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RT06162016

8 times • JUNE 16, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Ridgewood ‘beach’ concerns raised at CB5 meeting BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport As more and more Ridgewood residents speak out against the neighborhood’s pending pop-up urban beach beer garden, La Playa NYC, the company’s co-owner sought to quell their concerns. Marcus Burnett, of Long Island City-based Rockaway Brewing Company, attended the June 8 Community Board 5 (CB 5) monthly meeting at Christ the King High School in Middle Village to address the growing issues surrounding La Playa NYC. Along with questions about noise, traffic and litter, residents raised concerns over the possibility of inebriated patrons causing trouble. “Some of the neighbors expressed concerns to the board that there could be noise afterwards,” said CB 5 member Robert Holden.“Concerns over people leaving, people urinating outside, getting rowdy at all hours, especially on the weekends when it goes beyond midnight.” Burnett assured CB 5 that they will have professional staff on hand serving beers, who know when to cut off customers who may have had too much to drink. “It is our job and our responsibility to make sure that people who enjoy our product do not overindulge themselves in drinking beer,” he said. But Jon Armstrong, a Ridgewood resident who gathered 25 signatures for a petition against La Playa NYC, does not think the Woodward Avenue lot is the right spot for a beer garden. “I don’t want the music at all, as we’ve said,” Armstrong said. “I do wish you good luck with your business. I love New York businesses, small businesses, more power to you. It’s maybe even a good idea, it may not be for our neighborhood.” With residents kicking up sand against the beer garden, La Playa NYC did gain one supporter among CB 5 members. Jean Tanler, who also serves as director of Industrial Business Development at the Business Outreach Center Network, feels La Playa NYC would be a boon to the community, as it supports local farmers, helps the growing New York craft beer scene and brings tourist dollars into the community. “The location is immediately adjacent to the Maspeth Industrial Business Zone,” Tanler said. “I would be happy to see an establishment like this in the neighborhood. And Marcus and Ethan Long are reasonable people, and if some issue were to arise, they have indicated that they are more than willing to meet with the community and work any issues out.” The final decision on whether La Playa NYC will open at 176 Woodward Ave. will be made by the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA). “To be clear,” Burnett said, “the actual site is appropriately licensed. The zoning is proper, and the State Liquor Authority considers the location to be a proper location to do such a thing.” Although the site is properly zoned and licensed for a beer garden, the SLA must also approve the location as one of Rockaway Brewing Company’s five remote locations where they can sell their beer as an extension of their brewery license during their meeting to be held later this month. RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photo by Anthony Giudice Ridgewood’s pending urban beach pop-up beer garden, La Playa NYC, gained detractors and supporters at the Community Board 5 meeting. Glendale looks to fill many empty Myrtle Ave. shops BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport Too many storefronts on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale are vacant, and the glut of empty shops poses a challenge for those business owners hoping to bring a new Business Improvement District (BID) to the strip. Business owners came together at Mahalo New York Bakery on Friday morning to re-envision Myrtle Avenue with things they would like to see come to the area to make it a more desirable destination for businesses and shoppers alike with $400,000 in Department of Transportation (DOT) funds, made available by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. One of the problems discovered Business owners gathered at Mahalo New York Bakery to discuss how to better Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. with Myrtle Avenue in Glendale is an abundance of empty storefronts. According to an April survey conducted by the Queens Chamber of Commerce, there are “close to 40” empty stores on Myrtle Avenue between Cypress Hills and 71st streets. That number also reflects locations that are currently for rent or for lease. After the recent scandal involving illegal massage parlors along Myrtle Avenue, some residents feel it is paramount that such businesses do not return to these empty storefronts. “I would like to see all the storefronts that are for lease or for rent actually occupied by legitimate businesses that are going to improve our neighborhood in this area and bring legitimate business to your businesses,” said Kerry McAdams, a local resident who fought against the illegal massage parlors. “So I would really like to see Myrtle Avenue beautified. I think it would be a great thing.” One reason that so many stores are vacant or for rent or lease is the economy. “The economy is low. The economy is affecting small business owners and regulations, I think are the main issues,” said Jacqueline Donado, strategic program coordinator for the Queens Chamber of Commerce. RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photo by Anthony Giudice “Another thing is a lot of landlords don’t want to bother with tenants so they don’t rent out.” In order to fill these vacant stores, the chamber holds fairs and networking events to get business owners information on the corridor. They also hold social media seminars to help businesses create clean Facebook pages to help promote their businesses for free to a wide audience and how to make money on the internet with a low marketing budget. “The chamber also gets inquires of what’s available, they ask for specific neighborhoods and we recommend the neighborhoods that there is availability for them,” said Sophia Ganosis, chief of operations for the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “We do promote it because that’s part of having the businesses grow and prosper, and the neighborhoods as well.” Although the Glendale section of Myrtle Avenue has some problems, there are things being done to better the area, including the creation of two pedestrian plazas at Myrtle and Cooper avenues, and Cooper Avenue and 71st Street. Making a BID for Myrtle Avenue in Glendale is in the very beginning stages, but these projects could spark interest from business owners to come together to form one sooner rather than later.


RT06162016
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