for breaking news visit www.qns.com JANUARY 21, 2016 • times 3 Photo courtesy of Nicholas Strini/Property Shark The development site at 951 Cypress Ave. in Ridgewood has expanded and is now on sale for $25.25 million. Development site in Ridgewood expands, now selling for $25.25M BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReportt A development site on sale in Ridgewood has expanded, increasing its lot size, buildable square footage and, of course, price. Greiner Maltz Investment Properties first advertised the site at 951 Cypress Ave. last month, but a new advertisement received on Jan. 19 now includes the neighboring warehouse located at 1716 Weirfield St. The assemblage is currently going for $25.25 million. The two properties combine for an approximate lot size of 104 feet by 175 feet, with a combined square footage of approximately 18,200 feet. The buildable area grew to 118,300 square feet with the addition of the adjacent warehouse. The property is in an M1-4D zone in the heart of Ridgewood, just steps away from bustling Myrtle Avenue. The ample amount of public transportation, including the M and L train lines within walking distance, suggest that development at the site will bring in a positive flow of pedestrian traffic, which can be beneficial for a potential ground floor retail space, according to Greiner Maltz. Both properties will be delivered vacant. For more information about the property, visit the Greiner Maltz Investment Properties website. Photo via Google Maps The Department of Transportation is moving forward with a new plan to fix the Fresh Pond Road- Metropolitan Avenue overpass. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReportt The bridge carrying Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road above the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) on the Ridgewood/Middle Village border will be receiving a new deck, members of the Community Board 5 (CB 5) Transportation Services and Public Transit committees learned Tuesday night. During the session at the board’s Glendale office, CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano indicated that the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) Division of Bridges is willing to work with the community to fix the aging structure, and keep all of the train tracks below the bridge. “They are agreeable, but they have to do it under an emergency project to try to get us what we want,” Giordano said, “which will mean, not a total bridge reconstruction, but just replacing the deck.” The plan for the emergency project consists of removing the existing deck off of the bridge structure, inspecting the condition of the current structure, fixing what they need to fix and then constructing the new deck on top of the structure. This type of project would benefit both the DOT and the community, committee members noted. The time frame would be much shorter than if DOT were to do a full reconstruction of the bridge. Also, the DOT would not have to go through the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) if they agree to leave the tracks in place that they originally planned on removing, something the community has opposed for a long time. “They would have had to go through ULURP because they would have required an easement if they were going to take away one of those tracks,” Giordano said. “So, if they don’t have to take away one of those tracks, or if they don’t intend to and they are going to go along with us, then they don’t have to go through that Uniform Land Use Review Process.” The lifespan of this new deck is projected to be around 20 years, instead of a 60-year lifespan with a full bridge reconstruction. The DOT’s plan is not set in stone as of yet, but this is the route they intend to go, CB 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri noted. Flushing Meadows concerts doomed (for now) BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@ridgewoodtimes.com @robbpoz They should have asked Queens residents what they wanted. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz charged on Jan. 14 that the city’s rejection of proposed for-profit music festivals at Flushing Meadows Corona Park stemmed from a failure of concert organizers to come to Queens communities, make their case and hear the residents’ input. Speaking to members of local media at a Queens Borough Hall roundtable forum previewing her State of the Borough Address on Jan. 21, Katz said that “nobody talked to anyone” in Queens about the proposed festivals, “and I think that’s a big deal.” Goldenvoice, the organizers of the Coachella music festival, and Madison Square Garden had submitted competing applications to bring large-scale music festivals to Flushing Meadows this summer. Katz spoke out against both plans and three similar festival applications submitted to the city, expressing concerns about a lack of community input on the matter and the potential temporary loss of parkland for the duration of a festival. Two of the failed proposals would have “ostensibly shut the park down,” Katz said, denying local residents the opportunity to use Flushing Meadows Park for several days before, during and after the festivals’ conclusion. She applauded Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s Parks Department for rejecting all music festival applications for Flushing Meadows Park, but did not rule out that Flushing Meadows could host a large music festival someday if proper conditions are met. Specifically, Katz called upon the city to create a vetting process that involves community members affected by the concert. The process would also give the city the ability to limit the amount of time and park space the festival would occupy. “I think we need to have a publicly vetted process and hear from the community about what they would like to see there,” Katz said. “We also need to know how many times a year we want to do that. I don’t know the right answer, but I do know that you can’t find the right answer unless you talk to the communities.” Meanwhile, the park and other public spaces in Queens are welcome to host free concerts sponsored by local organizations and elected officials. Katz noted that her office sponsored an entire free concert series last year. The borough president also addressed upgrades at a Flushing Meadows fixture: the New York State Pavilion and Tent of Tomorrow, both remnants of the 1964-65 World’s Fair. In 2015, Katz noted, volunteers from local contracting unions painted the Tent of Tomorrow “American cheese yellow” in an effort to make the weather-beaten structures look brighter. Katz said $10 million has been allocated to renovate the pavilion’s steel infrastructure, stairs and electrical equipment. The contract will be awarded to a company within the next few months and work will begin soon thereafter. DOT moving to fix dilapidated Ridgewood/ MV overpass
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