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QC11262015

4 The QUEE NS Courier • november 26, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com De Blasio joins Queens officials for groundbreaking at Hunters Point South BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@queenscourier.com @AngelaMatua Mayor Bill de Blasio and Queens elected officials celebrated the second phase of construction at Hunters Point South with a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. Upon its completion, Hunters Point South will be the largest affordable housing unit built in New York City since the 1970s. The second phase will include 3,000 units split between four mixed-use housing parcels, 100,000 square feet of retail space, a new 11-acre waterfront park and a community facility space. Out of the 3,000 units, 60 percent will be deemed affordable to low-and middle-income families. In total, Hunters Point South will bring 5,000 new units to the Long Island City waterfront. “We’re building a new neighborhood from the ground up, from its streets to its parks to its transit,” De Blasio said. “This is going to be the biggest affordable housing project built in a generation, and it’s going to ensure that this corner of Queens – despite all the market pressures driving up rents – will remain a diverse place for working people.” As a part of the mayor’s Housing New York Plan, the project will cost $99 million and construction of the infrastructure, roadways and waterfront park is set to be completed in 2018. Housing construction will begin soon after. “Queens, as you know, is a borough of neighborhoods,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz remarked. “We’re still the only borough that says, ‘I’m from Forest Hills, New York, I’m from Rego Park, New York, I’m from Hunters Point South, New York.’ We pride ourselves on that and to have a commitment and development like Hunters Point South, which is going to allow folks not only to come here, live here, raise their kids here but afford to be able to live in such an enormously great place like the borough of Queens, it’s truly a phenomenal moment.” Katz also pledged to with De Blasio to implement even more affordable housing in the months to come. The borough president, along with 11 other community boards in Queens, voted to oppose zoning regulations that would expand affordable housing in the city. Several community boards cited numerous issues with the amendments including lack of parking and language in the regulations that favored developers over communities. Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer noted that along with affordable housing, more infrastructure, services and programs such as schools will also be required to ensure that every community member is served. “A lot of families have put their heart blood and soul into making this place so amazing so now that many others want to come to live here, which is a great blessing,” Van Bramer said. “My job as your local elected official is to make sure that the city does everything first and foremost with every single one of you in mind.” THE COURIER/Photo by Angela Matua Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of Hunters Point South construction in Long Island City. Flushing bridge to be fixed after five years of closure BY ALINA SURIEL asuriel@queenscourier.com @alinangelica Construction on a Flushing bridge is set to begin later this month after years of being closed to vehicular traffic due to deep structural defects. The bridge is located in the Murray Hill neighborhood at 149th Street between Roosevelt Avenue and 41st Avenue, and has been barricaded for five years. Construction will begin on Nov. 30. State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Queens Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Nicole Garcia and representatives from the Korean American Association of Greater New York and the Korean American Association of Queens were on hand for the announcement last week. Stavisky said that after five years, she is finally able to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Murray Hill community. “The closure of the 149th Street Bridge has been one of the most frustrating problems I have ever dealt with as a representative of this district,” Stavisky said. Garcia said that the DOT appreciates the community’s patience during the process. “Safety is the DOT’s number one priority and, with the planned construction of a new concrete deck, this A Murray Hill bridge at 149th Street and Roosevelt Avenue has been barricaded for five years, blocking the way to vehicular traffic. bridge will once again serve as a safe and vital connector for this vibrant community,” Garcia said. Parking meters will also be installed to ensure a quicker turnover of parking spots for patrons of local businesses. A new two-lane bridge was set to open after a period of construction in 2012, but at that time it was found to be unsafe for cars to travel upon due to cracks on the concrete deck indicating deep damage at crucial architectural points. Local businesses have reportedly suffered as a result of the decreased THE COURIER/Photo by Alina Suriel traffic on the street, with some even going out of business during this time. According to officials, Gandhi Engineering—the firm responsible for design of the original work—is being sued by the city to recoup the initial funds spent on the work.


QC11262015
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