtsopoulos, vice president of the We Love Whitestone Civic Association, noted the volume of low flying helicopters in an ongoing nuisance seriously affecting the quality of life in the area. “Myself and my community no longer enjoy our summers while those who utilize this method of transportation are having a great time,” Mirtsopoulos said. Robert J. Hanophy, president of the Broadway- Flushing Homeowners Association, added the helicopter traffic and noise services the needs of privileged travelers with no regard to the residents of northeast Queens. “If the North Shore helicopter route was created to disburse helicopter traffic over the North Shore of Long Island, then residents of Queens deserve the same consideration by the FAA,” Hanophy said. Home of future Elmhurst hotel, next to Pan Am shelter, on sale for $8.5M by ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua A development site at 78-06 Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst, which has a p p r o v e d plans for a m i x e d - u s e hotel building, is on the market for $8.5 million. The site holds approximately 49,335 b u i l d a b l e square feet and sits on a 80-foot by 123-foot irregular lot. The site has approved plans for a mixed-use hotel building to include 94 hotel rooms, 21 residential units, commercial space, and on-site parking. The property is located near the M and R subway lines at the Grand Avenue-Newtown station and several bus lines. It is also located within 6 miles of Manhattan and is in close proximity to the Long Island Expressway, Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Queens Place and Queens Center mall. The lot sits right next to the Pan American homeless shelter, an emergency family homeless shelter whose owners have repeatedly applied to convert it into a permanent homeless shelter. City Comptroller Scott Stringer has denied the application three times, noting that health and safety concerns, such as fire code violations and lack of kitchen facilities in the units, must be addressed. Community residents and politicians such as Senator Tony Avella and Councilwoman Grace Meng have vehemently opposed the shelter, arguing that Samaritan Village Inc., which operates the shelter, gave no prior notice of its opening to residents and elected officials.
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