4 JULY 13, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Evergreen Playground to get two new playgrounds
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
Renovations for Glendale’s
Evergreen Playground will
soon continue as plans for the
second overhaul of the multi-phase
project were recently unveiled by the
NYC Parks Department, local elected
offi cials and community leaders.
Plans for the second phase of the
project highlighted renovations to
the existing playground area between
the comfort station and P.S. 68 with
the addition of new green amenities,
seating, a picnic area, the resurfacing
of paving areas, new site amenities,
and two new playgrounds for children
ages 5 to 12.
The plans also aim to increase visibility
in the park and security in the
playground by placing low planting
and pedestrian lights.
“Just as the Evergreen tree stays
green all year round, we want Evergreen
Park to be a beautiful green
space, no matter the season,” said
Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley,
who allocated $1.6 million for this
phase of the project. “This renovation
will do just that, and bring
new life to this park that so many
people depend on. My thanks to
the borough president, the Parks
Plans for the second phase of renovations to Evergreen Playground were unveiled.
Department, Community Board
5, and everyone in the community
who gave such valuable input on
this project.”
In addition to the funding Crowley
secured, another $500,000 came from
Borough President Melinda Katz, and
the de Blasio administration also
kicked in $300,000, bringing the total
funds to $2.4 million.
Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s offi ce
“The new play area in Evergreen
Park was designed to complement the
existing playground by providing a
space for older kids to recreate,” said
Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy
Lewandowski. “Parks is grateful to the
local community for helping us to design
their dream park, and to Council
member Crowley for her continued
support of Queens’ open spaces. We
look forward to breaking ground next
spring on this great new amenity.”
Last December, Crowley, Katz,
and the Parks Department came
together at Evergreen Playground
— located along St. Felix Avenue and
60th Place — to cut the ribbon on the
first phase of the park’s renovation,
a $1 million upgrade to the children’s
play area.
Lawmaker wants new zoning to stop high-rise plans
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
A Queens lawmaker is calling on the
City Planning Commission to revise
the city’s zoning policies to prevent
the “as-of-right” construction of highrise
buildings across Ridgewood.
As an outspoken opponent of
the Ridgewood Tower and other
out-of-character structures, Assemblywoman
Catherine Nolan wants to
see zoning changes, specifi cally in the
Community Board 5 (CB 5) area, that
would stop massive buildings from
be erected with little to no community
input or review process.
Back in May, Nolan wrote a letter
to Mayor Bill de Blasio, outlining
her concerns regarding the 17-story
Ridgewood Tower that will be built at
54-27 Myrtle Ave., 336 and 350 St. Nicholas
Ave., which will bring 129 luxury
apartments consisting of 39 studio
apartments, 51 one-bedroom apartments,
27 two-bedroom apartments,
and 12 three-bedroom apartments,
with 350 parking spaces, and commercial/
retail space to the neighborhood.
In response, Marisa Lago, commissioner
of the NYC Department
of City Planning (DCP), reminded
the Assemblywoman in a June letter
that “the proposed building is
allowable under the current C4-3
zoning, which was kept in place aft er
a robust public engagement process
for the comprehensive rezoning of
Ridgewood that was adopted by the
City Council in 2000.”
This spurred Nolan to call for zoning
changes and to have DCP meet with
her, her colleagues in government, CB
5, and local civic organizations “to create
an updated zoning plan which truly
refl ects the needs of the community,”
she wrote in a July 5 letter to Lago.
In her letter, Nolan notes that the
current zoning regulations for the
Ridgewood area are 17 years old and
the level of development in the neighborhood
has increased dramatically
since the last time they were altered.
“Unchecked, the current zoning
regulations will have a detrimental
effect on the quality of life for all
of Ridgewood and western Queens
residents,” Nolan believes. “In addition,
we must develop responsibly, so
Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan wants to update the zoning regulations in
Ridgewood to prevent more high-rise buildings coming to the neighborhood
that our infrastructure is improved
with regards to roads, hospitals and
schools before new construction
adds additional burdens to it. With
File photo/Ridgewood Times
the additional burden of the planned
L and M service suspensions over the
next few years, a revised downzoning
policy is both appropriate and vital.”
as of right.
