FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com DECEMBER 31, 2015 • TIMES 15 s year in review RIDGEWOOD STREET FESTIVAL OFF, THEN BACK ON After years of complaints from Ridgewood residents, Community Board 5 voted in February to recommend denial of a street fair application for the four-day Fresh Pond Road street festival scheduled for September. The festival, which closes off a five-block stretch of Fresh Pond Road, drew the ire of local residents over concerns including littering, loss of parking space and traffic congestion on nearby streets. The Mayor’s Street Activity Permit Office, which has the final say on such matters, approved the application in May. FEBRUARY THE QUEENS COURIER BUYS RIDGEWOOD TIMES Schneps Communications, which owns The Queens Courier and 18 other publications, purchased on Feb. 6 the 107-year-old Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly from their previous owner, Maureen Walthers. The deal further expanded the company’s presence in western Queens and resulted in a dramatic change in the paper’s format, FILMMAKERS TURN RIDGEWOOD INTO GOTHAM The entertainment industry continued its love affair with the greater Ridgewood area throughout 2015. One of the most frequent visitors to the area were the producers of Fox’s hit drama “Gotham,” a Batman prequel. Filming of the series starring Ben McKenzie took place in February and later on in the spring. as Schneps introduced an all-color layout and an enhanced digital presence. Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly stories began appearing daily on The Queens Courier’s website. THE QUEENS COURIER BUYS RIDGEWOOD TIMES Schneps Communications, which owns The Queens Courier and 18 other publications, purchased on Feb. 6 the 107-year-old Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly from their previous owner, Maureen Walthers. The deal further expanded the company’s presence in western Queens and resulted in a dramatic change in the paper’s format, as Schneps introduced an all-color layout and an enhanced digital presence. Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly stories began appearing daily on The Queens Courier’s website. RIFT OVER DEVELOPMENT STUDY AT SUNNYSIDE YARDS Having sparked redevelopment projects over the Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City turned its attention to western Queens in seeking the next big development project. The city’s Economic Development Corporation announced on Feb. 20 a request for proposals for a yearlong feasibility study regarding building over the 200-acre railyards utilized by Amtrak, the MTA and New Jersey Transit. In his State of the City address, Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated that the Sunnyside Yards development would result in the creation of more than 11,000 housing units. The development idea, however, drew disapproval from both Governor Andrew Cuomo and concerns from local elected officials including Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, state Senator Michael Gianaris and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.
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