FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 3, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
College Point shelter will house homeless women instead of men
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
Just days before the Department of
Homeless Services (DHS) planned to
open the College Point men’s homeless
shelter, the agency confi rmed it will
instead move forward with plans to house
200 women.
Th is development comes 10 months
aft er lawmakers confi rmed the city’s plans
for the shelter. Following the original
announcement, residents staged multiple
rallies, town halls and meetings with
DHS, during which locals voiced myriad
concerns including the shelter’s proximity
to schools and houses and lack of community
input.
Members of the College Point Residents
Coalition (CPRC) also sought legal action
against the city and DHS and provided
updates on the group’s public Facebook page.
DHS plans to open the shelter at 127-03
20th Ave. on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
“From the outset, the residents of
College Point have been unequivocal that
a shelter for 200 single men would be
wholly inappropriate for this residential
site in close proximity to several schools,”
said Senator John Liu. “Th e community
remained diligent, vigilant and united
and has now successfully secured the
conversion to a shelter for women, rather
than single men. Although the plan is
by no means perfect, we are satisfi ed that
a far better outcome has been achieved.”
Residents fi rst heard rumor of the shelter
in October 2018, when Assemblyman
Daniel Rosenthal noticed “shelter-type”
renovations in the Department of
Buildings records. Th at same month,
Councilman Paul Vallone revealed that
the mayor’s offi ce and DHS submitted a
proposal for the site to be turned into a
shelter.
“Th e city’s decision to place a 200
bed, all-male facility in close proximity
to numerous schools raised concerns
for the residents of College Point,” said
Rosenthal. “We thank DHS for listening
to the community, and modifying their
plans to an all-woman shelter to alleviate
some of the local unease.”
According to DHS, the city shelled out
$9 million to originally house 200 homeless
men transitioning from prison as
part of Mayor de Blasio’s “Turning the
Tide on Homelessness” plan. Th e borough
based approach to the homelessness
crisis included plans to build 90 shelters
across the city in order to keep residents
close to their families.
“I’ve said from day one that the mayor’s
homeless shelter strategy and site selection
process is deeply fl awed and in need
of serious revision, and the shelter property
owner’s deception won’t soon be forgotten,”
said Vallone. “However, through
coordination between the College Point
Residents Coalition, A Better College
Point and my fellow electeds, our negotiations
with DHS to secure a women’s
only shelter for those in our community
experiencing homelessness is a step
in the right direction. Th e administration
should have involved the community
in this process from the beginning,
instead of playing catch up in the weeks
leading up to the proposed opening date.
I thank the College Point civic leaders,
including Jennifer Shannon and the late
Joe Femenia, for their constant dedication
to our community. Our continued
coordination will ensure that DHS listens
and properly responds to the community’s
needs and concerns going forward.”
College Point residents disseminated
their message of “solutions not shelters”
and urged the city to fi nd alternative solutions
to the rampant homelessness problem
plaguing the city. Some of the proposed
solutions included moving the shelter
to a diff erent neighborhood and building
more aff ordable housing options.
“Th is is not what we demanded, certainly
it’s not what we hoped for. However,
we do feel that a women’s shelter will be
better and is a less intimidating fi t for
the community, particularly the elderly,
women and school kids, as their safety is
what we are most worried and concerned
about,” said Michael Deng, member of
CP Residents’ Coalition. “I am relieved.
Th e conversion is an achievement and
as a coalition, we have been so committed
and we accomplished this with the
support of the community and Senator
John Liu, Assemblyman Rosenthal and
Councilman Vallone.”
QNS reached out to DHS and is currently
awaiting comment.
Photo via Google Maps
Brawl puts Francis Lewis HS
on temporary lockdown
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
A fi ght at Francis Lewis
High School on Friday morning
caused the Fresh Meadows
school to go into lockdown.
Reports say that the fi ght started
at around 10:45 a.m. and lasted for
about an hour, causing the school
to be placed on a temporary shelter
in-place. Rumors on Twitter
indicated that there was a shooter
on the campus, but the NYPD
quickly shut down this rumor.
At this time, it is not clear what
caused the fi ght or if anyone has
been injured.
While several students have
been dismissed following the
incident, school remains in session
for the day, according to
tweets from the 111th Precinct.
Th e shelter-in-place has since
been lift ed.
Th e Department of Education
did not immediately respond to
a request for comment.
Th e investigation is ongoing.
Orangetheory Fitness to open fi rst Flushing location
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
A popular fitness chain
will open its doors at its fi rst
Flushing location within the
Tangram development.
Orangetheory Fitness signed
a 10-year lease with the 1.2-million
square-foot, mixed-use
development, located at 37-12
Prince St. Th e lease was facilitated
by Craig Gelberg, Jessie
Wang and Evan Schuckman
from Ripco Real Estate LLC
representing Orangetheory and
Seth Kessler and Ian Rice on
behalf of SCG Retail representing
Tangram.
Th e gym will occupy 3,200
square feet on Tangram’s property
and is expected to open in
the summer of 2020.
“So, what is Orangetheory
Fitness? It is your workout
staple. It is that multi-vitamin
you take two or three
times per week to metabolically
charge the body — to have
more energy, to lose weight, feel
great and simply become the
best physical version of you,”
said Ellen Latham, founder
of Orangetheory Fitness.
“Orangetheory appreciates the
support of its passionate members
and the opportunity to
inspire ‘More Life’ at Tangram
in Downtown Flushing.”
Orangetheory Fitness off ers
total body workouts that last 60
minutes and include certifi ed
personal trainers that guide and
tailor the workouts to achieve
clients’ goals. Like in the 1,000+
locations across the world,
Tangram’s Orangetheory Fitness
will have a workout room off ering
treadmills, bikes, striders,
WaterRowers and fl oor equipment,
and will feature the franchise’s
signature orange lighting.
“Orangetheory Fitness will
signifi cantly fi ll the current void
within the fi tness studio market
in Flushing,” said Alex Chiu,
Executive Vice President of F&T
Group, which is developing
Tangram with SCG America.
“Boutique fi tness spaces provide
top-tier and effi cient workout
experiences for customers within
a personalized on-demand
program and we are thrilled to
welcome the studio to its new
home at Tangram in Downtown
Flushing.”
Photo by Jenna Bagcal/QNS
Location for planned College Point homeless shelter at 127-03 20th Ave.
Photo via Facebook/Orangetheory Fitness
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
link
link
