Douglaston Civic Association • 917-862-3286 • douglaston.civic.association@gmail.com • PO Box 630222, Douglaston, NY 11363
Douglaston Civic Association • 917-862-3286 • douglaston.civic.association@gmail.com • PO Box 630222, Douglaston, NY 11363
Douglaston Civic Association • 917-862-3286 • douglaston.civic.association@gmail.com • PO Box 630222, Douglaston, NY 11363
Douglaston Civic Association • 917-862-3286 • douglaston.civic.association@gmail.com • PO Box 630222, Douglaston, NY 11363
Douglaston Civic Association • 917-862-3286 • douglaston.civic.association@gmail.com • PO Box 630222, Douglaston, NY 11363
MEMBERSHIP
BREAKING NEWS
The Douglaston Civic Association membership dues are due for 2024. If you have not already done so, please take the time to send in your $25 annual household dues and any arrears for 2023.
Mail to:
Douglaston Civic Association
Marie Marsina, Treasurer
PO Box 630222
Douglaston, NY 11363-0222
OR
Pay your $25 membership dues with PayPal
by clicking below:
For an additional contribution:
CALENDAR
2024 DCA Membership and
Board Member meetings:
Tuesday, OCT. 15, 2024 - 7:30pm
Membership Meeting - in person
Community Church of Douglaston -
Fellowship Hall
39-50 Douglaston Parkway
Tuesday, NOV. 19, 2024 - 7:30pm
Annual Membership Meeting - in person
Community Church of Douglaston -
Fellowship Hall
39-50 Douglaston Parkway
NO MEETING HELD IN DECEMBER
JULY AND AUGUST - NO MEETINGS
SCHEDULED
All members are invited to attend Board of Directors (B of D) meetings and raise questions or issues under new business. If the meeting is a Zoom meeting you will need to call the President or Secretary to secure the link and password to join the Zoom call.
October 22, 2024
Douglaston Civic Association Testimony in Opposition to the Mayor’s City of Yes Proposal
By Sean M. Walsh, Esq.
At NYC Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises Council Land Use Hearing
On October 20 & 21, 2024
Thank you for this opportunity to testify in opposition to the Mayor’s City of Yes (Say Yes) proposal. I am testifying today on behalf of the Douglaston Civic Association and in support of the Queens Civic Congress’ statement in opposition. Over the past fifty years, I have served as president of two major civic associations in Queens, served as an officer on Community Boards 3 and 11, have drafted a 197A plan, submitted brief on behalf of the city to the N.Y. Court of Appeals regarding contextual zoning amendments.
There is no question of the need to make residential housing accessible at an affordable price. I agree. Say Yes, however, does not address the underlying factors in the high cost of residential housing. Land is a scarce commodity that singularity contributes to the high price of housing in N.Y. city. Say Yes does not provide a remedy for addressing the singular driving factor in the cost of housing. What Say Yes does is to provide the real estate and construction industries an open license to take the hard-earned property rights of all New Yorkers provided under the Zoning Resolution (ZR) and build with little or no restraint above market rate housing. Say Yes provides increased FAR in exchange for a few residential units but with little restraint to pricing of housing. The first priority in any solution is to preserve the current housing stock that has banked its capital value. The second is to identify plots of land via the ULURP process that can be used to target through ZR text amendments or public/private financing to create specific affordable housing. There is no evidence that the Say Yes proposal would actually reduce rents or building construction costs to create affordable housing. In addition, the City Planning Commission (CPC) use of a sampler approach in drafting its EIS rather than the legally required community-based approach is illegal and will be challenged in the courts. The irony is this will only delay creating affordable housing. If the CPC used ULURP to search and find and target suitable housing solutions, e.g., commercial space conversions, isolated vacant plots for small increases in FAR, compatible community up zoning. The United States west was settled by the government giving land to settlers for free to jump start settlements. The city needs to be more creative in financing living space for its citizens.
A serious question needs to be asked as to why the city is pushing Say Yes, such a draconian expansive plan, for so little a guarantee in return of affordable housing units. There is no evidence that the city has considered any alternative solutions of a more limited impact. The 1961 ZR took some twenty years to write, why then rush a plan that has an inadequate EIS and lacks supporting evidence for its drastic changes. The financial impact of Say Yes on the rich diverse population of Queens would be devastating especially on the racial/ethnic communities. Therefore, we have no confidence in the underlying premise CPC presents or the integrity of the process; we ask that the U.S. Department investigate this matter.
Sincerely,
Sean Walsh
President
October 19, 2024
"City of Yes" Presentation and Important information and dates
Dear Colleagues,
Please take a moment to click on this link to read the Queens Civic Congress updates, calendar of events and instructions to help defeat the City of Yes (CoY) proposals. This is the most important time for you to take action. Inaction may very well lead to the CoY being passed and our neighborhoods forever urbanized.
A link is also provided for you to sign up for the all-important City Council Zoning Committee. hearing (October 22nd), which you can sign up to attend in person or via Zoom (the latter is probably best for most of us). If somehow you cannot attend the hearing, please write a letter to the Zoning Committee now or within 3 days after the hearing.
If you click on “Paul Graziano Presentation” you will be linked to Paul’s brief but well written notes that will help you to formulate testimony or a letter to the committee. Please read closely, as his primer makes the subject clear and provides specific directions for you to write your own statement, while still reflecting the common goals we share across the city to stop this extinction level event from crushing our communities.
For the past 20+ years I have been a civic activist focusing primarily on zoning and land-use issues in our beloved community. City of Yes is the single greatest threat I have ever seen to our quality and way of life. Please join us in stopping City of Yes.
Yours truly,
Paul
______________
Paul DiBenedetto
Chair, Queens Community Board 11
October 9, 2024
"City of Yes" Final Showdown!
Tuesday October 22
On Tuesday October 22 the City Council will hold a public hearing and then vote on Mayor Adams' disastrous "City of Yes" plan that would eliminate One-Family Zoning and drastically affect our eastern Queens neighborhoods. The Mayor's legal problems make it more likely that the plan can be defeated or substantially scaled back in the Council.
CLICK HERE to read the email from Paul Graziano of Save1FamilyNY, who has spearheaded opposition to the plan, for more information on contacting wavering Councilmembers and signing up to testify against the plan.
September 13, 2024
PRESS RALLY
Say "NO to the "City of Yes"
Monday, September 16th at 5pm
212th Street & 38th Ave
Bayside, NY
(just north of the Bayside LIRR)
NY State Assemblyman Ed Braunstein is holding a Press Conference. The City of Yes Proposal will forever urbanize our low-density neighborhoods and ruin the quality of life that we and our families enjoy in our great city.
Please try to attend. Let's show up in numbers to send a strong message of unity to the Mayor and City Council.
Street parking is limited, please arrive early.
URGENT MESSAGE
City of Yes Queens Borough President's Hearing: Register to testify August 8 at 10am!
There will be a City of Yes for Housing Opportunity hearing at Queens Borough Hall at 10am on Thursday, August 8. You may testify in person or via Zoom. The link to attend virtually is below.
Queens BP City of Yes Zoom signup
Speaking time can also be arranged by calling (718) 286-2860 between 9am to 5pm prior to the date of the hearing.
Written testimony is welcome from those unable to testify live. All written testimony must be received by 5pm. on Thursday, August 8, 2024 and may be submitted by e-mail to planning2@queensbp.nyc.gov or by conventional mail sent to the Office of the Queens Borough President at 120-55 Queens Boulevard - Room 226, Kew Gardens, NY 11424.
If you are a resident of Queens, please attend and let the BP know how you feel about this disaster that he supports.
Thanks for your time and effort.
Paul Graziano
July 9, 2024
URGENT MESSAGE
We must all speak up on July 10 at the City of Yes City Planning Commission Hearing. There will be a vote before the City Council latter this summer, but we need to show strength in opposition Now!
Join via Zoom and give your public testimony:
· To show that we will not be silenced and fooled by the propaganda and lies in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity being put forth by Mayor Adams, Dan Garodnick and the City Planning Commission.
· We need to communicate to the City Council, journalists, and other interested parties that we are 100% opposed to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, which will cause wholesale destruction and elimination of our communities.
· It is incumbent upon all of us to show up, speak out and participate in this process. This is not a theoretical exercise, so we have the most to lose. We live in our neighborhoods - and we vote!
Please tell your friends and neighbors to sign up as soon as the Zoom link becomes available will be on Wednesday, July 10th around 9am. Details in the email below.
If you have any questions or comments, get in touch with Paul Graziano asap at save1familyny.org or President Sean Walsh at DCA email below.
See arguments you may use below. SMW
For the full notice and links, please read the PDF at this link.
The City Planning Commission (CPC), acting as lead agency, issued a Notice of Completion on April 26, 2024
for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal in
accordance with Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law. A public hearing on the DEIS will be held
on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 10:00 AM in conjunction with the CPC’s public hearing.
To continue to allow for broad public participation, the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) will
hold the public hearing accessible both in-person and remotely via the teleconferencing application Zoom.
Comments are requested on the DEIS and will be accepted through 5:00 PM, July 22, 2024.
To join the meeting and comment, please visit the NYC Engage site, https://www.nyc.gov/engage.
If you would like to register to testify via phone, need assistance with technical issues, or have any questions
about participation you may call any of the phone numbers listed below, then enter the following Meeting ID.
(877) 853-5247 (Toll-free)
(888) 788-0099 (Toll-free)
(213) 338-8477 (Toll)
(253) 215-8782 (Toll)
Then enter the following meeting ID and password when prompted.
Meeting ID: 618 237 7396
Password: 1
[The Participant ID can be skipped by pressing #]
Instructions on how to participate, as well as materials relating to the hearing, will be posted on the
NYC Engage site on the day of the Public Hearing, no later than 1 hour prior to the hearing.
To help the meeting host effectively manage members of the public who sign up to comment, those who do not
intend to actively participate are invited to watch the livestream or the recording that will be posted after the
meeting. The Public Hearing livestream can be found in the above referenced NYC Engage site and will be
made available on the day of the Public Hearing.
Comments are requested on the DEIS and will be accepted through 5:00 pm, Monday, July 22, 2024. They can
be submitted via email to 24DCP033Y_DL@planning.nyc.gov or mailed to Stephanie Shellooe, AICP, Director,
Environmental Assessment and Review Division, New York City Department of City Planning, 120 Broadway,
31st Floor, New York, New York 10271
City of Yes - Call to Action on July 10th!
After two months of Community Board hearings and votes on the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, that part of the process has finally come to a close.
The work that we have put in to make it clear to Community Boards across the city about our total opposition to this apocalyptic package of proposed citywide zoning changes has paid off.
· In every borough outside of Manhattan, a large majority of boards has voted NO.
· In Staten Island, it’s unanimous opposition from Community Boards – 3 out of 3.
· In Queens, 12 of 14 Boards voted No.
· In the Bronx, which had a majority in favor of the Economic Opportunity package, it’s 7 No, 4 Yes with 1 that hasn’t voted.
· And, in Brooklyn, where we are still waiting for a complete tally, we know that a majority have voted NO.
The deadline for the Community Boards and Borough Presidents to file their votes and testimony to the City Planning Commission is Monday, July 8th.
We thought that this process would continue in September at the City Planning Commission. However, they had other plans.
Last Wednesday, the City Planning Commission stealthily announced that they will have their (most likely sole) public hearing on Wednesday, July 10th at 10am (see below and here).
We already know that the City Planning Commission intends to vote in favor of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.
It’s their proposal and, based on what happened back in March when they had their hearing on the Economic Opportunity portion of the City of Yes, they will pretend that the Community Boards and Public were mostly in favor and approve it with extremely minor changes.
Regardless of how they will vote, we MUST show up in force to this hearing, testify and tell them EXACTLY WHAT WE THINK OF THE CITY OF YES FOR HOUSING OPPORTUNITY!
However, don’t bother going to the hearing in person. Sitting for 6 hours or more in their small hearing room in order to testify for two minutes is, frankly, a waste of your time.
Like the previous Economic Opportunity hearing, this one will be hybrid – in-person and on Zoom – so you will be able to get in your two minutes by Zoom. However, if you are testifying by Zoom, they will not give the actual Zoom information or link out until one hour or so before the hearing - at 9am on Wednesday, July 10th.
It’s important for us to give our public testimony for at least three reasons:
· To show that we will not be silenced and fooled by the propaganda and lies in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity being put forth by Mayor Adams, Dan Garodnick and the City Planning Commission.
· We need to communicate to the City Council, journalists and other interested parties that we are 100% opposed to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, which will cause wholesale destruction and elimination of our communities.
· We must be on the public record and our voices need to be heard. If this ultimately does pass at the City Council, it will be part of any lawsuit that we file against the city due to the Department of City Planning's clearly and purposefully deficient Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that is the basis of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.
Here are a few tips to testifying on Zoom:
· Be brief and to the point. Make sure that you keep your remarks specific and short as they will switch your microphone off when the bell marks two minutes. Try to time your testimony beforehand on a stopwatch so that you keep it shorter than that so you can get all of your points across.
· Stay focused on our common concerns - we are all in this together. Our position has been that we are 100% opposed to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity and that this is non-negotiable, as each and every part of the proposed zoning text will destroy our communities across the city - particularly lower-density, but high-density areas as well. Keeping our testimony clear and focused should be the goal, including such key issues as reminding them that we know it’s not going to create affordable housing of any kind, will replace owner-occupied housing with market-rate rental units, increase density without infrastructure and ultimately end enforcement of illegal apartments throughout the city.
· Most of all, keep it local. If you are the president, officer or other representative of a civic, homeowner or other umbrella organization, make sure that you identify the organization and how many households you represent in your geographical area (not your paid membership). Also make sure that you identify your neighborhood and what borough you’re from. In other words, please tailor your testimony to your own neighborhoods as much as possible to show how economically and demographically diverse communities with different building types and occupancy (one-family, two-family, rowhouses, garden apartments, coops, etc.) will be affected.
It is incumbent upon all of us to show up, speak out and participate in this process. This is not a theoretical exercise, so we have the most to lose. We live in our neighborhoods - and we vote! Please tell your friends and neighbors to sign up as soon as the Zoom link becomes available. This will be on Wednesday, July 10th around 9am.
If you have any other questions or comments, get in touch with me this week!
Best,
Paul Graziano
For the full notice and links, please read the PDF at this link.
The City Planning Commission (CPC), acting as lead agency, issued a Notice of Completion on April 26, 2024 for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal in accordance with Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law. A public hearing on the DEIS will be held on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 10:00 AM in conjunction with the CPC’s public hearing.
To continue to allow for broad public participation, the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) will hold the public hearing accessible both in-person and remotely via the teleconferencing.
MAY 29, 2024
SAY "NO" TO THE CITY OF YES!
URGENT ACTION NEEDED NOW!
SHOW UP SAVE YOUR HOMES! NOW IS THE TIME TO COME TO THE AID OF YOUR DOULASTON!
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! STOP THE GREATEST LAND SWINDLE IN THE HISTORY OF NY CITY! SAVE OUR ONE & TWO FAMILY HOMES
RALLY
JOIN US AND 100s OF CIVICS FROM ACROSS THE CITY:
CITY HALL PARK
FRIDAY, MAY 31st 2024
10:45 am
Rally Rain or Shine
Information Contact: queensresidents@hotmail.com
Douglaston Civic Association, the QCC, and hundreds of civics across New York City are sponsoring this event.
This is not “Affordable Housing” that is so desperately needed but about rewarding political supporters.
MAY 22, 2024
LONG ISLAND SOUND STUDY
If you Live, Work, or Play in the Long Island Sound Region, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Join us for the upcoming in-person or virtual Public Engagement Sessions.
Tuesday, May 28th from 2-4pm or 6-8pm at the
Alley Pond Environmental Center, Queens. NY
CLICK HERE for more information
April 19, 2024
CLICK HERE TO READ THE LATEST QUEENS CHRONICLE ARTICLE:
"TEXT UPDATED FOR CITY OF YES HOUSING PLAN"
April 11, 2024
DOUGLASTON CIVIC ASSOCIATION TESTIMONY BY SEAN LYNCH IN OPPOSITION TO "CITY OF YES".
New York City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises public hearing regarding the Mayor’s “City of Yes” zoning initiative Monday, April 8, 2024, at 10:30 am. Douglaston Civic Association Testimony by Sean M. Walsh in opposition.
We represent 12,000 residents and hundreds of businesses in Douglaston. This proposal and the residential piece which is scheduled to come before you later this year are allegedly to solve the housing shortage. But in fact, it exasperates the housing shortage by increasing costs and thereby residential and commercial rents. The City of Yes for Economic Opportunity 18 proposals will destroy our neighborhoods if this becomes law. Two-thirds of the Community Boards across the city have voted against the City of Yes proposal and others put significant qualifiers on their approvals. Increasing density without lowering the land costs via public participation, e.g., Mitchell-Lama will not help businesses or renters. We don’t want every corner on every residential block to potentially have 2,500 square feet of commercial or office development. (Proposal #16). CPC notes the empty store fronts but then in this proposal increases commercial FAR. This does not address affordable housing. No EIS has been conducted on this proposal as required by law. So, this is coming right back to you from the courts, so don’t waste time housing can’t wait let’s get this right. You have the power to reject this and send it back to City Planning to be developed in coordination with local communities throughout the city. Local communities know best what businesses need expansion or contraction in to relation to expanded residential space. This is an election issue for us. Cut local business taxes and You build affordable housing and increase the minimum wage these are the things that matter to solve the housing crisis. Preservation of our current housing stock is critical to increasing the economics of rentals.
We stand ready to sit down and evaluate what is best for businesses and residents in each community, this is not a one size shoe fits all solution. Ask yourselves other than real estate developers and construction workers who has asked for these particular changes, local business people or renters or home owners did not. Beware of New Yorkers voting with their feet, let’s be constructive and work together.
Some specifics objections are: we don’t need large parcels of residential land to be able to build 15,000 square feet of commercial development. (Proposal #15) We don’t need every residential unit in the city, whether it’s an apartment or private house, to have the ability to become a commercial business with up to 3 employees! (Proposal #11). SMW
April 11, 2024
BUILD THE BLOCK
Meet your Neighborhood Coordination Officers and discuss your public safety concerns on April 16th at 7:30pm.
Location:
39-50 Douglaston Parkway
The Community Church of Douglaston
(hosted with the Douglaston Civic Association)
CLICK HERE for flyer.
March 1, 2024
SAY NO TO MAYOR ADAMS "CITY OF YES" PROPOSAL
CALL OR WRITE AN OPPOSITION LETTER TODAY
It is urgent that you write a letter today to Mayor Adams, Community Board 11 and our elected officials opposing this proposal. CLICK HERE to download a sample letter.
Scroll down to read more details about this proposal.
URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL DOUGLASTON RESIDENTS
Click here to read map of Present R1-R6 Zoning impacted
Click here to read the City of Yes - Housing Opportunity in
Queens County - Douglaston & Little Neck - Brief Study and Analysis
Click here to read "SAY NO TO CITY OF YES!
Click here to read City of Yes - Economic Opportunity Presentation
Click here to read City of Yes - Economic Opportunity Short Responses to 18 Proposals
Click here to read the draft scope of work.
CB 11 Hearing on Mayor Adam's City of Yes Proposal
Click here to read Sean Walsh, President of the Douglaston Civic Association, statement on behalf of the Douglaston Residents.
February 16, 2024
SAVE THE DATE!
Dear friends and supporters,
The Udalls Cove Preservation Committee will hold its 55th Annual Shoreline, Wetlands and Woodlands Cleanup on Saturday morning, April 13, 2024. We look forward to welcoming many of you to this event.
To our esteemed elected and government officials, we hope that you will be able to join us during our brief Annual Meeting starting at 10:00 AM on April 13. If so, we invite you to say a few words to our members and volunteers.
Details about the event will be included in follow-up emails closer to the date, on our Facebook page, and in our annual newsletter that will be published in early March.
Best regards,
Walter Mugdan, President
Udalls Cove Preservation Committee
917-832-0208 (mobile)
February 10, 2024
PLEASE VOTE, IT IS YOUR RIGHT AND DUTY
Click here to view the District 03 Election Debate aired on Channel 12 on February 8th with Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip.
February 5, 2024
CITY SAYS YES TO GAMBLING, NOT HOUSING OR PARKS. WE SAY NO.
Next week is going to be a BIG moment to stop the Citi Field casino and launch Phoenix Meadows! FED-UP is participating in two key events and NEED our supporters, partners and allies to raise their voice and make your presence known---join us in person (if you are able) and help to spread the word! The events are:
Sat, Feb 2nd 12-2pm---Lippman Plaza
Join FADA and FED-UP for a march from Flushing to Citi Field to call for a stop to the casino project and start to Phoenix Meadows! The march will begin at Lippman Plaza (39th Ave between Main St and Union St) and will end by the Mets-Willets Point 7 train. Here's the link to RSVP. Hope to see you there!
FED-UP presenting at Ramos Town Hall:
Wed, Feb 7th 6:30pm---NYSCI
Join us and spread the word for Sen Ramos' town hall on Wed, Feb 7th at 6:30pm at the NY Hall of Science. FED-UP will present the Phoenix Meadows Vision Plan alongside Steve Cohen's team presenting their casino plan. This is an all-hands-on-deck, loudest-voice-wins kind of event. Bring your family! Tell your friends! We'll have snacks!
Click here for the March to Stop the Casino! flyer
January 27, 2024
WHERE ARE ALL THE RED LIGHT CAMERAS AND SPEED CAMERAS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
In a service to our members, DCA is sharing this site (CLICK HERE) from the Internet that shows the current location of all red light and speed cameras in the Metropolitan area. (Red Light Cameras are in red, Speed Cams are in green.)
Click here for sample page of Douglaston-Little Neck locations. However you can search other locations, and the map is scalable to allow you to view a larger area or target a more tailored local view.
We hope this will help you drive safely.
January 5, 2024
COMMENTS - QUEENS BUS NETWORK REDESIGN PROPOSED FINAL PLAN RELEASED TODAY
Click here to read Comments on the elimination of the QM3, Express bus from Douglaston/Little Neck area to Midtown Manhattan – provided by Barbara Linton, Douglaston Civic Association board member, on behalf of our community.
January 3, 2024
QUEENS BUS NETWORK REDESIGN PROPOSED FINAL PLAN RELEASED TODAY
Today the MTA released the next report in the Queens Bus Network Redesign initiative, the Proposed Final Plan.
In this Plan we further refine the Queens bus network to address the needs of our stakeholders while balancing trade-offs and using network redesign strategies to achieve our customer priorities: Reliable Service, Faster Travel, Better Connections, and Simplified Service.
As a Queens stakeholder, we hope you can join us for one of our virtual briefings where we will provide a borough-wide overview of the Proposed Final Plan and discuss our public outreach timeline and process for customer and community input. There will be four quadrant-based briefings where we will take a deeper dive into the route proposals in each quadrant. If you cannot attend your quadrant briefing in December.
In the new year we will conduct several months of outreach. We’ve requested time to present to all Queens community boards and will host a series of MTA outreach events. All events and materials will be published to the project website. Stakeholders will also have several months to review and comment on their trips prior to the MTA holding a public hearing.
We look forward to continuing the conversation to improve bus service with Queens customers and stakeholders and look forward to your continued participation in this process.
Thank you,
The Queens Bus Network Redesign Team
December 12, 2023
HOCHUL UNVEILS MASTER PLAN TO BRING 2,800 HOUSING UNITS TO CREEDMOOR CAMPUS IN EASTERN QUEENS
Click here to read a summary of the plans.
November 29, 2023
URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL DOUGLASTON RESIDENTS
Click here to read map of Present R1-R6 Zoning impacted
Click here to read the City of Yes - Housing Opportunity in
Queens County - Douglaston & Little Neck - Brief Study and Analysis
Click here to read "SAY NO TO CITY OF YES!
Click here to read City of Yes - Economic Opportunity Presentation
Click here to read City of Yes - Economic Opportunity Short Responses to 18 Proposals
Click here to read the draft scope of work.
CB 11 Hearing on Mayor Adam's City of Yes Proposal
Click here to read Sean Walsh, President of the Douglaston Civic Association, statement on behalf of the Douglaston Residents.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
QNS Op-Ed: Any Creedmoor plan must serve the needs of eastern Queens
by Corey Beak and Bryan Block
For several years, the communities of eastern Queens have engaged in discussions with our community leaders, our local and state elected officials and Empire State Development (ESD) about possible reuse of 55 acres of land on the state’s Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus. We long recognized the campus as a resource for eastern Queens and took steps to ensure any reuses served the needs of our communities.
That remains the case today with the plan we developed, Queens Community Board 13 adopted and we shared with ESD and our elected city and state officials. It would create housing that enables our seniors and our young adults to choose to remain in eastern Queens. At the same time, it allows for more practical use of our existing housing stock for families who seek the variety of housing (one- and two-family homes, co-operatives and rentals) that already exists throughout eastern Queens.
While Creedmoor has a Queens Village address, the parcels deemed surplus lie within Bellerose and Queens Community Board 13, which hugs the Queens-Nassau border from the Grand Central Parkway south to the JFK Airport (which is considered to sit within the community district bounds). Community District 13 includes Bellaire, Bellerose, Brookville, Cambria Heights, Floral Park, Glen Oaks, Laurelton, Meadowmere, New Hyde Park, North Shore Towers, Queens Village, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Warnerville and Wayanda.
That process led to neighborhood leaders including Community Board 13 Chair Bryan Block convening to discuss options for developing the surplus Creedmoor parcels as 2023 began. We presented the plan to Community Board 13’s Land Use Committee, which submitted a resolution to the full board and was adopted based on our plan.
We identified six priorities:
1. Serve needs of community first
2. Low to medium density scale of development
3. Utilize wherever possible existing building exteriors and possible interiors
4. Adequate parking consistent with uses
5. Adequate public transit
6. Environmental remediation of entire south campus
We identified five needs:
1. Senior housing
2. Veteran’s housing and services
3. Use housing forms compatible and consistent in character with the community including co-ops, single family and two family homes
4. Starter housing including studios for our young adults and families
5. Recreation center serving intergenerational needs including a pool
No one should be surprised by what we found objectionable (prisons; juvenile detention centers, homeless shelters, buildings above four stories and big box retail stores) at that location which abuts P.S. 18Q, P.O. Officer Joseph Gunn Playground, the Hollis – Bellaire – Queens Village – Bellerose Little League field complex, various nonprofit human services programs and lies within a few blocks of Martin Van Buren High School, the Glen Oaks School Campus (High School for the Teaching Profession, P.S./I.S. 208, P.S./I.S. 266) and Alley Pond Park.
The Glen Oaks Campus schools directly resulted from our community work on a 1997 Civic Master Plan for Creedmoor under the aegis of the Queens Civic Congress, when the Pataki administration sought to commercially develop the then part of the Creedmoor campus. That development met and to this day serves a compelling community need. Housing schemes pressed by those outside this community board make no sense in eastern Queens. That model got developed in concert with those communities and fails to address the needs and priorities Queens Community Board 13 approved and presented to ESD and our elected officials.
Some 25 years later, our communities seek to serve today’s needs using our community’s resource and the entire City will benefit as a result.
Corey Bearak, a co-founder of the Queens Civic Congress, is a Community Board 13 member over 30 years, member of its Land Use Committee, acting President of North Bellerose Civic Association and chair the Board of Services Now for Adult Persons, Inc
Bryan Block serves as Chair of Queens Community Board 13 and is President of the Cambria Heights Civic Association
Click here to read the QNA Op-Ed article with images
APRIL 23, 2023
DCA DEFEATS GOVERNOR' AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN
DCA received confirmation from the N.Y. Legislature that Governor Hockul’s Affordable Housing Plan was defeated. While the Legislature will continue to discuss multiple budgetary issues over the coming weeks, her proposal to phase out one family homes, expand multiple dwelling with no height restrictions, and giving amnesty to illegal basement apartments has been pulled out of the budget. This was not an affordable housing plan but a boondoggle for the real estate interests.
The DCA was a major force in taking on the Governor and the real estate money interests supporting it. The DCA forged an alliance with key legislators throughout the entire state and various civic and good government groups. DCA hosted the first meeting here at the Douglaston Club to an overflow crowd sending a strong message to Albany. No!
I want to extend a special thank you to our elected officials who stood their ground against intense pressure from the real estate interests. We would not have been successful without their advocacy on our behalf: Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, Chair Cities Committee; Senator Toby Stavisky; as well as neighboring elected officials: Senator John Liu; Senator Joe Addabbo; Senator Leroy Comrie S.E. Queens: and so many Mayors and Supervisors from L.I. and upstate.
In additional but just as important, I want to thank the leadership from the following civic leaders who stood with me: leader Paul Graziano, Save One Family & Leader; Walter Mugdan, Westmoreland Civic; Paul DiBenedetto, Chair CB 11; Warren Schreiber, Pres. Queens Civic Congress; and many others. Today we won a great victory because we worked together and had facts on our side. The issue of providing affordable housing remains, we need to address it with effective policies that are transparent, Thank You.
Sean M. Walsh, President
APRIL 7, 2023
DON'T FALL FOR SCAMS.
Criminals are impersonating Con Edison to get money or your personal information.
Know how to recognize a scam and protect yourself:
1. Con Edison doesn’t accept payments via Venmo, Zelle, CashApp or Bitcoin. Hang up on anyone calling and asking for Con Edison payments by these methods.
2. Asking for ID isn’t rude, it’s safe. If someone comes to your door, claiming to be from Con Edison, call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633) and confirm the employee’s name and ID number.
3. Make payments safely. We accept online payments through conEd.com and conEd.com/GuestPayment.
4. We will never ask to see your bill. Never share your account number or show your bill to someone at your door.
5. If you’re not sure an email is really from Con Edison, don’t click on any links.
Suspect a Scammer?
Call the police. Then call us: 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).
Click here for more information on how to recognize a scam.