By Courtney Dentch
Protesters say the store, which would take over the entire shopping plaza at 195th Street and 69th Avenue, would bring traffic, including large 18-wheeler cargo trucks, and could endanger students at PS 26 across the street, said Frank Bisman, one of the rally organizers.
“We are opposed to the Pathmark superstore,” he said. “It would be open 24/7 and we're worried about the children at PS 26. People speed down here as it is.”
Pathmark did not return calls seeking comment.
The company was hoping to build a 55,000-square-foot store filling the block at 69th Avenue and 195th Street, Bisman said. The plans call for a roof-top parking lot, but residents say the store will only make parking in the neighborhood worse.
“We won't be able to go out and park,” said Ielene Kolinger. “As it is during the week we already have the teachers' cars.”
The Pathmark plan would also displace the stores in the plaza. A pharmacy, dry cleaners and Fresh Meadows Pizzeria have been open there for decades, said state Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Bayside), who joined the protesters along with U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew Gardens) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone).
“This pizza place may be the most popular one in the world,” Weprin said.
The plaza has a vacant space of about 20,000 square feet, which the community believes would be a good size for a grocery store, he said.
“We need a supermarket here,” he said. “We don't need a superstore the size of Pathmark.”
The spot used to house a Key Foods market, but it has been empty since it left a few years ago, Bisman said. Associated Supermarkets has expressed interest in the location, but the landlord has not discussed options with the company, said Kevin Kim, owner of Associated Supermarkets, who was also at the rally.
“This is the perfect size,” he said of the spot. “I would make it a nice and clean small store.”
Residents also questioned whether Pathmark would do enough business to keep it afloat in Fresh Meadows. The plaza is tucked away in a labyrinth of short, one-way streets and it can be difficult to find for people who are unfamiliar with the area, Weprin said.
“The way the community is built and designed it's really the local residents who would shop here,” he said. “No one can ever find this street. You get lost if you don't know the neighborhood.”
Most of all, residents are worried that a megastore of the size Pathmark is proposing would change the character of the neighborhood, Weiner said.
“This is the most beautiful neighborhood,” he said. “Double coupons are not enough to get us to support this.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
