8 The Queens Courier • november 21, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Board OKs rezone for part of Union Tpke. BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A split community board narrowly Council approves school on Keil Bros. site BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A controversial proposal to build a school in Bayside sailed through the City Council last week, despite the community’s overwhelming opposition. The city’s School Construction Authority (SCA) needed the Council’s final ruling in order to go through with plans to build a new elementary school at the site of the Keil Bros. Garden Center and Nursery. Owners of the popular garden center sold their 210-11 48th Avenue property to the city for an undisclosed amount earlier this year. The City Council approved the application last Thursday, with only Queens legislators Mark Weprin and Peter Vallone Jr. voting no. “I had opposed the school because I didn’t think it was the best site for a school to begin with,” Weprin said. “I wasn’t even convinced about the need for the school.” Nearby homeowners said the 456- seat institution would destroy their quality of life, worsen parking and traffic and lead to dangerous crossing conditions for students. The contentious plan even led to two rowdy residents threatening SCA officials in May, when the proposal was first presented to the public at a heated Community Board 11 meeting. The board had just shot down the application in an advisory vote when The City Council approved plans to build a new elementary school at the site of Keil Bros. Garden Center and Nursery. a male resident threatened to break an SCA representative’s legs and a woman allegedly followed another official in a car, The Courier reported. “The community is very much against it,” Weprin said. “The Department of Education decided we needed a school there. I haven’t met anybody in the community who is dying to have a school there.” But many local educators who support the plan said the new school would relieve heavy congestion in the district’s 21 elementary schools. At least three schools have had to put classrooms in space originally meant for libraries or music rooms, according to Susan Seinfeld, district manager of CB 11. The SCA said its site selection process began in 2008. The authority honed in on the Bayside location this THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan April. The DOE did not comment on when construction would begin. Meanwhile, a battle still brews between the district’s state senator and its new councilmember. State Senator Tony Avella claims Councilmember-elect Paul Vallone snubbed the community by supporting the proposal behind closed doors. Vallone, who does not cast a Council vote until January, has “never voiced support for the school site,” his spokesperson said. “Tony must not have gotten the memo — he’s not the councilman anymore,” said spokesperson Austin Finan. “Moving forward, Paul Vallone will not be responding to the lies perpetuated by Senator Avella who has clearly demonstrated he is more focused on personal vendettas than he is the future of northeast Queens.” approved a proposal last week to rezone a portion of Union Turnpike. The controversial rezoning plan would allow developer Sam Zirkiev to build a four-story residential and retail structure at 158-15 Union Turnpike. It barely cleared Community Board 8 last Wednesday, with a nail-biting 17-14 vote. “It was definitely nervewracking,” Zirkiev said. “In the end, I’m happy with the outcome. Hopefully, it’ll bring some more business and shopping to the area and more tax revenue. I’m hoping it’ll be an asset to the community.” The now vacant land near Parsons Boulevard was once part of St. Joseph’s Hospital, which shuttered in 2004. Zirkiev bought the plot in October 2009, according to Zirkiev’s attorney, Richard Lobel. Rezoning would allow Zirkiev to build a 68,850-square-foot building as tall as 40 feet, the attorney said. The developer’s plans include three floors for residential units, ground floor commercial use and roughly 80 underground parking spaces. Under current zoning rules, developers can build a 10-story community facility building, shaped like a pyramid, within 70,500 square feet of the site. However, its height would be capped at 35 feet if residential units are planned, Lobel said. Zirkiev reiterated his lack of interest in building the pyramid like structure that would likely house medical offices — but he said he could, if rezoning plans are rejected. Board member Kevin Forrestal said this was a “scare tactic” used to sway the board. “We’re making more and more problems for ourselves, and we’re not addressing the infrastructure,” Forrestal said. Many board members said rezoning is a better deal. “That lot needs development. It’s been ugly for years and years and years,” said board member Martha Taylor. “There’s no green there. It is a brown lot. I think this is the best deal we can get.” The community board’s advisory vote now goes to Borough President Helen Marshall for approval. It then needs to be passed by City Planning and the City Council. Marshall, who has 30 days to make her determination, held a public hearing last Thursday. According to her spokesperson, she had not made a decision as of press time. THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Attorney Richard Lobel shows Community Board 8 a rendering of a proposed 10-story pyramid developers can build if rezoning is rejected. Rep. Grace Meng beaten for handbag BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Congressmember Grace Meng was robbed and beaten for her handbag Tuesday in Washington, D.C., her spokesperson said. Meng was walking towards her Washington apartment, reportedly around 8:30 p.m., on November 19 when she was struck in the back of the head. As she fell to the ground, the attacker took her handbag and fled on foot, her office said. The congressmember said she has resumed regular activity shortly after the incident. “While this was a frightening THE COURIER/FILE PHOTO ordeal, I fortunately was not seriously injured,” Meng said in a statement. “I thank the U.S. Capitol Police and the District of Columbia Police for responding quickly and professionally.” The congressmember, sworn in at the start of this year, suffered a bruise on her chin and underwent a CAT scan at George Washington University Hospital. “Obviously, things could have been much worse,” she said.
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