FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 26, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 23
Courtesy of Zara Realty
City’s proposed homeless shelter in Far Rockaway met with resistance
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Despite pushback from local leaders,
the city is moving forward with its plans
to build a new shelter for homeless families
in Far Rockaway under Mayor Bill de
Blasio’s “Turning the Tide” initiative.
Th e initiative, aimed to end decades-old
stop-gap measures such as using cluster
sites and commercial hotel facilities, will
see the new shelter will be built in place
of the Far Rockaway Cathedral church at
1252 Brunswick Ave.
“As we implement our borough-based
approach, we are ending the ineffi cient
stop-gap facilities citywide while opening
high-quality facilities New Yorkers in
need deserve as they stabilize their lives,”
NYC DSS-DHS said in a statement. “Th is
high-quality, borough-based facility will
be the fi rst of its kind in this Community
District, off ering 72 adult families experiencing
homelessness the opportunity
to get back on their feet safely and closer
to their anchors of life. Working together
with neighbors and not-for-profi t provider
Black Vets for Social Justice, we’re
confi dent that these new Yorkers will be
warmly welcomed and through collaborative
support and compassion, we will
make this the best experience it can be
for all.”
According to the city, there are 489
households comprised of 984 individuals
from Queens Community District 14 in
shelters across the city, however, there are
only 831 sheltered in CD 14.
Th e new facility at 12-52 Brunswick
Ave. will provide 72 homeless adult families
the opportunity to be sheltered in
their home borough, closer to their support
networks including schools, jobs,
healthcare, family, social services and
communities they call home.
“Th e Rockaway Peninsula has many
needs, but a seventh homeless shelter is
not one of them,” Assemblywoman Stacey
Pheff er Amato said. “I strongly oppose the
proposed shelter at 1252 Brunswick Ave.
in Far Rockaway.”
“Let’s be clear, this has nothing to do
with the compassion of our community
towards families in need of housing and
additional services. Th e city is completely
shortsighted by placing families in a
geographically and economically isolated
community and should explore other
options to better serve and assist these
families, ” Pheff er Amato added. “Placing
families and individuals on a peninsula
with already overburdened social services
infrastructure, and insuffi cient employment
and transportation options will create
an additional obstacle. Th e city cannot
continue to rely on the Rockaway
Peninsula as they fail to come up with a
comprehensive plan to adequately solve
the homeless crisis in New York City at
the root. I am working closely with community
leaders and my colleagues in government
to work towards alternative outcomes.”
State Senator Joseph Addabbo made
many of the same points in making his
opposition clear to the proposed shelter.
“While we all support assisting homeless
individuals, putting a large capacity
homeless shelter — this one located
at 1252 Brunswick Ave. — the seventh
on the peninsula, without any community
input, is not the right way to do it,”
Addabbo said. “We have witnessed the
mayor’s administration fall far short of
achieving its goal of providing the services
homeless individuals need to get back
on their feet, with large populations being
warehoused at ineffi cient locations, with a
site selection process that does not allow
for any helpful outside input, ideas or
suggestions. Th e Rockaways have always
faced a unique set of challenges by being
geographically isolated from the rest of
Queens, and it is not fair to the community
residents and businesses, as well
as those facing homelessness, to place
another shelter in this area. I will continue
working with the local community and
government offi cials to address this issue.”
Th e new facility is the 76th shelter to
be sited under the mayor’s “Turning the
Tide” plan and is expected to open in
2022. Of the 76 sited shelters, 41 of them
are open and operational and currently
serving New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
New residential development to
bring affordable housing to Jamaica
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A new residential development set to
be built in Jamaica will create new aff ordable
housing and bring signifi cant investment
into the community at a time when
COVID-19 has continued to present
severe economic challenges.
Zara Realty’s new state-of-the-art, ninestory
residential building at 153-10 88th
Ave. will have 223 units, from studios
to two-bedrooms apartments (each with
new appliances), and 30 percent of its
units will be set aside as aff ordable housing.
Th e 218,000-square-foot building will
have solar arrays on the roof to produce
green energy. Th ere will be space available
for a community facility on the ground
fl oor. All tenants will be provided with
access to a valet parking garage, fi tness
center, recreational space, roof terrace,
storage units and more.
Tony Subraj, co-managing partner for
Zara, said new investment on this scale
has been infrequent since the start of the
pandemic, but they think it is needed now
more than ever.
“Whether it is buying older buildings
and reinvesting in the critical infrastructure
to create quality, lasting housing, or
starting from the ground up to deliver
new aff ordable housing for New Yorkers,
Zara Realty has been creating homes
for Queens families for nearly 40 years,”
Subraj said.
Amir Sobhraj, co-managing partner for
Zara, said high-quality, aff ordable housing
will be key to the economic revival
of the city and of southeastern Queens in
particular.
“Even as COVID-19 has devastated
so many families in our community,
and caused an enormous crater in our
local economy, we believe in Queens. We
believe in the future of this neighborhood,
where we grew up and where we work,
and we are investing here for the long
term,” Sobhraj said.
Construction on the new residential
development is expected to be completed
in 2022.
Photo via Google Maps
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