A group of about a dozen civic leaders,…
By Bob Harris
As of April 1 there were only a few new developments on the proposals to build a gigantic Pathmark on 69th Avenue and 194th Lane opposite PS 26 and scores of houses on the Klein Farm, which is now boarded up.
A group of about a dozen civic leaders, preservationists and Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis) have met a few times during the past two years after the farmer originally proposed to sell the Klein Farm to a developer. We have also kept state Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Bayside), state Sens. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), Borough President Helen Marshall, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Rockaway) and the local newspapers informed of events.
But nothing had happened until the recent Pathmark proposal for a 55,000-square-foot regional store and the purchase of the Klein Farm.
With the proposal to build this Pathmark opposite PS 26, the PTA has gotten involved, as has the Meadowlark Development, with which I didn’t have contact. Present at the early March meeting called by Councilman Weprin in the auditorium of PS 26 were the PTA school leaders, Dane Cohen, manager; Community Board 8; and Meadowlark owners.
It wasn’t designed as a mass meeting but an informational one with only 50 or so people present. None of the neighborhood residents were in favor of the proposals they heard. Representatives of Pathmark and the owners of the Fresh Meadows commercial property had elaborate plans.
A regional Pathmark is not good for a planned residential community with narrow streets, circular drives, walking paths and an elementary school. This area cannot handle increased automotive traffic, including that caused by 18-wheeler trucks or even a large number of smaller trucks.
Children and their parents walk to school. Older citizens walk and also have to cross the streets. The parents and other adults don’t want to draw hundreds of cars into the neighborhood daily with strangers who might prey on them.
The members of the West Cunningham Park Civic Association and the Meadowlark Development don’t want 18-wheelers and smaller trucks driving on 73rd Avenue, 199th Street and 69th Avenue. This kind of traffic might be acceptable in a manufacturing area but not in a quiet residential neighborhood. A smaller food store would not draw this volume of traffic.
As of this writing, the Pathmark people have met privately with representatives of the PS 26 PTA, Meadowlark and the Fresh Meadows Development Tenant’s Association. I was told that nothing new was presented although I did hear of rumors. There is no new information about what the new owners of the Klein Farm want to do. We would like it to become a farm again, perhaps under the Colonial Farm in Little Neck, and thus preserve a bit of our past.
Since the area is a special preservation district there has to be legal hearings prior to anything being done. The Zoning Committee of Community Board 8, of which I am a member, would conduct a hearing on any proposals. People can testify after registering, and then the full Community Board 8 would debate the testimony. People could again testify prior to the meeting after registering. The board would vote its recommendations.
The proposals and recommendations would then go to Borough President Marshall for evaluation. People could then testify at Queens Borough Hall after registering. She would make recommendations, which I think would then go to the City Planning Commission.
People can testify there after registering. They would make a decision. I think the New York City Council would have the final say if it went that far.
You can see that people can be involved all along once there are concrete proposals. We and the CB 8 members are all volunteers, so we have to find the time. All the other people are getting paid, with the developers in a position to make a lot of money if they get their way. It is up to us. Now.
At this stage we can make phone calls based on what we know. Councilman Weprin can be reached at 718-465-8202; Assemblyman Weprin is reachable at 718-428-7900; Stavisky, 718-445-0004; Padavan, 718-343-0255; Marshall, 718-286-3000; and Weiner, 718-520-9001.
Good and bad news
of the week
The New York City Transit system is a modern wonder that moves about 7 million people a day on our trains and buses. It is a strong force in maintaining our economic vitality. About 800,000 seniors and economically disadvantaged residents use reduced-fare MetroCards.
There again is talk about raising fares by charging more money to people who use weekly cards. I think the industries should pay fair taxes, which can be used to maintain our transit system since it moves the people who work in their businesses.
With all the increased security on the system I wonder why on two recent trips on the E train I found sleeping homeless people sprawled across two seats with their bags of possessions on the floor or on seats. Some of the homeless are the holdover of the emptying of our mental hospitals of mildly ill people so New York state can save money.
The presence of homeless on our subways and streets is costing us more money due to people turning away from our city. People are still selling things to captive audiences in our subway cars, and some are intimidating.
