24 THE COURIER SUN • MAY 21, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com Forest Hills residents fi ght to keep Barnes & Noble open BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] @LiamLaGuerre Local preservationist Michael Perlman started a petition to save the bookstore on Change.org on May 15, the same day the news broke that the Barnes & Noble may not renew its lease at 70-00 Austin St., which expires in January. The petition has already attracted more than 2,850 signatures as of the writing of this article. It hopes to attract 5,000 signatures, which will be sent to elected offi cials, Barnes & Noble and Muss Development, the landlord of the building. The troubled bookstore has already closed its Fresh Meadows branch near St. John’s University, and if the Forest Hills location is shuttered, the only Barnes & Noble in Queens will be the one in Bayside. Perlman emphasized the need to keep the Forest Hills branch open to the community in the petition. “Barnes & Noble’s lease needs to be renewed to the benefi t of current and future generations,” Perlman said in the petition description. Forest Hills residents are hoping to save the Barnes & Nobles at 70-00 Austin St., which is negotiating its lease with landlord Muss Development. “This is a store where multigenerational patrons have the opportunity to explore various genres under one roof, feel as if they are traveling around the world and through time, and interact with the physical nature of books in a welcoming and friendly environment.” Currently Muss Development and Barnes & Noble are still negotiating the lease renewal for the 22,000-square-foot space, where the bookstore has been for more than 20 years. The problem began after the bookseller declined to extend its lease fi ve more years. Barnes & Noble wants to remain at the location but “at rates very close to what we are currently paying,” said David Deason, its vice president of development. Muss Development agrees that they are hoping to fi nd a solution, but COO Jeff Kay said he has not heard an alternate pitch from the bookstore after they declined the fi ve-year extension, and they have been collecting interest for the space. “We would like to retain Barnes & Noble as a longterm THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano tenant. If they are interested, we will work with them to come up with a reasonable solution,” Kay said. “Every major national retailer in the U.S. is attending the ICSC meeting in Las Vegas right now. We are there, meeting with several of them who are interested in leasing the space.” H H H H H Memorial Day Weekend is a great time to spend with family & friends ADOPT a new family member and enjoy the weekend together! Bring This Ad Sat May 23 & Sun May 24 RECEIVE 50% OFF ALL ADOPTIONS 25 Davis Avenue, Port Washington, NY animalleague.org • 516.883.7575 Follow Us Our Adoption Center will be CLOSED MON MAY 25th We’ve got Reverse Mortgages figured out! ® Are you a homeowner? Are you 62+ years old? No mortgage payments are required while you live in your home Proceeds are Tax-Free! Get a line of credit, lump sum, or monthly payments for the rest of your life! Find out more about the benefits of a Reverse Mortgage... Call us at (718) 269-3448 and receive a free gift and information kit (including a Free informational DVD) 1st Senior Capital a division of Professional Mortgage Solutions, Inc. NMLS #148800. 62-81 Woodhaven Blvd., Rego Park, NY 11374. Registered Mortgage Broker-NYS Department of Financial Services This material is not provided by, nor was it approved by the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) or by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
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