FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 5, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
F.H. medical marijuana
dispensary opens July 10
A medical marijuana dispensary in Forest Hills is
gearing up for their grand opening this month, and the
staff is encouraging patients to make appointments at
their new facility.
Curaleaf NY in Forest Hills, located at 107-18 70th
Rd., is slated to open for business on Tuesday, July 10.
Th ough the company says that walk-ins are welcome,
they add that making an appointment in advance will
ensure that patients have a timely visit.
Michelle Bodner, the president of PalliaTech NY,
which operates the dispensary under the brand name
Curaleaf New York, expressed her excitement about
the newest Queens dispensary.
“Medical marijuana has already helped tens of thousands
of New Yorkers and we are excited to welcome
patients to our Forest Hills dispensary to access the
treatment they need or learn more about medical marijuana
and the state’s program. Our team looks forward
to meeting with patients to discuss how medical
marijuana can help provide relief from chronic pain
and improve their lives,” Bodner said.
Curaleaf currently has operations in 11 states including
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and
Arizona. Th e dispensary in Forest Hills will be managed
by New York-licensed pharmacists and there will
also be counselors available onsite to advise patients
about treatment plans.
Patients with an offi cial registry identifi cation card
will be able to purchase pharmaceutical-grade medical
cannabis products, including capsules, tablets, tinctures,
oils and under-the tongue strips, as previously
reported by QNS.com.
Th e dispensary’s central location between Queens
Boulevard and Austin Street make it easily accessible
by several modes of public transportation. Patients can
travel to the location via the Long Island Rail Road’s
Forest Hills Station, the Forest Hills 71st Avenue
Station on the E, F, M and R lines and also the Q23 bus.
Th ose interested in making an appointment at
Curaleaf NY in Forest Hills can call the dispensary at
833-470-5323 or emailing info.ny@curaleaf.com.
Jenna Bagcal
Meng bill aims to aid
immigrant children
Queens representative Grace Meng continued her
fi ght for immigration reform this week with new legislation
introduced within days of returning from
immigration facilities along the U.S./Mexico border
in Texas.
Th e Congresswoman introduced two bills to the
House of Representatives that would improve living
conditions for children separated from their parents
aft er illegally crossing the border. While visiting
the McAllen Border Patrol Precessing Center and Port
Isabel Detention Center in Texas, Meng witnessed the
damaging eff ects of family separation fi rsthand and
has been critical of the lack of oversight in reuniting
families.
Meng introduced the Better Care for Kids Act, which
would require improved training for federal personnel
who are tasked with caring for children and ensure
that they can minimize trauma experience by “tender
age children.”
Her second measure, the Child Advocate Program
Re-authorization Act, would bring back the Child
Advocate Program that expired in 2017. Th is initiative
appoints independent child advocates for vulnerable
unaccompanied alien children and child traffi cking
victims, and the bill would extend the program
through 2022.
Both bills have been referred to the House Judiciary
Committee where they are awaiting further action.
Ryan Kelley
Photo courtesy of Monadnock Development
Lottery opens for aff ordable
housing units in downtown Flushing
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A total of 231 aff ordable housing
units are now up for grabs in
downtown Flushing, developers
announced on Th ursday.
Th e lottery for units at One
Flushing, the largest 100-percent
aff ordable housing development
built in the neighborhood in
decades, opened on June 28. Th e
development at 133-45 41st Ave. will
off er “multi-generational” housing
to low- and middle-income families
and seniors.
Th e project is a collaboration
between Asian Americans for
Equality (AAFE), HANAC and
Monadnock Development. One
Flushing opens in January 2019.
Th e units range from studios to
three-bedroom apartments and
are available to households earning
between $20,675 and $157,300.
Interested individuals can visit the
NYC Housing Connect website or
write to request a paper application
at the following address: One
Flushing Owner LLC, PO BOX 705,
Knickerbocker Station, New York,
NY 10002.
Online and paper applications
are available in English, Arabic,
Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean,
Russian and Spanish. Th e deadline
to apply is Aug. 28.
In addition to the residential units,
the development will also contain
a 156-car public parking garage,
15,000 square feet of community
space and 25,000 square feet of retail
space for local businesses and entrepreneurs.
It will also feature a children’s
play room, gym, rooft op terrace
and farm.
Councilman Peter Koo, who represents
the area in City Hall, said
the development fi ts the character
of the surrounding community and
“serves as a model for future development.”
“At long last, our community
has the opportunity to apply for
a 100-percent aff ordable housing
development right in the heart
of downtown Flushing,” Koo said.
“Th ank you to HPD, AAFE, HANAC
and Monadnock Development for
making this project possible.”
Th e One Flushing development,
built on a former city-owned public
parking lot, was met with some
resistance when it was fi rst presented.
Community Board 7 gave the
project a thumbs down in 2016, citing
concerns about overcrowding
while acknowledging a local need
for aff ordable housing.
A rendering of the One Flushing development on 41st Avenue
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