Woodhaven

BP Melinda Katz on CB9's District Manager Selection Process

Unfortunately, our Community Board is in the news way more often for controversy than for anything else.  From Queens Boro President Melinda Katz:

 

 

MELINDA KATZ
PRESIDENT OF THE BOROUGH OF QUEENS
THE CITY OF NEW YORK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

 

CONTACT                                                          

Sharon Lee, [email protected], 718.286.2640

           

BP KATZ ON CB9 DECISION TO STEAMROLL DISTRICT MANAGER SELECTION PROCESS DESPITE PUBLIC’S CONCERNS

QUEENS, NY - Queens Borough President Melinda Katz stated the following in response to questions about Community Board 9’s decision to proceed with its District Manager search and selection process this evening despite the public’s concerns raised in recent weeks:

 

“Public confidence in how Community Boards operate is not something to be dismissed by its leadership,” said Borough President Katz.  “Such insistence on proceeding despite newspaper accounts questioning the process does nothing to help assuage the perception of conflicts at play in Community Board 9, and warrants a higher level of scrutiny.  Such disregard for the serious questions and concerns raised by the public about this search and selection process is deeply disappointing and fully noted.

 

“It’s perplexing at best as to why Community Board 9 feels it is absolutely necessary to steamroll this important decision upon a Board that may or may not be the same in 28 days,” Borough President Katz continued. “Over six months have lapsed since the former District Manager tendered her resignation. The length of time it has taken the Board to move this forward demonstrates the ongoing governance issues which have been prevalent on Community Board 9. At this point, the prudent thing for the Board to do in the interest of the community at large would have been to pause the process for merely a month until the new terms begin.”

 

Over half of Community Board 9 members’ current terms expire on March 31, 2015.  In addition, the present Chair of the Board has announced he will not run for re-election.  Whether the make-up of the Board remains largely the same or different, there will in fact be new leadership.  That new leadership, with the Board, should decide whether the process thus far has been appropriate and how best to move forward.

 

Borough President Katz’s Director of Community Boards Barry Grodenchik will read the above statement in-full for the record at the Community Board 9 Special Meeting scheduled for this evening at 7:45pm at Queens Borough Hall (Room 200).

 

In light of significant concerns raised by the public about Community Board 9’s District Manager search and selection process, Borough President Katz had advised in a letter to the Board Chair dated February 23, 2015 that it would be “in the best interests of the Board and the residents who will be served by the new district manager to postpone the selection until after April.”  Full text of the letter is available upon request.

 

Follow Borough President Katz via @melindakatz or www.facebook.com/queensbpkatz

 

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Public Hearing on Street Changes February 1st

By a near unanimous vote, Community Board 9 tabled the votes on two proposed street changes that will greatly impact Woodhaven.  This was done in the wake of an announcement by DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy that there will be a public forum on these changes on Wednesday, February 1st at 7 PM at St. Elizabeth's -- 84th and Atlantic Avenue in the lower church (side entrance in the back of the church parking lot).

We need a strong turnout at this meeting -- this is our opportunity to demonstrate how these changes are going to impact our lives.  At the CB9 meeting the other night, several residents gave voice to the community's complaints about these street changes.  And one resident from Ozone Park stood up to complain how the change on 84th Street would impact her access to friends and family in Woodhaven -- it would force her to drive 16 blocks out of her way.  That's absurd.

And for what reason?  So a few extra residents can get into the Boston Market / CVS parking lot.  Absurd.  

Recently, we've heard that this is being done in the interests of the businesses of Liberty Avenue.  Well, first of all, 87th Street already crosses Atlantic from Woodhaven and carries you deep into Ozone Park (as far South at 101st Avenue) where you can easily access Liberty Avenue.

And there's more -- 

• 77th Street already runs from Atlantic to Liberty.
• 80th Street already runs from Atlantic to Liberty.

So, they want to add yet another way to access Liberty Avenue, this time at 84th Street?  And what will you find when you get to 84th Street?  

A graveyard.

This is absurd.

So, in order to open up a THIRD street of traffic to Liberty Avenue -- they're cutting off a very valuable access point to Woodhaven.  This reasoning does not hold water.

The response from the Woodhaven community has been heated, to put it mildly.  And the response to the proposed change to 89th Avenue is no better.  As local residents learn of this change they are coming forward with tales of how this is going to inconvenience their daily lives.  

One resident, who lives on 89th Avenue just off Woodhaven (PS 60) relates that he now gets home from work by driving down Woodhaven, making a right on 91st Avenue, a left on 96th, a left on 89th, straight across Woodhaven to his home.  Check out what he has to do now --

He has to make a right on 91st Avenue, a left on 96th, go all the way down to Jamaica Avenue, cross Woodhaven and make a left into the service road (which is a difficult turn and adds to the congestion at that intersection) and go up until he can make a right on 89th.

Absurd.

The only way these changes will happen is if we let it happen -- and so, we are asking residents to step forward.  We are going to be handing out flyers this weekend -- if you can spend an hour walking a few blocks,going house to house, putting flyers on gates, etc. then please e-mail us at [email protected].

And please try to attend the public forum on these changes on Wednesday, February 1st at 7 PM at St. Elizabeth's  -- 84th and Atlantic Avenue in the lower church (side entrance in the back of the church parking lot).

These changes will also be discussed at the Woodhaven Town Hall meeting on Saturday, January 21st at 1 PM at the Ambulance Corps (78-15 Jamaica Avenue) where we will also discuss rezoning.

Here is an updated video detailing the changes --

  

 

Street Changes Impacting Woodhaven Being Voted on Tuesday

A pair of street changes that wiull impact Woodhaven will be voted upon by Community Board 9 on Tuesday.  Although the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association was invited to a meeting to discuss one of these changes a year ago, were were not advised or approached since then.  We were also advised that residents would be polled or surveyed about their opinions on this change, but as far as we know that never happened.  If any Woodhaven residents' received a survey about any of these changes, please drop us a line.

UPDATE:  The vote will take place Tuesday, January 10 - the meeting begins at 7:45  and will be held at The Punjabi Palace 91-52 Lefferts Boulevard in Richmond Hill.  If you object to this plan, you can help by coming to the meeting, signing up and speaking for 3 minutes.  You can also help us by dropping a polite e-mail to Community Board 9 at [email protected] or by calling (718) 286-2686.

UPDATE 2:

 

UPDATE #3

Assemblyman Mike Miller has sent a letter and spoke to CB9 about postponing the vote --

 

 

84th Street 

It is proposed to change 84th Street, from One-Way North Bound to One-Way South Bound from Liberty to Atlantic Avenues.  Although this change occurs beyond the boundaries of Woodhaven (on the other side of Atlantic Avenue) it will eliminate one of the main Northbound entry points into Woodhaven.  Once this change goes into place, only Woodhaven Boulevard and 76th Street will be left as Northbound roads that cross Atlantic.

Here is the current map of Atlantic -- notice how 84th crosses Atlantic.  From there , once you make a quick turn on to 85th Street (at 89th Avenue) you can continue all the way through Woodhaven, across Jamaica Avenue all the way up to Park Lane South.

 

Let's look at the proposed change -- the convenient access path into Woodhaven is eliminated.  Residents and shoppers will have to go blocks east or west to get into Woodhaven.  How will this impact emergency services?  How will this impact Engine 293 when they are returning from a run on the other side of Atlantic?  We don't know -- and if there was a study done that asked these questions, the WRBA was never made aware of their results.

89th Avenue

This change may be less controversial.  Then again, as we first heard about it yesterday, perhaps we haven't thought it all the way through.  Again, if residents in the area were polled or surveyed, please let us know.

Currently, 89th Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard to 97th Street is 2-way.  On the other side of the boulevard, 89th Avenue is one way westbound.

It is proposed to turn 89th Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard to 97th Street into a 1-way street, eastbound.  If you live on 97th Street near the Avenue, it means you need to drive up to 91st Avenue (two-way) to get to Woodhaven Boulevard.  

Our one concern is that 89th Avenue used to be a straight ride through Woodhaven from 98th to 85th.  In fact, it was identified as one of Woodhaven's PRIMARY ROADS by the DSNY in the aftermath of last winter's blizzards.

Overall, though, that 2nd change doesn't strike us as too bad.  89th Avenue off of Woodhaven is narrow.  

But, again, we have to ask what kind of notification they gave the community -- what kind of feedback did they try and get?

It's not as if the WRBA is hard to get in touch with -- we have phones, fax machines, email -- we're on Facebook, Twitter -- 

And so, the WRBA joins the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation and the Woodhaven Business Improvement District in opposing thse changes and will respectfully ask the Community Board to table these votes until the community can be better involved in the discussion leading up to a vote.

You can help us by dropping a polite e-mail to Community Board 9 at [email protected]

Please ask them to consider tabling the vote --