By Courtney Dentch
A proposal to build a six-story subsidized apartment building on Sutphin Boulevard won narrow approval from Community Board 12 last week despite complaints from neighbors that the structure would change the character of the community.
The board voted 18-12 at its May 21 meeting in favor of an application from Women of Faith Inc., a Jamaica-based non-profit social concern group, for the zoning variance to construct the building at 109-37 Sutphin Blvd. The building would contain 34 units for low-income families.
The proposal asked for an exception to the zoning regulation for the lot, now a mixed commercial and residential area, to allow for a taller building than permitted under the rule, said Eric Palatnik, an attorney for the project. The plans call for a six-story building, about 54 feet tall, he said.
Some board members, including the majority of the Land Use committee, were concerned the height would overshadow the homes in the area, which stand about 20 feet tall, said Cardinal Sandiford, the Land Use chairman. The committee recommended the board deny the application.
“It will dwarf everyone out,” said board member Maylean Brown Thompson. “We do not want to upset the people who invested so much money in where they are.”
The building would feature on-site laundry and recreation facilities, and a rooftop garden would be open to tenants, Palatnik said. But neighbors said the lack of other services in the community would force the residents to leave the area to buy food or go to a bank.
“This is detrimental to the neighborhood,” said Helen Williams, of 109th Road. “We don't have a bank there, we don't have a supermarket there. It's just not feasible.”
The building would offer subsidized apartments containing one to four bedrooms and ranging in price from $425 to $1,590 a month in rent, Palatnik said.
“Our goal is to provide a high-quality level development,” he said. “Here is something to let people get the services they need and stay in the community.”
That argument convinced many board members to support the project.
“We've got to provide a place for these young people to live,” said board member Brian Simon. “If we want them to behave like people, we have to treat them like people.”
And southeast Queens residents could get preference when it comes to finding tenants, Palatnik said.
“They can't give priority to people in their programs, but they can give priority to people from the area,” he said.
Board member James Heyliger reminded his colleagues of the importance of keeping young people in southeast Queens.
“Times change and needs change,” he said. “We are losing the youth in our community because we have a lack of affordable housing. Here's something that would accommodate our own people so we don't lose them. If we can create affordable housing for our people, we need to do it.”
Women of Faith, a non-profit group founded by Dr. Thelma Bright in 1984, has been working to offer a variety of services in Jamaica, ranging from language and computer classes to counseling and mentoring programs and from job training to help for pregnant teens, Bright said.
But despite the group's good work, neighbors are still concerned about the impact of the building, said Bernice Lowery, a 109th Road resident and Jamaica Village Civic Association president.
“We have problems already with parking, with services, with crime, transportation and other things,” she said. “We don't need any more problems. We are against this.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
