14 THE QUEENS COURIER • 2022 PREVIEW • JANUARY 6, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
2022 Preview
Top stories to watch for in central Queens in 2022
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Looking ahead to 2022, here are three
ongoing developments in central Queens
to look out for, including the opening of
the controversial Briarwood men’s homeless
shelter, the Queens Boulevard development
in Forest Hills and the LaGuardia
AirTrain project.
Briarwood men’s
homeless shelter
When the city announced plans to place
a 175-bed men’s “barracks-type” shelter in
Briarwood sometime in 2022, residents
rallied and launched an online petition to
shut down the facility in their neighborhood.
Th e proposed site for the shelter,
located at 138-50 Queens Blvd., is within
close proximity to Archbishop Molloy
High School, Hover-Manton Children’s
Playground and the Briarwood Public
Library.
At a rally held in January, Councilman
James Gennaro said the shelter will eff ectively
“kill the potential of new development
and vaporize untold millions in commercial
and residential property values.”
Gennaro and Senator Leroy Comrie
also sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio
in June 2021 to abandon the city’s plans to
open the shelter.
Th e Briarwood location will off er individuals
the opportunity to be sheltered in
their home borough, closer to their support
networks, including schools, jobs,
health care, family, social services and
communities they call home, according
Locals have rallied against the planned men’s “barracks-type” homeless shelter that is scheduled to open in Briarwood this year.
to the Department of Homeless Services
(DHS).
Westhab, a housing and social services
provider, will supply those resources to
the shelter, where 30% to 40% of the residents
would be mentally ill and/or drug
users. Th ey will have the option of utilizing
those services.
It’s an initiative under de Blasio’s
“Turning the Tide on Homelessness”
plan to end the use of stop-gap measures
like cluster sites and commercial hotel
facilities citywide.
DHS said their plan for transforming
the city’s shelter system is “committed to
ensuring that, over time, shelters are distributed
equitably to meet the need in all
fi ve boroughs, including in communities
like this, that do not have any DHS shelter
of this kind (serving single adult New
Yorkers).”
Queens Boulevard development
Aft er public hearings and discussions
Courtesy of James Gennaro
regarding the demolition of the
Tower Diner and Trylon Th eatre to make
way for a new development on Queens
Boulevard, Community Board 6 in
November voted in favor of the project,
but with certain conditions.
Th e applicant, RJ Capital Holdings
under Trylon LLC, is planning to erect a
15-story building on the triangular block
of the Trylon Th eatre that houses the synagogue
at 98-81 Queens Blvd. and Tower
Diner at 98-85 Queens Blvd. Th e proposal
is a 153,000-square-foot development,
which includes 144 total units with
44 of those units as aff ordable housing at
an average of 80% Area Median Income
(AMI) under the city’s Mandatory
Inclusionary Housing Program, commercial
space and parking spaces.
During the borough president’s virtual
Land Use Committee hearing held on
Dec. 23, Forest Hills residents read their
testimony to save the Tower Diner and
Trylon Th eatre.
Evan Boccardi, who spoke on behalf
of Michael Perlman, of the Rego-Kew
Forest Preservation Council, said they’re
not against the height of the building or
its location, but the destruction of the art
deco theater that harks back to the 1939
World’s Fair and the history of Queens.
“Th e developers spoke of willingness to
integrate elements of the facade into the
design of the new building, and we hope
that the borough president will emphasize
that clearly with the petition circulating
the neighborhood in the amount
of 4,100 signatures that people recognize
the historical value of a building,”
Boccardi said.
Following the board’s vote on the project,
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards will review the plan and off er
a yes or no recommendation. Th e proposal
will then head to the City Planning
Commission for approval, and the City
Council for a fi nal vote.
LaGuardia AirTrain
development
Plans to move forward with the
LaGuardia AirTrain project have been
halted aft er Gov. Kathy Hochul requested
a thorough examination of mass transit
options to reduce traffi c and increase
connectivity.
“We must ensure that our transportation
projects are bold, visionary and serve
the needs of New Yorkers,” Hochul said.
“I remain committed to working expeditiously
to rebuild our infrastructure for
the 21st century and to create jobs — not
just at LaGuardia, but at all of our airports
and transit hubs across New York.”
A panel of three experts will study
alternatives for the $2.1 billion project.
Th e experts will analyze alternative
connections to the airport, such as dedicated
bus lanes; a subway extension; new
ferry service; light rail from nearby subway
and commuter train stations; and
other new and emerging technologies,
according to the Port Authority.
Th e LaGuardia AirTrain, which would
connect the airport to the Willets Point
transportation hub near Citi Field,
was proposed by former Gov. Andrew
Cuomo.
According to the Port Authority, the
LaGuardia AirTrain would reduce traffi c
congestion on local streets and highways
and provide benefi ts identifi ed by residents,
including job creation and a $50
million investment in the Flushing Bay
Promenade and other local parks.
Th e project has received criticism from
East Elmhurst residents, lawmakers and
local leaders, who have cited health and
environmental impacts as well as a questionable
approval process.
Th ose concerns include the project’s
Courtesy of the governor’s offi ce
impact on communities; inadequate
funding for park and promenade land;
lack of targeted jobs for residents; property
damages to businesses and homes;
and overcrowding and accessibility issues
on the LIRR and 7 train.
State Senator Jessica Ramos said the
project “doesn’t serve our neighbors, nor
does it actually provide a logistical, climate
conscious solution to the problem
it’s supposed to solve.”
A rendering of the proposed LaGuardia AirTrain.
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