By Alexander Dworkowitz
The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals voted unanimously Tuesday to allow a Korean church in Flushing to use a parking lot it had created illegally.
The city’s decision came despite recommendations from Community Board 7 and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall against allowing the Korean Presbyterian Church at 143-17 Franklin Ave. to use the lot.
BSA’s vote officially legalized an 18-spot lot that has been a point of contention in Flushing for several years.
Founded in 1983, the Korean Presbyterian Church’s membership has surged in recent years, climbing to about 4,000.
With the growing membership, many parishioners had trouble finding parking spots, especially during Sunday services. The church, which provides 60 spots on its own property and 46 spots on a separate lot, acquired a piece of property across Franklin Avenue with the goal of building a third parking area.
In 1998, the church knocked down two homes located on opposite ends of the purchased property and paved the lot without getting the proper variance.
“That was something that happened without our knowledge,” said the Rev. Moses Kim, a pastor at the church. “We trusted in our architect. We thought that he was doing everything under the law.”
Earlier this year, the city learned that the church was using property for a parking lot in an area zoned for residential use. The church applied for a variance and in April stopped using the lot.
On May 13, the variance came before Community Board 7. Dozens of members of the church appeared before the board, many of whom struck an apologetic tone. The Rev. Francis Chang, also a pastor at the church, conceded the church and its neighbors had a tumultuous relationship but also stressed the need for parking.
Neighbors and civic leaders challenged Chang, pointing to the church as another example of a religious institution expanding in Flushing without consent from the community.
The board voted against the variance, 33-5.
With state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) opposed to legalizing the lot, Marshall also decided against the church.
“The relatively small number of parking spaces yielded is not proportionate to the harm done to the neighborhood,” the borough president wrote to BSA.
Marshall instead suggested the church develop a long range parking plan and look to carpooling, mass transit and expansion of its van service to accommodate parishioners.
Four days before the BSA decision, Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin (D-Flushing) and the Waldheim Civic Association staged a protest in front of the parking lot.
“We welcome new churches to the community, but we have to say, when it comes to the parking problem, when it comes to the quality- of- life problems, enough is enough,” said McLaughlin.
A group of about a dozen protesters braved the rain to display signs that read “People, not Parking” and “No way BSA.”
“If they were the pope, I’d go fight them,” said Jean Wong, vicepresident of Waldheim. “This is totally unfair. They mow [the houses] down like they’re nothing.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
