16 The QUEE NS Courier • DECEMBER 17, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Community votes no to Astoria’s Sweet Afton sidewalk cafe permit amid complaints By Angela Matua amatua@queenscourier.com @AngelaMatua After receiving complaints Jackson Heights woman charged with manslaughter after deadly crash in Bayside BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI editorial@queenscourier.com/@QueensCourier A 46-year-old Jackson Heights woman was charged this week with manslaughter, assault and other offenses after allegedly causing a fatal crash in Bayside in July that took the lives of a mother and her two children. Deborah C. Burns allegedly struck a Toyota Camry carrying a family of five, resulting in the deaths of Bayside resident Susanna Ha, 42, and her daughters Angelica and Michelle Ung, ages 10 and 8, respectively. “The defendant was allegedly speeding and drove across a double yellow line into the on-coming lane of traffic, when she struck the rear, left side of the Toyota Camry carrying a family of five. Everyone in the backseat of the Camry was tragically killed,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown in a statement Tuesday. The accident occurred on July 1 along 210th Street near Horace Harding Expressway. According to authorities, Burns claimed that she was driving a Ford Explorer northbound on 210th Street and swerved in reaction to another car which crossed the double yellow line, striking Ha’s Camry. However, prosecutors noted, video surveillance shows the defendant speeding on the wrong side of the road. An examination of the Ford Explorer’s data recorder indicated that Burns was operating the vehicle at 59 mph — more than twice the speed limit — at the time of the crash. The collision reportedly caused the victim’s Camry to spin out of the control and strike a tree. A toxicology report of Burns’ blood collected four hours after the incident revealed that she had cocaine in her system, police noted. “This is another example of how deadly motor vehicles can be and the consequences of climbing behind the wheel of a car and engaging in reckless behavior,” Brown warned. Burns is currently awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging her with three counts each of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, two counts of second-degree assault, and reckless driving. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 15 years in prison. “This is another example of how deadly motor vehicles can be and the consequences of climbing behind the wheel of a car and engaging in reckless behavior.” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown from local residents, Community Board 1 recommended on Dec. 15 that the city deny a sidewalk cafe application for Astoria gastropub Sweet Afton. The bar, located at 30-09 34th St., seeks to add six tables and 12 chairs, including a wheelchair-accessible seat, outside of the establishment, according to manager Rob Mollally and architect Steve Wygoda. The bar also has a backyard that seats about 25 people, Mollally said. First Vice Chairperson George Stamatiades said he received 10 complaints through email about the bar from residents who live in the surrounding apartments. The complaints included excessive noise, cigarette smoke, trash that is not properly maintained and drunk patrons loitering outside late at night. Stamatiades asked the manager if he has personally received complaints and what he has done to address the problems. “We’re on a first-name basis with some of our neighbors,” Mollally responded. “They’re telling me that someone was being a little noisy last night so I’ll go and investigate further with the security guard and the people who are working. But officially, I’ve never received a complaint.” Mollally added that the bar hires a security guard to control noisy patrons. Eugene Kuljanic, president of the 25 apartment units at 30-11 34th St., said during the public comment period that he receives many complaints from neighbors about excessive noise. He added that the building’s super wakes up at 5 a.m. on weekends to clean up the garbage left by bar patrons, including vomit. “I wish I could say good things about this place,” Kuljanic said. “I’m constantly having phone calls from my tenants that they cannot sleep all night long.” Kuljanic was also told by residents that the security guards at the front of the bar are “motionless at the front of the store” and that they “do nothing.” “The worst thing is also the rubbish, instead of being collected in the front of the restaurant, is shoveled to the sidewalk and mixed with the rubbish of the building,” he added. “When the super approached the owner he just laughed and shrugged and moved on.” Board member Judy Trilivias lives adjacent to the bar and her porch is right next to the bar’s backyard. Trilivias said the noise is not bothersome. “My porch is next to his. Sometimes there’s noise,” Trilivias said. “It’s not like they have me up at night. It’s not like I’m one of the neighbors sending emails.” A resident of 30-11 34th St., who asked not to be named, said though he enjoys the bar and frequents it often, he and his neighbors are concerned about the quality-of-life issue that might be raised by the outdoor seating area. “My concern and the concern of the neighbors I’ve spoken with is if we have outdoor seating on a Friday night people are out late until 2, 3, 4 a.m. until the bar closes and then the next morning you have people coming in for brunch,” he said. “You’re staying up too late because of the noise of the late night and then you’re up early again because of the brunch.” In the end, the board voted 23-15 in favor of denying the application; the Department of Consumer Affairs handles sidewalk cafe licenses and will have final say on the matter.
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