DOT Plans Meeting on Maspeth Truck Bypass Plan

The city Department of Transportation is holding a public meeting on Tuesday regarding the long-awaited Maspeth Bypass Plan, which would reroute truck traffic from Grand Avenue.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Martin Luther High School, located at 60-02 Maspeth Avenue. The scope and schedule of the upcoming study for the plan will be presented, and the community will have the chance to provide input.

According to the DOT, the two-phase study, formally known as the Maspeth Bypass and Intersection Normalization Study, is exploring alternative travel routs for trucks, identifying problematic intersections and roadway configurations and assessing signs to reduce the impact of truck traffic on the local street network.

The study areas is bounded by Grand Avenue, the Long Island Expressway and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

For additional information or to relay special needs such as interpretation and other accessibility requests, call (718) 286-0886.

Woman Fatally Struck on Woodhaven Boulevard

Hit While Crossing Mid-Block in Rego Park

By Conor Greene

A 32-year-old woman was struck by a car and killed while trying to cross Woodhaven Boulevard on Tuesday morning in Rego Park.

The woman, who has not been identified by police, was attempting to cross the busy stretch of road between 62nd Drive and 63rd Avenue – about a half mile south of the Long Island Expressway – at about 6:30 a.m., according to police. She was crossing mid-block and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Several hours later, the woman remained in the left lane of the boulevard’s northbound side, covered with a white sheet. She had landed about eight feet in front of the 2000 Mercedes Benz, and one of her shoes, which had been knocked off by the impact, sat beneath the car’s crumpled front end. Police say the driver remained at the scene and is not expected to be charged. Traffic backed up as the boulevard’s northbound lanes remained closed hours after the accident.

The accident comes as the city is studying ways to make the boulevard safer for drivers and pedestrians. Several residents at the scene said that drivers speed up as they near the expressway and rush to beat traffic lights.

Board Concerned Over Restaurant Depot Demolition

City Prepares to Move Forward with Maspeth School Project

By Conor Greene

Members of the local community board are concerned about the imminent demolition of the former Restaurant Depot building due to the presence of toxic materials found on the 74th Street property, where the city plans to build a new 1,100-seat high school.

At last week’s Community Board 5 meeting Chairman Vincent Arcuri noted that the building, located at 74th Street and 57th Avenue in Maspeth, appeared on that month’s list of buildings to be demolished in the near future. Due to the level of toxins, including carcinogens, found on the site, the board sent a letter to city School Construction Authority President Sharon Greenberger to ensure proper precautions will be taken to avoid any risks to the community.

“Considering the contamination found at this planned Maspeth High School site previously, it is critical that maximum protection against contaminants escaping into the environment be employed during demolition, excavation and removal of the existing building, the foundation, the footings and the soil,” wrote Arcuri, who also requested a meeting with the construction company hired by the city and SCA officials “responsible for oversight of this controversial project.”

Earlier this year, CB 5 members voted against the city’s proposal to build an $80 million high school on the 54,000-square-foot property adjacent to the Long Island Expressway. Despite objections from Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), the City Council voted 38 to 10 in April to approve the Department of Education’s plan. In May, the city purchased the property for $16,250,000, according to public records.

Arcuri told his fellow board members and the audience at Christ the King High School that he is “a little concerned” due to the presence of toxins on the site. “Not knowing anything about the contaminants, we’re bringing that question back up,” he said of the board’s letter to the SCA.

In response, a city DOE spokesman told the Forum that no exact demolition date has been set, but it’s expected to take place “within the next few weeks.” The spokesman said the site is safe for construction and that safety precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of the property’s neighbors and future occupants.

“As to the concerns raised by CB5 in regards to toxins found at the site, it's important that I express as unequivocally as possible that this site is absolutely safe for the construction of a new school building. Like all urban soil, the soil at the Restaurant Depot site does contain some mild contaminants,” said DOE spokesman Will Havemann.

Approximately ten feet of dirty soil will be removed from across the site before construction begins. In addition, building will be equipped with a “barrier system to ensure that no soil contaminants can ever enter the building,” said Havemann. “These controls far exceed the standards observed by private developers, and are precautionary measures taken to make double-sure the school building will be a safe and excellent place to learn.”

Earlier this summer, former City Councilman Thomas Ognibene filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Juniper Park Civic Association and Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together claiming that the SCA withheld information about high levels of toxic substances on the property.

Quality of Life Issues Dominate COP 104 Meeting

By Conor Greene

This month’s COP 104 meeting, held last Wednesday in Maspeth Town Hall, was a quick session because the officers who usually attend were called to an emergency in Glendale.

With Deputy Inspector Keith Green and Community Affairs Officer Tommy Bell called to Glendale to help coordinate the search for a missing 86-year-old man, Lt. Jeffrey Wellbrock took over the meeting duties. Filling in at the last minute, the lieutenant didn’t have details on recent crimes in the area, but provided residents with a chance to air complaints about quality of life issues.

Over the past 28 days, Lt. Wellbrock reported that major crime is up 2.9 percent, but down eight percent so far this year. The only category with a major increase was burglaries, up 25 percent over the past month. Officer Bell later said there is no current break-in pattern within the precinct but noted that Ridgewood remains the hardest hit area.

A resident kicked off the public comment portion of the meeting with a complaint about the pedestrian overpass at the Long Island Expressway near Mazeau Street. She reported drug dealing and drinking at night on the Middle Village side. “Every night he sees it,” she said referring to her husband who routinely walks the dog there. “I wouldn’t even walk over it during the day” due to garbage and debris, she added.

The lieutenant said the precinct would send officers over there to check on the situation.

Next up was Bob Doocey, who related a complaint from a friend who lives on 68th Avenue near 79th Street regarding excessive noise from motorized scooters. “All he hears all night are scooters - he’s being tormented,” said Doocey, adding that the family has a three-year-old baby that is also kept up by the noise.

Dominick Dale from Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s office said a resident called their office with the same complaint. “Obviously there are several issues... This is a serious quality of life issue” that threatens public safety, he said, suggesting tougher legislation regarding seizing scooters might be needed.

In response, Robert Holden of the Juniper Park Civic Association pointed out that the police already can seize vehicles - if they can catch them. “There are not enough cops. The legislation is there,” he said. “However, they’re tough to catch because they buzz around and we don’t have enough cops.”

Roe Daraio, president of Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together told Dale she would like legislation that allows cops to ticket commuter vans illegally operating in local neighborhoods. “If they can ticket trucks for off-route, they should be able to ticket vans.” She said issues with commuter vans include safety concerns, lack of accurate route sheets and instances of access being denied based on race.

The problem of auto repair shops using the sidewalk and street to repair and store vehicles, especially along Flushing Avenue near 61st Street, has again gotten worse, reported Tony Nunziato. “The vehicles are everywhere. You cannot walk down the sidewalk,” he said. “I keep getting calls about it, justifiably... They’re using it as a parking lot.”

Dale said that Crowley’s office tackled the problem several weeks ago, resulting in tickets issued by several agencies and the towing of vehicles. He promised to push agencies including the Sanitation Department to again visit the location. “We will keep doing it until they realize it’s a problem area that needs to be heavily monitored,” he said.

Officer Bell reported this week that the missing man returned to his Glendale home Thursday morning following an exhaustive search.

No Objections Raised During Rezoning Hearing

By Conor Greene

There were no major objections raised Monday during a public hearing on the city’s proposal to downzone 300 blocks in Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale.

Community Board 5 members were expected to vote in favor of the Department of City Planning’s proposal, which is intended to prevent out-of-character development, at its meeting this past Wednesday. Borough President Helen Marshall was scheduled to hold her public hearing on Thursday, which would allow the proposal to then move on to the City Planning Commission for review before the City Council considers adopting it.

Residents and civic leaders have been frustrated that the downzoning effort, which required volunteers to survey the blocks property-by-property, languished for several years before the Department of City Planning (DCP) finally released it for public review last month. Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said she hopes the new zoning measures would become law by early summer.

Once the City Council approves the rezoning, all new development projects would be subject to the updated zoning. Only projects in which the entire foundation is completed before the City Council vote would be allowed to continue under the current zoning, which has been in place since 1961.

The majority of the plan consists of replacing the existing zoning “with newer, lower density and contextual zoning district to more closely reflect the existing built form of the neighborhoods,” according to the DCP. At Monday’s hearing, Queens Director of City Planning John Young called this particular rezoning effort “very complex” and said it will eliminate the developer’s ability to tear down a one-or-two-family home and replace it with a large multi-family building, as is being done now.

“That was what was creating a lot of that overdevelopment pressure,” he said during the session in Christ the King High School. “The benefit for everybody... is that you can more clearly understand what should be happening on a lot.” While the measure isn’t going to prevent all future development, it will ensure that projects conform to what already exists on neighboring properties. “What comes there should look pretty much like the street that it’s on,” said Young.

An environmental assessment conducted by the DCP predicted that the rezoning will result in development on ten sites resulting in a net increase of 66 dwellings, along with a net increase of 13 square feet of commercial space.

The rezoning area is generally bounded by the Long Island Expressway to the north, Woodhaven Boulevard to the east, Forest Park and Mount Carmel Cemetery to the south and 59th Street to the West. City Planner Tom Smith explained that the project has been broken down into four smaller sections: eastern Glendale (20 blocks), western Glendale (90 blocks), Maspeth (125 blocks) and Middle Village (65 blocks).

Following the public hearing, CB 5’s executive committee discussed the proposal before voting 8-1 in favor of it. According to board member Robert Holden, a question was raised about the R5D zoning along Myrtle Avenue, which raises the allowable floor-to-area ration. Smith and Young told the board that the R5D zoning matches the buildings already existing along Myrtle Avenue.

In a statement, Crowley vowed to continue pushing for the rezoning to become law. “Before even taking office, I started working on downzoning because it is necessary for limiting overdevelopment; maintaining and strengthening the value of our homes and protecting the character of our community,” she said. “After three years, I am pleased that at my appeal the Department of City Planning has finally moved forward with the rezoning proposal.”

Specific details of the rezoning plan can be found on the DCP’s homepage by going to nyc.gov. In general, it replaces existing zones (R3-2, R4, R4B, R5, M1-1 and M1-4D) with lower density or contextual zoning districts (R3A, R4-1, R4A, R4B, R5B and R5D).

It also eliminates or reduces the depth of some commercial overlay zones to prevent commercial intrusion on residential blocks. In addition, several commercial overlays were added where appropriate to reflect current land uses and encourage retail continuity along prime shopping streets.

Graphic: A map shows the area included in the proposed rezoning (outlined in yellow), as well as the area rezoned in 2006 (outlined in blue).

Public Review of Downzoning Begins

The formal public review of the long-awaited rezoning of 300 blocks in Middle Village, Maspeth and Glendale began on Tuesday, meaning it could be approved by the fall.

The formal Uniform Land Use Review Process for the proposal began Monday, which gives Community Board 5 60 days to review it. It then goes to Borough President Helen Marshall, the City Planning Commission and finally to the City Council to be approved.

The proposed area to be rezoned is bounded by the Long Island Expressway, Woodhaven Boulevard, Forest Park, Mount Carmel Cemetery, Cypress Hills Cemetery, Fresh Pond Road and 59th Street and is adjacent to three rezonings completed in 2006. Much of the zoning within the area has remained unchanged since 1961 and allows a range of uses and housing types that can be inconsistent with the prevailing lower density character, according to the Department of City Planning.

“Since 2002, the Bloomberg Administration has rezoned 4,000 blocks in Queens to create a sustainable blueprint for the future, protecting neighborhood character and channeling development away from auto-dependent neighborhoods,” said City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden. She said that this downzoning effort is one of the largest rezonings to date in Queens and will protect “three of Queens’ most attractive neighborhoods.”

The rezoning is intended to serve several purposes, including protecting the neighborhoods’ one-and-two family homes by implementing zoning districts that “ensure that new developments match the existing scale and density of surrounding houses.” It will also eliminate infill provisions, which allows for development at a higher density than would otherwise be allowed.

In addition, it provides “modest housing opportunities along Woodhaven Boulevard and Myrtle Avenue” provided that it is consistent with the three-and-four-story mixed-use buildings along those strips. Finally, it will update commercial overlays to reflect the current land uses and “support retail continuity” along shopping areas on Cooper, Myrtle, Flushing, Grand and Metropolitan avenues and Woodhaven Boulevard. Commercial overlays would be eliminated or reduced to prevent commercial intrusion on residential blocks.

“After three years, the Department of City Planning has finally moved forward with the rezoning…” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley in a statement. Since day one in office, I have made rezoning a priority because it is necessary for limiting overdevelopment and to protect the character of our community. I will continue [to push the DCP] and work with the Community Board and Borough President to ensure the rezoning plan is implemented as soon as possible.”

The effort began more than three years ago, when volunteers from the Juniper Park Civic Association and other residents went door-to-door collecting information about the type of development that currently exists. However, the effort then languished, leaving residents frustrated as they watched small modest homes being torn down and replaced by multi-family units.

“It should have started at least two years ago. Since then, almost every block in our neighborhood has been victimized by overdevelopment,” said Robert Holden, president of the JPCA.

Community Board 5 will hold its public hearing on the proposal at a meeting on Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Christ the King High School.

Three Killed in Traffic Accidents

Teen Charged in Forest Hills Wreck, Man Killed on LIE in Maspeth

by Conor Greene

In a deadly 24-hour period for Queens drivers, fatal accidents in Forest Hills and Maspeth claimed three lives in two separate incidents. An unlicensed teenage driver who admitted he was high on marijuana has been arrested in connection with one of the wrecks.

Teen Runs Red Light on Service Road

The carnage began Tuesday morning, when a 17-year-old Forest Hills resident sped through a red light along the Grand Central Parkway service road and slammed into another car, instantly killing a married couple, according to police.

Jacob Chubashvili, 17, slowed as he was approaching the red 5:40 a.m. He then stepped on the gas of the Mercedes-Benz he was driving and swerved around an SUV stopped at the light before colliding with a 2004 Acura. Police said he was going 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone and later admitted to having smoked marijuana before getting behind the wheel. The collision pushed the Acura into a light pole, which split apart the car.

A Kew Gardens couple, Ki Kim, 55, and his wife, Hyekyung Kim, 53, were killed instantly. Later that day, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced that Chubashvili has been charged with two counts of manslaughter, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving without a license, speeding and running a red light.

The teen provided police with a blood sample at the accident scene before being taken to a local hospital with neck and back pain, and the charges could be upgraded based on the results of the blood test. Chubashvili, of 108-50 62nd Drive, has a previous arrest record for robbery and fare evasion, according to reports. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges stemming from Tuesday’s accident.

Hyekyung Kim was a supervisor at the city Administration for Children’s Services and the couple was on their way to work at the time of the wreck, according to reports. “This case will be vigorously prosecuted and should serve as a warning to those who would flout our traffic regulations and put others in danger,” said Brown in a statement.

Minor Fender Bender Leads to Fatal Accident

Less than 24 hours later, a 61-year-old man who exited his car following a minor accident on the Long Island Expressway was struck and killed by a tractor trailer, according to police.

The man, whose name has been withheld pending notification of his family, got in a minor fender bender involving several vehicles at about 3 a.m. near the 69th Street exit in Maspeth, said police. After exchanging information with the other driver, the man pulled into traffic in front of a tractor-trailer, which was unable to stop before slamming into the car.

As of Wednesday morning, police were attempting to reach the man’s next of kin, who they say live in the area. Reports that an ambulance carrying two EMS workers was also involved in the accident were not able to be immediately confirmed.

Note: The online version of this story has been updated.