By Alex Davidson
Woodhaven resident Maria Thomson, president of the 102nd Precinct's Community Council, said more than 186 residents have signed a petition requesting that the Trade Fair store at 130-10 Metropolitan Ave. increase its parking capacity so cars do not flood nearby residential thoroughfares 130th and 131st streets.
She said the problem started six months ago when an outdoor market was built on the existing parking lot and took up 60 out of 100 parking spots – a number that is in dispute.
“It is just a brutal situation and nothing has been done to repair it,” Thomson said. “It was never like this before.”
Thomson said the problem started when new owners took over the supermarket six months ago. She said it was then that they built the outdoor structure, taking up the parking spaces, and the store began to sell items wholesale.
The business did not change its name through the change of ownership.
But Rony Ahmed, manager of the Trade Fair store, said the outdoor structure was built on top of only eight to nine spots and has not significantly reduced the number of parking spaces. He also disputed Thomson's estimate of the maximum 100 parking spaces, saying the lot near Hillside Avenue close to the Van Wyck Expressway could only accommodate 80 to 90 cars.
“I cannot offer everybody parking,” said Ahmed, who maintained he was not a wholesale distributor and only sells items at wholesale prices. “I don't know what else to do. I have to pay my bills, too.”
Ahmed said customers are drawn to Trade Fair because it offers products at low prices. He pointed out that the outdoor structure, which houses everything from broomsticks to soda pop, acts more like an awning during the winter months than an outgrowth of the permanent store structure.
But Thomson said she and residents on both 130th and 131st streets organized and put together the petition with 186 signatures that they plan to send to borough legislators and elected officials. She said the market's 24-hour operation, only recently introduced, has also upset nearby residents, who complain of late deliveries and loud engines throughout the day and night.
As a result, Thomson said people are leaving the neighborhood for other more quiet parts of the borough.
“These people, they're homeowners, and this is a disgrace,” she said. “When it was a normal supermarket, they had normal parking and it was not a 24-hour operation.”
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
