By Dustin Brown
Emotions ran high during a Juniper Park Civic meeting last Thursday as people who lived for decades in the shadow of a pair of towering Elmhurst gas tanks demanded a voice in deciding what will become of the now-vacant property.
“We’re hoping that Keyspan does the right thing,” said Robert Holden, the president of the civic group, during a town meeting that drew more than 200 people to hear Keyspan’s presentation about what may come of the site.
Keyspan, the energy company that owns the property, solicited proposals in July from developers interested in purchasing the six-acre plot, which sits on Grand Avenue by 80th Street in Elmhurst, near the Maspeth border. The tanks had been built in the early part of last century to store natural gas and were demolished a few years ago after new technology had rendered them obsolete.
But last Thursday’s presentation by Scott Panzer, a real estate consultant with Newmark, drew outrage from people who insisted Keyspan give something back to the community by donating the land and transforming it into a park.
“If we need legislation, if we need public relations at any level, I am prepared to take all the appropriate steps so this community is not victimized,” state Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale) declared before a backdrop of applause.
Ed Yutkowitz, a spokesman for Keyspan, said the company is considering the input gathered at the civic and other meetings as it weighs options for the site.
“We were there to listen. We understand, we appreciate the community’s concerns,” Yutkowitz said Monday. “We try to be as responsive as we can.”
Keyspan will likely select a buyer sometime in November and close on the sale early next year, Panzer said.
The 11 bids Keyspan received within its target value range of $11 million to $14 million fell into four categories: a manufacturing facility; a “big box” type of retailer such as Home Depot; a mixed-use commercial center that could merge stores with a movie theater, hotel or residential buildings; and a neighborhood of homes.
Civic leaders have eyed the property for some time as an ideal site for a youth center or other neighborhood use, and many of the proposals submitted for the site incorporate a community facility or park into a corner of the property.
But Panzer said the community should come to a consensus about what it wants to see on the property.
“There still seems to be some disconnect as far as what exactly should go on the portion of the site that’s community related,” Panzer said. “If you cannot agree, nothing’s going to happen there.”
Another civic group, Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together, has advocated for a shopping center while members of Juniper voiced support for a housing development during their September meeting.
But Juniper civic leaders took their demands a step further last Thursday, saying they were not satisfied with the idea of only securing a portion of the property for the community.
“We want all six acres and we want a park,” said Lorraine Sciulli, a co-vice president of the civic.
“I think that Keyspan ought to, on its own volition, donate a portion of the property — at least make us an offer — for use for the betterment of the community,” said U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills).
Juniper civic leaders mailed a survey to all residents living within a quarter mile of the site, and the 430 responses received showed overwhelming support for establishing a park — ranked first by 76 percent of respondents. The clear runner-up was a residential development, while a mall and superstore received only a few dozen votes each.
“They have a moral obligation. Talk to us about what Keyspan is giving back at this point,” said Manny Caruana of Maspeth. “I have a problem when a realtor speaks for Keyspan. We’re the ones that have to suffer the consequences of that sale. We suffered with those tanks all these years.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
