4 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 16, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Photo courtesy of Cushman & Wakefi eld
This site at 215-01/11 42nd Ave. in Bayside has been sold for $9.7 million to a Manhattan-based storage
City to raise parking meter prices
BY RYAN KELLEY
rkelley@ridgewoodtimes.com
Twitter @R_Kelley6
This fall, the Department of
Transportation (DOT) will increase parking
meter rates in Queens for the fi rst time
since 2013.
Beginning in September, the rate changes
will be rolled out gradually across the fi ve
boroughs, with increases ranging from as
little as $0.25 per hour to as much as $2.oo
per hour. In Queens, the changes will take
eff ect on Nov. 1 with Flushing and Jamaica
seeing an increase from $1.00 to $2.00 per
hour, and other commercials strips such as
Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood and Jamaica
Avenue in Woodhaven increasing from
$1.00 to $1.50 per hour.
Other areas in the borough will see a
slight bump from $1.00 to $1.25 per hour.
“Parking meters play a critical role in
providing an effi cient street network,
allowing for the effi cient delivery of goods
and services as well as providing curb turnover
as a resource for customers to access
storefront businesses,” as noted in the
Aug. 9 press release from DOT. “Th e modest
increases announced today bring New
York City parking rates more in line with
those of peer cities, as well as better refl ect
the market demand for parking.”
Since the parking meters in Queens are
located along the most popular commercial
areas, it is likely that he meter rate
increase will have an eff ect on local businesses.
In Ridgewood, Myrtle Avenue
Business Improvement District Executive
Director Ted Renz expressed his outright
opposition to the rate hike when reached
over the phone on Aug. 10.
“Raising the parking meter rates on local
commercial strips is another assault on
small businesses that ares struggling to
make ends meet,” Renz said. “Th is will
drive people away from local shopping
districts. I don’t think now is the time to
increase parking rates.”
In Flushing, on the other hand, John
Choe, executive director of the Greater
Flushing Chamber of Commerce, saw both
sides of the argument. He explained that
while the chamber is always concerned
when any cost for a business increases, he
also understands that higher parking costs
may infl uence more turnover in parking
spots as the DOT mentioned, and more
people will be able to park in front of a
given business throughout the day.
As an example, Choe refl ected back on
when the City Council made it so that
parking was free on Sunday with respect to
houses of worship that were having parking
issues. But the Chamber of Commerce
found that people would then hog parking
spaces all day long, making it even harder
for people to park where they needed
to, Choe said.
Still, Choe considers the possible residual
eff ects that increased parking rates could
have on a community like Flushing, where
much of the available parking outside of
commercial districts is owned by private
companies.
“Some people may decide that the gap
between market-rate and public parking is
narrow enough that they would fork over a
little more for market-rate parking,” Choe
said. “For others it may be much more
worthwhile for people to take the bus, or
bicycle or walk instead.”
Brooklyn will be the fi rst to adopt the
increase on Sept. 4, with Manhattan following
suit on Oct. 1 and the Bronx and
Staten Island on Dec. 3.
Parts of Manhattan will see the largest
increase by far, with Lower Manhattan and
Midtown seeing rates climb from $3.50
per hour to $4.50 per hour as well as a new
$7.50 second-hour rate for passenger vehicles.
Commercial vehicles in those areas
will pay an increase from $4, $5 and $6 for
the fi rst, second and third hours, to $6, $7
and $8.
Anti-hazing
bill signed
by Cuomo
ceremonies
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
A new law on the books aims
to protect students in Queens and
other parts of the Empire State
from harmful hazing acts.
On Aug. 13, Governor Andrew
Cuomo has signed into law a piece
of legislation that would prohibit
certain kinds of physical contact
during any organization’s initiating
ceremony. Th e law is aimed to
prevent the deaths or serious injuries
of students during fraternity
pledging ceremonies.
“Th ese hazing rituals are dangerous
and reckless with potentially
fatal consequences, and I’m proud
to sign this legislation to protect
college students across this great
state,” Cuomo said. “As we prepare
for the beginning of another
school year, parents and students
alike deserve to have peace
of mind that we take hazing seriously
and will have zero tolerance
for these abuses in New York.”
Under the new law, those who
engage in physical contact or
require physical activity that creates
a substantial risk of physical
injury and causes injury as part of
an initiation ritual will be found
guilty of hazing in the fi rst degree,
which will be punishable by up to
a year in jail.
“Th e safety of our students is a
top priority and these hazing rituals
put them at risk of physical and
emotional harm,” said Lieutenant
Governor Kathy Hochul. “Th is
legislation will help to combat
these dangerous rituals and prevent
injury and potential fatality
of our students. We will not tolerate
these actions that threaten
the lives of students in New York
state.”
Th e legislation was prompted by
the death of 19-year-old Michael
Deng. A Flushing resident and student
at Baruch College, Deng died
aft er suff ering a head injury as a
result of a hazing ritual in 2013.
“Hazing is reckless and dangerous
behavior, and we must do
everything in our power to protect
students from danger,” said
Assemblyman David Weprin.
“Michael Deng’s death was a horrifi
c and preventable tragedy, and
I was proud to sponsor this legislation
to honor his memory and prevent
future families’ heartbreak. I
thank Governor Cuomo for signing
this legislation to save lives
and bring comfort to Michael’s
family.”
Storage developer buys big Bayside site
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
A Manhattan-based developer has
bought a large parking lot and building in
Bayside with plans to erect a storage facility
there in the future.
Cushman & Wakefi eld announced on
Aug. 9 that it brokered the $9.7 million
deal between Queensborough Lumber
Company Inc. and Steven Novenstein, a
partner in Storage Deluxe, for the lot located
at 215-01/11 42nd Ave. City property
records noted that all parties involved
closed the transaction on Aug. 2.
“Th e buyer acquired a property with
great potential and ideal zoning for their
intended future use of a storage facility,”
said Stephen R. Preuss of Cushman &
Wakefi eld said. He added that the lot “is a
textbook covered-land play, which carries
short-term income with a tenant in place
with the ultimate goal of redeveloping the
property once vacant in a few years.”
Th at tenant happens to be Verizon,
which parks its vehicles at the location just
a couple of blocks away from one of its
offi ces at the corner of 43rd Avenue and
214th Place. Cushman & Wakefi eld noted
that the tenant’s current lease was extended
through Oct. 31, 2019, and has two
additional two-year lease extensions.
Th e site at 215-01/11 42nd Ave. has an
existing 8,000-square-foot building within
the 44,981-square-foot lot. However, it also
has development rights that allow for up to
107,953 buildable square feet for commercial
development, Cushman & Wakefi eld
noted. Th e property is located within a
commercially zoned district.
Storage Deluxe notes on its website that
it owns, develops and manages numerous
storage facilities across the New York City
metropolitan avenue; it already has locations
in Astoria, College Point, Flushing,
Jamaica and Long Island City. Th e company
has already developed 4.8 million
square feet of property, with another 1.2
million square feet in development.
Th e Bayside property is located two
blocks east of Bell Boulevard, two blocks
north of Northern Boulevard and just
around the corner from the Bayside Long
Island Rail Road station (the property itself
abuts the railroad property).
facility developer.
Photo by Ryan Kelley/Ridgewood Times
A parking meter on Bell Boulevard in Bayside,
Queens.
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