FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 15, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 22
Kew Gardens Hills community divided on proposed housing building
BY ETHAN MARSHALL
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
A large amount of Kew Gardens Hills
residents tuned into a remote public hearing
on land use to speak about a housing area being
constructed in the lot bounded by Vleigh
Place to the west, 78th Avenue to the south, the
western boundary of Lot 1 to the east and 77th
Road to the north.
Some within the community voiced their
support for the project while others expressed
their displeasure and concerns about how it
may cause more harm than good.
Under the current proposal, the housing
area would be six stories tall and contain 80 to
90 units, with 27 of them acting as income-restricted
units. It would take up around 124,380
square feet for the total fl oor area. Each tenant
would receive a parking spot in the parking
garage underneath the building.
According to Jay Goldstein, who was at the
meeting on behalf of the developer trying to
get the housing area built, the original proposal
called for an eight-story building with 119 units.
Managing director of environmental engineering
Kevin Williams was tasked by the
developer with studying the traffi c patterns of
the area to determine how the building may
impact the community. While he spent a lot of
time doing so, Williams emphasized that he
does not live in the neighborhood and acknowledged
the community’s concerns. According to
Williams, the traffi c fl ow “is relatively modest
in comparison to many other projects I work
throughout the city.”
Despite Williams’ results, one of the
common complaints by community members
was that traffi c in the area was already really
bad and adding so many more people to the
neighborhood at once would only make things
worse.
“We are overpopulated already,” said Alan
Sherman, who has resided in Kew Gardens
Hills since 1974. “Th ere are already too many
cars and too many people.”
Th e concern among the community about
the potential increase in traffi c also led many
to point out the fact that this building would
be across the street from Stepping Stone Day
School. In addition to the fact many children
would be walking around the area and creating
more traffi c, some expressed concern about
what the harmful carbon emissions from the
cars in traffi c could do to these kids.
Another common criticism of the building
is that it would be the fi rst high-rise building
in the neighborhood and many residents
expressed the desire to keep all the buildings
low-rise, as they fear allowing one to be built
there opens the door for other developers who
may wish to create high-rise buildings. Several
residents claimed they were told the building
wouldn’t be more than two stories tall when
construction fi rst began.
A common argument among those in favor
of the building was the prospect of more aff ordable
housing. According to Queens Community
Civic Corporation Executive Director Florence
Fisher, who has resided in the neighborhood for
65 years, Queens is in deep need of aff ordable
housing.
“We seem to have forgotten those who make
only $30,000 to $40,000 a year,” Fisher said.
She also added that the fact all residents in
the building would have their own parking
space in the garage underneath would not
cause others in the neighborhood to have more
trouble fi nding parking spots.
According to Community Board member
Dilip Noth, housing is a signifi cant issue in
Queens.
“At the moment, we need housing more than
anything else,” Noth said.
While most in the neighborhood mentioned
that traffi c was oft en really bad there,
one resident argued that the new building
likely would not have much of an impact on
it. According to Natan Rubinov, most of the
traffi c in the area does not actually come
from residents. He said much of the traffi c is
from students driving to St. John’s University,
Queens College and York College. A St. John’s
graduate himself, Rubinov has been part of
the community for 25 years.
Rubinov used the Rabbinical Seminary of
America as an example of how the community
could actually benefi t from the new building.
He said there were a lot of people against its
construction before and aft er it was completed,
but it ultimately has helped the community.
“It improved and diversifi ed the area and
brought a lot of people into the community,”
Rubinov said.
He believes this building can do the same
for young people who might be looking for
somewhere aff ordable to live in the area.
Screenshot taken during land use meeting
Queens donation drive for Ukrainian refugees arrive in Kyiv
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
More than 32 pallets of needed items collected
by a boroughwide donation drive for
Ukrainian refugees amid the ongoing Russian
invasion have arrived in Kyiv, Councilman
Robert Holden announced on Tuesday, April 5.
Th e donation drive was sponsored by Holden,
Councilman James Gennaro, Polish Consul General
Adrian Kubicki, Tony Di Piazza of the Federazione
Italo-Americana Di Brooklyn and Queens, Associazione
Culturale Italiana Di New York, and other
members of the Queens Delegation and community
organizations.
Originally, the goods were to be fl own to the
Polish city of Rzeszow near the Ukrainian border
and distributed to refugees who fl ed to Poland. But
thanks to the eff orts and coordination from Kubicki,
Rzeszow President Konrad Fijołek and Kyiv Mayor
Vitali Klitschko, organizers of the drive were able to
ship the goods directly to Kyiv in Ukraine.
“It’s great to hear that these supplies arrived
directly and safely where they’re needed most: the
Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. While just a drop in the
bucket of all the aid being sent from around the
world, it’s a testament to the generosity and determination
of the people of Queens. I thank all who
donated and got this done,” Holden said.
For Gennaro, it was an honor to help organize the
drive, which yielded many useful donations to the
people of Ukraine, he said.
“Th is was a large-scale, joint eff ort that could not
happen without the help of our partners. I’d like to
thank Council member Holden for helping us coordinate
the drive, the Queens Delegation, Tony Di
Piazza, as well as the several groups and individuals
who have turned this vision into a reality. I would
also like to thank the many people who came out to
donate to this great cause,” Gennaro said.
Th e lawmakers had teamed up to spearhead
the initiative with Council members of the
Queens Delegation — such as Council members
Francisco Moya, Vickie Paladino, Selvena
Brooks-Powers, Linda Lee, Nantasha Williams
and Sandra Ung — who participated by
opening drop-off sites.
Th e Associazione Culturale Italiana Di New
York covered the cost of shipment.
On behalf of Kyiv and the Ukrainian society,
Deputy Mayor-Secretary of the Kyiv City
Council Volodymyr Bondarenko expressed
their gratitude to the organizations for their
continuous support of Ukraine and for providing
aid for the Kyiv Humanitarian Aid Center.
“At this diffi cult time for the city of Kyiv and
throughout Ukraine, we highly appreciate your
unyielding support and as the unprecedented
aggression against us does not cease, we continue
relying on your further aid to establish the
peaceful future in Ukraine,” Bondarenko wrote
in a letter to the Italian American Association.
Th ere were a total of 25 sponsors for the drive,
assisting with logistics ranging from transport
to outreach to fi nancial assistance.
Th e long list of sponsors also includes the
Federazione Italo-Americana Di Brooklyn
and Queens, Commendatore Tony Di Piazza,
Commendatore Joseph Ficalora, ECS
Globe Air, WAW Humanitarian Goods,
Fucsia Fitzgerald Nissoli, Ficalora Family
Foundation, the CHAZAQ Organization,
Chaverim of Queens, New York Community
Bank, Maspeth Federal Savings Bank, Cross
County Savings Bank, Webster Bank, Richmond
County Savings Foundation and Seka
Moving Company.
Photo courtesy of Councilman Robert Holden’s offi ce
There were a total of 25 sponsors for the drive, assisting with logistics ranging from transport to outreach to
fi nancial assistance.
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