Warehouse Plans Unveiled for St. Savior's but Fight Continues for Parkland

By Tamara Best

A plan to build warehouses on the former St. Saviour’s property suffered a temporary setback this week when the city rejected site plans, leaving the future of the Maspeth site up in the air.

Property owner Maspeth Development LLC recently unveiled plans and applied to the city for permits needed to construct four one-story units on the 1.5-acre property at 57th Road and 58th Street.

According to city Department of Building records, a plan exam for the property was rejected on Monday. A department representative said a rejection of plans generally results in a series of meetings between the applicant and examiner’s office so that necessary changes can be made.

Area civic leaders and elected officials were hoping the land would be converted into much-needed greenspace for area residents.

“Maspeth has about 12 acres of parkland in total for about 40,000 residents and that is really not adequate,” said local activist Christina Wilkinson. “And the ones we do have are more geared toward active recreation, where the Maspeth site could be passive. I think this would be a good opportunity for the city to plan a park for the site. We don’t need anymore warehouses, we have plenty.”

Wilkinson said she hopes that the owner will consider “coming to the table” to talk with the city about selling the property.
“I'm willing to work with anyone, but we're moving forward,” property owner Scott Kushnick, recently told the New York Daily News. “The city cannot come up with the money, and I have my back against the wall.”

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) allocated $500,000 towards acquisition of the land, in addition to more than $1 million from Borough President Helen Marshall.

“Maspeth has been under served when it comes to park space and we need to seize on this opportunity to invest in open space for the residents of Maspeth,” said Crowley. “I hope the owners of the property see this commit- ment and begin negotiations to sell the prop- erty to the city as soon as possible.”

Dan Andrews, spokesman Marshall, said the borough president is committed to trying to acquire the land for park use.
“It’s an ongoing process, it’s been give and take,” he said on Wednesday in reference to attempts to acquire the land from the current developer.

It is unclear how much Kushnick would ask for the property and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful this week.

The Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) previously rallied to save the church from being demolished, securing funding from the offices of Marshall and Crowley. The church was dis- mantled and is currently in storage until it can be rebuilt, either at land in Middle Village donated by All-Faiths Cemetery, or back at its original home in Maspeth.

At a July 2009 civic meeting, JPCA President Bob Holden, told members, “St. Saviour’s was just minutes – literally minutes – from demolition... We were all out there preparing for the worst, and then the miracle happened.”

And civic leaders like Wilkinson said they are once again hopeful that another miracle occurs and the land will be saved.

JPCA Tackles Crime, Trash Trains and West Nile

By Tamara Best

Crime, the transporting of trash through the area and preventing West Nile virus were key discussions at the Juniper Park Civic Association meeting held last week.

Crime in the 104th Precinct

Crime is up 34 percent for the year, according to Lt. James Lombardi of the 104th Precinct. Felony assault is up 65 percent for the year, of which nearly half of the assaults are domestic related. Grand larceny continues to plague the 104, with Toyota Highlanders and vans popular targets. Lombardi said the precinct has received intelligence that the vans being stolen are being used in South Jamaica as dollar vans. There is some good news however, as robberies and burglaries are on the decline.

The civic association recognized Lt. Lombardi with the 2010 Community Service Award for his work.

Garbage Train

Ashley Pillsbury, legislative director for Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), gave an update on legislation aimed at changing the way trains haul waste through the area. Of the four bills, Pillsbury said two are alive and well.

Bill 10819 requires that anytime the MTA enters into a lease agreement with another company, that they insert terms and conditions up to set environmental standards about how waste is carried while on their line. Bill 10176 spells out requirements for how waste must be covered, before it can leave a waste transfer station. Both of the bills are in the rules committee, which is the last step before a bill reaches the floor for a vote. Pillsbury said she is confident that they will be voted on before the end of the year.

Two other bills, one dealing with emergency response and the other with penalties, will not resume discussions until next year due to their committees not meeting.

The first bill would create an enhanced penalty structure for companies not adhering to environmental standards when hauling waste. The second would require a shipping company to pay a municipality anytime an emergency response is called to where a hauler is shipping waste.

West Nile concerns

With the start of West Nile virus season here, John Zuzworsky from the Department of Health spoke to residents on the importance of being vigilant against the virus.

“People have stopped being worried and that is not good,” he said.

To help protect homes from breeding mosquitoes Zuzworsky and the department advise residents to dump out anything that has standing for water. Zuzworsky said that water that stands for four days or more provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Residents should also make sure that windows and doors have screens and make repairs to any leaky faucets or broken screens.