QNE_p014

QC12122013

14 The Queens Courier • DECEMBER 12, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com EXCLUSIVEPOLICE ACADEMY COMPLETION STALLED THE COURIER/ Photo by Angy Altamirano Famous Famiglia held its grand opening on Monday, December 9 at the subway station on 75th Street and Roosevelt Avenue. WELCOME TO THE ‘FAMIGLIA’ BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com A new “famiglia” has come to Jackson Heights. Together with local elected officials, family and friends, Famous Famiglia opened its doors on Monday, December 9 at the subway station on 75th Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The pizza chain beat out a total of 12 other proposals that vied to call the vacant 4,000-square-foot space home in 2010, after the MTA advertised a new request for proposals. Famous Famiglia won and signed a lease in 2011. “We are very excited about becoming a part of the Jackson Heights community,” said Paul Kolaj, Famous Famiglia CEO and co-founder. “Even though Famous Famiglia is an internationally successful pizza brand, the Jackson Heights location is especially meaningful to us.” Kolaj said Queens is important to him and his family, because they first immigrated to the United States through John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1970. The family went on to grow up in the South Bronx and in 1986 launched the business in Manhattan on the Upper West Side. “The very fabric of America is no more apparent than the diverse cross section that is Queens,” said Kolaj. “We appreciate the partnership and support of the MTA and we look forward to creating dozens of jobs through a successful business in Jackson Heights, and for the opportunity to make our contribution to the local community.” A month before taking office four years ago, Councilmember Daniel Dromm held his first press conference calling for the MTA to fill the vacant space at the subway station. Now that the pizzeria has finally opened its doors, the councilmember said it will be a significant economic force in the community. “This is the hub of Jackson Heights,” said Dromm. “I’m thrilled to see Famous Famiglia finally able to open its doors.” All sales made at the grand opening will be donated to Elmhurst Hospital’s “Helping Kids Heal” fund, going towards the pediatric center at the hospital. City OKs tax breaks for Willets developers BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com The city has approved $43 million in tax breaks for developers who plan to transform Willets Point into a retail and entertainment destination. The New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) voted December 10 to give the incentives to the Queens Development Group, a joint venture between Sterling Equities and Related Companies. “That’s one of the most terrible things the city is doing,” said Arturo Olaya, president of the Willets Point Defense Committee of Small Businesses and Workers. “The city is giving the money to the billionaires. And you know what they’re doing to the people here in Willets Point? They’re evicting the people and closing the businesses to give them this land for free,” Olaya said. The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has offered more than $12.5 million in relocation aid to business owners in the first phase of the development site. But the money is nowhere near enough of an incentive to move, shop owners said. The city also plans to give the land to developers for $1 after the Queens delegation of the City Council approved the sale in November. State Senator Tony Avella said aiding developers with the additional millions was “an absolute disgrace.” “The city is taking advantage of those property owners, who are really getting the shaft,” he said. “The city is giving that land to them for a dollar, and now they want $43 million in tax breaks.” The major $3 billion project to redevelop Willets Point, now made up of hundreds of auto shops, includes cleaning up 23 acres of contaminated land. Plans also eventually call for constructing housing units and a 1.4 million-squarefoot shopping center west of Citi Field. “While I remain confident that this development, as a whole, will greatly enhance the quality of life for my constituents, I will respect whatever decision the IDA deems appropriate for this application,” said Councilmember Julissa Ferreras, who represents the area and is credited for negotiations. Photo rendering courtesy of NYCEDC BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com Completion of the new police academy in College Point has been pushed back three months due to fire and flood damage, The Courier has learned. The majority of construction on the new $656 million police academy at 128-11 28th Avenue will be finished in March, instead of this month as originally planned, according to the NYPD. Deputy Chief Kim Royster, a Police Department spokesperson, said the project was first stalled when flood waters from last year’s Superstorm Sandy damaged custom air handlers in storage. A fire in April also melted the building’s exterior glass atrium, scorching a number of outside panels at the north side of the building and destroying portions of its façade, Royster said. It was accidentally caused by a blow torch used during construction, according to FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer. “Together these events resulted in substantial completion being delayed by three to four months,” Royster said. But plans are still on track to have the new academy’s first recruit class enter the new training digs by July 2014, law enforcement officials said. The 700,000-square-foot building, in the project’s first phase, is projected to accommodate one tour of 1,640 recruits during their first six months of training, according to Inspector Terrence Riley of the NYPD. In addition to classrooms and gyms, the new space for the city’s finest-to-be also includes a quarter-mile outdoor running track and a mock-up small city with banks, stores, apartments and streetscapes for simulated scenario-based training, Riley said. The total 30-acre site is bordered by College Point Boulevard, 28th Avenue and Ulmer Street. A new target date for the west campus is slated for March, while the east campus is expected to near completion in April, Royster said. The delay was welcomed by Andrew Rocco, president of the College Point Civic and Taxpayers Association. “Unfortunately, whether it opens tomorrow or three months from now, it’s going to create additional traffic regardless,” he said. “This should give the NYPD an extra three months to figure out how they’re going to support College Point.” Rocco wants the city to extend Linden Place and fix the neighborhood roads, among other things on his wish list. “They’re putting this citywide institution in our backyard,” he said. “We want to see some support from that, some visible police presence and support for local businesses.” Photo rendering courtesy of NYPD The new police academy in College Point will accommodate 1,640 recruits next year.


QC12122013
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