FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 27, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Upgrades to LIRR Jamaica Station, Port Washington line incoming
Rendering courtesy of Cuomo’s offi ce
Bayside co-op buys its land in ‘major milestone’
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
In a historic land purchase, a Bayside
cooperative is now fully in control of its
own future.
Bay Terrace Co-op Section One
announced on July 25 that it now owns
the land its buildings are built on for
the fi rst time in 60 years aft er purchasing
the 10 acres from Cord Meyer
Development. By the end of 2018,
leaseholders in all the Bay Terrace
Cooperative Sections will own their
land as Cord Meyer works with them to
fi nalize their land purchases, impacting
over 1,800 families.
Th e purchase, which allows the development
to retain all future development
rights on the land, was fi nanced entirely
through the corporation’s reserve funds.
Warren Schreiber, president of the
co-op, said the purchase will benefi t
its shareholders in a number of ways,
including a rise in the value of their
apartments. Th e sale will also allow
the co-op greater freedom to begin
improvement or construction projects,
simplify the process for shareholders to
sell their apartments and make it easier
for interested buyers to receive mortgages
from fi nancial institutions who
may have been hesitant to cooperate
due to the land lease status.
“Th is land purchase represents a
major milestone in the history of the
co-op that will benefi t both current
shareholders and future generations of
shareholders to come,” Schreiber said.
The co-op president thanked
Councilman Paul Vallone,
Assemblyman Edward Braustein, state
Senator Tony Avella and Cord Meyer
Development for their part in the process.
“Th is is a historic land purchase, not
just in northeast Queens, but the whole
city. Once all the other sections have
fi nalized their land purchases, the over
1,800 families of Bay Terrace will have
complete control of their destiny and
future for the fi rst time,” Vallone said.
“As some of the only true aff ordable
housing that exists in my district, the
Bay Terrace co-ops will continue to
thrive as they become more attractive
to buyers and provide greater fi nancial
security to their current shareholders.”
“Since I started in Cord Meyer in 1983,
we have been working with the leaseholders
in all 9 Bay Terrace sections,”
said Anthony J. Colletti, chief operating
offi cer of Cord Meyer Development
Company. “It wasn’t until Council
member Vallone put us all in a room
together that we fi nally got it done.”
Photo via Google Maps
Co-ops in the Bay Terrace section of Bayside.
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Major capital improvements are coming
to important hubs on the Long Island
Rail Road (LIRR) in Queens.
Th e $5.6 billion LIRR transformation
plan, announced by Governor Andrew
Cuomo on July 19, calls for the Jamaica
Station and certain stops along the Port
Washington Line in Queens to be upgraded
and reconstructed.
Jamaica Station handles nearly all LIRR
trains and is one of the busiest transportation
hubs in the country. Cuomo
announced plans for a $375 million
reconstruction project that includes higher
speed switches, new signals and a
new platform to streamline operations
and increase its service capacity to Penn,
Grand Central and Atlantic Terminal
Stations.
A dedicated track to Atlantic Terminal
will be constructed within the station and
Brooklyn-bound commuters will be able
to take advantage of glass-enclosed heated
waiting areas, Wi-Fi and charging stations.
Five existing platforms will also be
lengthened to accommodate full-length,
12-car trains, reducing station crowding
and resulting delays.
In September 2016, Governor Andrew
Cuomo announced that the LIRR
approved a $64.9 million renovation contract
for the station that included plans
for the creation of a new platform and
additional passenger service tracks. MTA
eff orts to streamline track confi gurations
at Jamaica Station began in 2010.
A total of 39 LIRR stations will be renovated
as part of the overall improvement
project. Four other LIRR stations in
Queens will undergo enhancements “to
improve passenger experience, fl ow and
convenience,” including the Flushing-
Main Street, Mets-Willets Point and
Bayside stops on the Port Washington
branch and the Hunterspoint Avenue station.
Phase one of the MTA’s Flushing-Main
Street Long Island Rail Road station renovation,
which included the addition of
new signage and thicker, safer railings,
was completed in March 2016.
Also part of the major infrastructure
project are upgrades to 13 electrical power
substations and fortifi cation of 12 bridges
throughout the LIRR system.
Th e announcement comes amid what
Cuomo dubbed the “Summer of Hell”
for the city’s commuters. To facilitate
Amtrak’s emergency construction work
at Penn Station, the LIRR is running on
a special schedule, canceling or rerouting
certain trains that run to the station and
off ering perks to riders who take alternate
routes into Manhattan.
“With the complete transformation of
the Long Island Rail Road, New York is
recapturing the bold ambition that made
our infrastructure the envy of the nation
and building for the future,” Cuomo said.
A rendering of the LIRR Flushing Main Street Station after upcoming reconstruction eff orts.