18 The Courier sun • MAY 29, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Mela’s Café, a new restaurant on Kissena Boulevard, is set to open soon along with other eateries in the area, highlighting an influx of businesses on the commercial strip. NEW KEW GARDENS HILLS RESTAURANTS HIGHLIGHT BUSINESS GROWTH ON KISSENA BLVD. Car break-ins increasing in Glendale, police and residents say BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ usually quiet neighborhood surprised and frustrated [email protected]/@ericjankiewicz with cops. Joann Guidici, a resident of Glendale, found her car broken Glendale is seeing a rise in car break-ins this year, into on a recent Saturday morning. The car had been according to police. parked on 72nd Street and the driver window was smashed During a community meeting on May 20, Capt. but nothing valuable had been stolen from the car. Christopher Manson, commanding officer of the 104th “They must’ve done it for the high,” she said. Precinct, said that compared to last year, there was a “Because they didn’t take any of the valuable stuff.” rise in thefts from automobiles. She noted that there had been two pairs of expensive, He was unable to provide exact stats at the meeting, designer glasses in the car that were left untouched. but, through May 18, the latest stats available on the Brian Dooley, a member of the Glendale Property NYPD website, there were marked increases in both Owners Organization, had a similar experience. grand larceny (up 21 percent) and petit larceny (up “My car was broken into twice,” he said. Unlike in 16.5 percent). Guidici’s case, there were no broken windows. “The The spike in crime is leaving many residents of this first time I thought that we had left the car unlocked. But after the second incident, I knew that they must be using a magnetic device of some sort.” Manson echoed Dooley’s suspicion about the use of a magnetic device. “Most of the cases we’ve responded to are with cars that don’t have any broken windows or picked locks,” he said during the meeting. “So we think that whoever is doing that is using some kind of magnetic device.” Police say they are doing everything they can to stop the spike in car break-ins, which are mostly occurring in Glendale with a few also in Middle Village. But Guidici said that it isn’t enough. “This has been an issue for over a year,” she said. “The 104th Precinct wasn’t very helpful. They need to step it up.” BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected] /@liamlaguerre The Hills are alive with the sound of business. Just two months after mega computer department store Micro Center took up numerous empty lots and opened on Kissena Boulevard in Kew Gardens Hills, three new businesses are set to open on the thoroughfare soon as well. Main Street, the community’s central commercial strip, has long been the chief hub for business in the neighborhood, but the change Kissena Boulevard is undergoing has some residents and local civic leaders excited. “People are starting to invest money,” said Mike Sidell, a resident of nearly 60 years. “I just walked past it and I see the difference.” Mela’s Café will replace a defunct diner and open on 71-02 Kissena Blvd. in about three weeks, said new owners Franklin Rivera and his wife, Ketty. It will serve Latin American cuisine and expects to sell alcohol — the owners are waiting for a response for their liquor license application. Rivera, who owns the Brooklyn-based restaurant supply company Los Primos Meat Market, said it was simply time for the family to own a restaurant. Ketty will serve as head chef, while he will be in and out as a manager. The restaurant was named after their daughter Melissa’s nickname “Mela,” because they thought it would be easy to remember. Rivera said he’s excited for the restaurant’s grand opening and the business boom in the area as well. “On a scale of one to 100, I’m 150 percent excited,” he said. “Business booming is good. It means more people.” On the next block, two restaurants are set to open, including Wings on Top, which will share space with an extant Subway restaurant. Despite the influx, not everyone is confident that the change is for the better. “As far as restaurants are concerned, it comes and goes like the days of the week,” said Jim Jaffe, a director of the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association. “There is a big turnover in restaurants in this community. That’s not a rock-solid business.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre
SC05292014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above