By Michael Morton
“I'm very concerned about the Saratoga Inn,” Sanders told a special summer meeting of Community Board 13, which covers the area from Glen Oaks in the north down along the Nassau border to Brookville in the south. When the Saratoga, located at 175-15 Rockaway Blvd., sought to add space for 91 additional families, in effect creating the largest such facility in the city, both Board 13 and Marshall objected. The case went before the city Board of Standards and Appeals, and it voted against the expansion plan. However, the non-profit sued the city and won a ruling in its favor. Sanders said he would wait to see if the city appealed the ruling and prevailed. Barring that, “we have a decent plan 'B,'” he said, but he did not elaborate on what he and Marshall have in mind.During his address to the board, the councilman also ran through a list of projects he has helped to fund in his council district, which encompasses Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, the Rockaways and part of Cambria Heights. The spending includes $2.6 million for work at Brookville Park and Idlewild Park; $2 million for library air conditioners; $500,000 to improve Cambria Height's Bridge Home community center; and $100,000 for a multicultural center to be built at an undisclosed locale. Springfield Gardens High School will also receive $136,000 for an automated system so parents can find out what homework their children have been assigned. The special summer meeting of Board 13 at the Bridge Home was called to hold a vote on turning a Rosedale parking lot into a two-story, 38-unit affordable housing complex for seniors and a 16,500-square-foot medical office center. The site, currently used by Long Island Rail Road commuters, is located between Francis Lewis Boulevard and Brookville Boulevard on North Conduit Avenue. The developer of the property, Stoneridge Homes of Rosedale, would acquire the land from the city and has the blessing of the Economic Development Corp. and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans). Since only 40 spaces out of the 100-spot lot would be recreated across the street, some residents at the meeting complained about the effect the proposal would have on Long Island Rail Road riders. They also questioned the impact the development would have on area traffic and said the plan did not provide enough parking for the building's future residents.The board ended up approving the plan 18 to 2 but asked that the effects on traffic, parking and green space be further studied.Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
