4 The Courier sun • WELCOME TO • june 4, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com welcome to howard beach s Businesses rebounding nearly three years after Sandy by ANGELA MATUA editorial@queenscourier.com @angelamatua Howard Beach is home to many small businesses that have been thriving for years. Cross Bay Boulevard, a main thoroughfare running along the heart of the neighborhood, is home to many of these businesses, including beloved restaurants like Lenny’s Clam Bar. The neighborhood’s waterfront location also made it susceptible to heavy damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, where many of these local businesses were severely affected. Joe DeCandia, owner of Lenny’s Clam Bar which opened in 1974, said his restaurant saw 4 feet of water as a result of the storm and that his staff had to work for long hours on back-up generators to repair the damage. DeCandia was prepared when the storm hit, he said, and he ordered water tanks and generators before the storm. But the restaurant still had to close for about six weeks to repair the walls and other damage. It was reopened in time for Thanksgiving, DeCandia said. “Everybody came back,” DeCandia said. “You know, everyone had their own problems losing their houses, losing their homes, losing their electric, but today everything’s back to normal, thank God.” Gold’s Gym on 157-07 Cross Bay Blvd., which has been around for 23 years, is another staple in the Howard Beach community. It was closed for two weeks following Hurricane Sandy due to loss of power and hot water but members began trickling in once power was restored. According to Manager Justine Orr, the gym is a fully equipped facility that offers personal training and exercise classes like cardio, yoga, zumba and pilates. “Our goal is just to be able to service the community. We consider ourselves a familyoriented gym,” Orr said. The gym serves members as young as 13 and also serves senior citizens in their 80s with their senior programs. Orr said the gym strives to offer people of all ages and backgrounds what they need from the fitness world. BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com/@liamlaguerre Summary Howard Beach, like various Queens neighborhoods, provides basic characteristics of suburbia in the city, such as a quiet, residential atmosphere. However, unlike other Queens areas, the borders of Howard Beach almost serve as buffers of the New York City hustle and bustle for its roughly 26,000 residents. The community is surrounded by Jamaica Bay to the south, John F. Kennedy Airport to the east, the Belt Parkway to the north and the Brooklyn border line to the west. “You’re cut off from the rest of the world in your own quiet neighborhood by the Belt Parkway and JFK,” said veteran broker Jerry Fink of Jerry Fink Real Estate on Cross Bay Boulevard, the neighborhood’s main commercial strip. “It’s a unique neighborhood, very quiet, residential neighborhood, still in New York City, but gives you the feel of being in somewhere in Long Island.” The Howard Beach ZIP code of 11414 is actually subdivided into three main areas: Lindenwood toward the north, Old Howard Beach in the east and New Howard Beach in the west, sometimes referred to as Rockwood Park. The old and new sections are separated by Cross Bay Boulevard. There are also some other tiny communities in the area. Homes A variety of prices and styles of residences can be found in the neighborhood. Co-ops, condos and multifamily homes are prevalent in Lindenwood. The average one-bedroom co-op could retail for about $100,000, while a similar condo will see prices over $150,000, according to Fink. Mini mansions are scattered among smaller singlefamily Cape Cod and ranch-style homes in the New Howard Beach section, where homes started being built in the 1950s and ‘60s. The mini mansions sell for an average of $1 million, but some can be priced well over that mark. Single-family Cape Cod, colonial or ranch-style homes can be found in Old Howard Beach, where properties date back to the ‘30s and offer smaller lots compared to the new section. Prices range between an average of $500,000 to about $1 million. The homes at the top of the market are located on 95th Street, which is on the waterfront of Shellbank Basin, a small inlet that runs parallel to Cross Bay Boulevard. Many homeowners there have private boat docks, and tend not to sell frequently. Connected by a bridge in Old Howard Beach, there is a small area to the southeast of the neighborhood known as Hamilton Beach jammed between train tracks and another inlet known as Hawtree Basin. Prices for homes here are less expensive than the rest of the area because of smaller-sized lots, but most homes are new construction. Sandy recovery Howard Beach was one of the Queens waterfront communities that was devastated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Water flooded Cross Bay Boulevard, destroying stores and offices. Water from Jamaica Bay pushed into Hawtree and Shellbank basins, which eventually surged over the banks. The elevated water tossed homeowners’ boats, knocked down trees and damaged approximately 3,000 homes, according to the Governor Andrew Cuomo. Many homes were flooded as a result of the storm, and Cuomo announced in 2013 about $50 million federal funding for resiliency projects along the borders of Spring Creek and Jamaica Bay to protect Howard Beach from future storm surges. Nearly three years later, despite the widespread damage throughout the neighborhood, businesses on the Cross Bay Boulevard have recovered, and many homeowners have renovated their homes. Demand to buy has surged in the neighborhood, causing prices to rise. “The whole area has certainly recovered,” said Arlene Pacchiano, a veteran broker of three decades in Howard Beach, and owner of Connexion I Real Estate on Cross Bay Boulevard. “There is great demand because people realize that that storm was a one-ina million thing. Prices have risen, because it’s a really nice area and people have realized that again.” Transportation Subway access to Manhattan comes by way of the A train station, which is located in Old Howard Beach near the JFK Airport border. An A train ride to Manhattan can take about 30 to 40 minutes, and JFK Airport is easy to access since the AirTrain has a link with the A train station. “You’re far enough away from the city, but close enough to the city,” Fink said. Local MTA buses provide residents with public transportation lines to other Queens areas. Through Cross Bay Boulevard, the Q53 and Q52 buses can take residents to Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst by way of Woodhaven Boulevard, for example. There are also various crosstown buses servicing the neighborhood, which provide access to Manhattan in about 45 minutes to an hour. As a community near the Belt Parkway, Howard Beach is very accessible by car to Long Island or to Manhattan. Things to do The four-year-old Resorts World Casino is located minutes away from Howard Beach to the north across the Belt Parkway. There residents can enjoy gambling machines, concert performances, restaurants and bars. There is no shortage of eateries on Cross Bay Boulevard that locals can enjoy. National chains, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, are interwoven with Italian pizzerias and Chinese takeout restaurants. For a good restaurant experience, most residents know to visit the sit-down Italian neighborhood classics, such as Russo’s on the Bay, Lenny’s Clam Bar, Vetro and Matteo’s Howard Beach. “In terms of restaurants, there is quite a bit here,” Pacchiano said. “You don’t have to leave the neighborhood to find good food.” Education There are quite a few public and private schools for youngsters in Howard Beach. The public schools include P.S. 146 in Old Howard Beach and P.S. 207 in New Howard Beach, both pre-K through eighthgrade schools, and P.S. 232 in Lindenwood, a kindergarten through eighth-grade school. Private schools include St. Helen Catholic Academy in New Howard Beach and Ave Maria Catholic Academy in Old Howard Beach. Howard Beach does not offer schools with a level beyond eighth grade. For high school, students travel to other neighborhoods, such as Ozone Park’s John Adams High School, which is the nearest institution. Living in Howard Beach
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