4 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 25, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
CB 11 rejects Douglaston rezoning over quality-of-life concerns
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Community Board 11 gave a resounding
“no” to the proposed Douglaston
Parkway rezoning this week in front of a
packed room of concerned residents.
At the Oct. 22 public hearing held
at Douglaston Community Church, the
board, which includes residents from
Douglaston, Little Neck and Bayside,
unanimously rejected the proposal to
rezone an area of the neighborhood from
an R1-2 to an R6A.
Th e rezoning would allow developers
241-15 Northern Boulevard, LLC and
North Shore Realty Group to build two
eight-story buildings at 43-80 Douglaston
Pkwy. and 241-15 Northern Blvd.
Th e plan was fi rst presented at the
board’s monthly zoning committee meeting
on Sept. 25, during which developers
laid out their plans for the buildings.
Th e one on Douglaston Parkway would
provide housing for adults 55 and older,
while the Northern Boulevard property
would provide both units for older adults
and an area set aside for commercial use.
Board members expressed concerns
about lack of parking, increased traffi
c in the area and a reduced quality of
life since developers proposed the plan.
Members of the community who identify
as “Concerned Residents of Douglaston
and Little Neck” also urged their neighbors
to sign a petition to “vote no” to the
developments.
“Parking in the area is already extremely
inadequate. Cars are constantly double
parked on Douglaston Parkway and making
illegal U-turns, creating dangerous
traffi c conditions at busy times,” states
the petition.
It went on to say that traffi c in the area
was exacerbated by the installation of the
bike lane on Northern Boulevard, which
resulted in at least 12 accidents according
to residents. To date, the petition has
garnered 433 signatures and several comments
in opposition to the rezoning.
“A variance and/or re-zoning is a Public
Safety issue that will exacerbate an already
unmanageable and dangerous traffi c situation
at an overly congested major
intersection,” wrote Little Neck resident
Nelson Camacho in the comment section.
“Any such re-zoning will negatively
and irreversibly impact pedestrians, commuters,
schools, businesses, emergency
services, and the resident families. Th ere
are no viable arguments or transportation
solutions for dramatically adding/
increasing housing at a major intersection
in Queens Co., while permanently ruining
the essential character of Douglaston.”
Photo credit: queenscrap.blogspot.com
Despite their rejection of the proposal,
community board members told residents
that their “no” vote would only
be sent as a recommendation to the City
Council and advised citizens to reach out
to local politicians to voice their opinions.
According to the board, the developers
might still be able to go directly to City
Council, the mayor or the Department
of City Planning to have their proposal
approved.
QNS reached out to Community
Board 11 for comment and is awaiting
a response.
Suspicion ruled out
in car fi re fatality
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@cnglocal.com
@QNS
First responders found a man’s body
inside a car that went up in fl ames in
Flushing on Friday morning, police
reported.
At 8:03 a.m. on Oct. 19, law enforcement
sources said, offi cers from the
110th Precinct and FDNY units
responded to a 911 call of a fi re in the
vicinity of Northern Boulevard and
Prince Street.
Shortly aft er putting the fi re out,
authorities noted, FDNY personnel
discovered an unidentifi ed male
unconscious and responsive, in the
vehicle.
Authorities pronounced the
man deceased on scene, police said.
According to the 110th Precinct, the
victim appeared to be his in 50s. His
body was transferred to the Medical
Examiner’s offi ce for an autopsy.
Meanwhile, on Oct. 21, the 110th
Precinct reported on Twitter that the
Medical Examiner has deemed the
death non-suspicious, likely due to
smoke inhalation that rendered him
unconscious and caused him to be consumed
by the fi re.
Th e investigation is ongoing, police
said.
New Old Navy coming to Bay Terrace Shopping Center
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
In the works for several months, Old
Navy will soon open its doors at a Bayside
shopping center, according to a spokesperson
from Cord Meyer Development.
Th e spokesperson confi rmed that the
popular clothing chain would be opened
for business by the end of October or early
November at the Bay Terrace Shopping
Center located at 23-98 Bell Blvd.
A photo of an “Old Navy” sign was
fi rst posted in the Bayside Hills Civic
Association Facebook page on Oct. 18.
“We’re very excited for the store to
open,” said the spokesperson for Cord
Meyer, which owns and operates the mall.
Back in May, QNS reported that the
open-air mall would be closing its Gap
location over the summer to make room
for the Old Navy. In April, Gap Inc.
announced that it would be closing about
200 underperforming Gap and Banana
Republic Stores worldwide in favor of
expanding Old Navy’s brick-and-mortar
presence.
Th e shopping center has seen several
changes over the past few years, including
the closures of Th e Children’s Place
and Ruby & Jenna in September. A Cord
Meyer representative confi rmed that a
Spectrum Cable store would replace Th e
Children’s Place, which sells children’s
apparel and accessories.
Th ere have been no set plans for
Old Navy signs have been put up at The Bay Terrace Shopping Center.
replacements for the Ruby & Jenna storefront,
which specializes in high-end fashion
that has garnered a “cult following”
Photo via Facebook/Bay Terrace
in places like Long Island, Manhattan’s
Upper East Side, Connecticut and New
Jersey.
Full house at the Oct. 22 Douglaston Parkway Rezoning meeting.
/
link
/
