Subject: Waldheim rezoning General Meeting at 6:30pm on Monday, June 16th
Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 10:45:55 -0400
SEEDear Members and Friends: (Please note time change to 6:30pm)
CB7 has informed us that on Monday, June 16th at 6:30pm, CB7 will have their General Meeting to start the process of public review of the rezoning of our Neighborhood, herewith known as the Waldheim Rezoning. Boundaries of rezoning are 156th St. - Colden St. - Sanford Ave. - 45th Ave. This will result in CB7 voting on this rezoning. The location of the meeting will be:
The Union Plaza Nursing Home
33-23 Union Street
Ground floor
We need a good turnout from our Civic, residents interested in preserving the neighborhood and our neighboring Civics to join us in speaking in favor of the Waldheim contextual rezoning. This is your opportunity to speak in favor of the Contextual Zoning prepared by City Planning, which we believe will stabilize our area and spare our Neighborhood from any further devastation that has already occured because of the prevailing zonings. Now is the time to come out in numbers.
Regards,
The Waldheim Neighborhood Association
Weather
Showing posts with label cb7. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cb7. Show all posts
June 8, 2008
February 19, 2008
Parking Problems and Possible Solutions
Parking has been an ongoing problem that is increasingly getting worse. When will the congestion of an increasing population affect the ability to park? The question is, how do we fix the problem before it gets out of hand?
1. Make it a requirement for all new buildings with residential housing ( at least 4 stories). Must provide a parking garage or parking lot for its residents. The ratio of provided parking spots to residents must be at least 1.5 to 1. Assuming that there is at east one car per household.
a. However this will create a new problem. Where do we put these parking garages? Preferably
underground. In a worst case scenario a municipal lot could be erected.
b. This will curb the rate of which Queens one family hosing is turned into "McMansions", as it will become more expensive to do so.
2. Instead of creating more spots, possibly taxing the landlord for the amount of spots that its residents take up. To even the balance and make parking more available, some parking meters in the area should be removed. The tax would be the equivalent to the income the city would have received if there were meters at those spots. If you were to calculate the actual income from a metered spot, it works out to $1,560 per spot. Perhaps that is a little high. A $300 to $600, tax per year per spot could make a world of difference. In turn to benefit the residents, they will receive permits to park in a designated area, close to their homes.
Where do we need additional parking? The Long Island Rail Road stops usually have " Park and Ride" commuters taking up many spots. This is evident in Northern Flushing at the Broadway station as well as the Murray Hill Station and the Bayside Station. Of course in most cases there is no room to build such a structure, certainly not in an area that the community boards would approve. The under utilized properties should be selected.
Where could a proposed All Day Muni-Parking complex go?
An example off the top of my head would be the currently vacant property in Flushing on Northern Boulevard not far from 162nd Street where there once was a Movie Theater and then a CVS if my memory serves me correctly. There is an existing good sized lot and if the entire property is utilized it would benefit not only the surrounding residents but also the businesses on and around Northern Boulevard. On Sundays, parishioners of St. Andrew Avelino would benefit from such a lot (free on Sundays).
The DOT have been cracking down on extended driveway openings. The question is, who does this help? Now we must considering that the car which was parked in the removed spot would be moved onto the street, therefore negating and chance that available parking would increase. This does give the neighborhood "parker" for lack of a better word, a slight chance that they could find a spot.
Everyone has a few cars on the block that take up 2 spots or is horrifically crooked or perhaps a "Long Island Park". Then maybe you would like this bumper sticker: I Park Like an Idiot.
But please do not actually go on a sticking rampage, but maybe leaving it under the windshield whipper would be comical. On a side note they really need to make bilingual ones as well.
1. Make it a requirement for all new buildings with residential housing ( at least 4 stories). Must provide a parking garage or parking lot for its residents. The ratio of provided parking spots to residents must be at least 1.5 to 1. Assuming that there is at east one car per household.
a. However this will create a new problem. Where do we put these parking garages? Preferably
underground. In a worst case scenario a municipal lot could be erected.
b. This will curb the rate of which Queens one family hosing is turned into "McMansions", as it will become more expensive to do so.
2. Instead of creating more spots, possibly taxing the landlord for the amount of spots that its residents take up. To even the balance and make parking more available, some parking meters in the area should be removed. The tax would be the equivalent to the income the city would have received if there were meters at those spots. If you were to calculate the actual income from a metered spot, it works out to $1,560 per spot. Perhaps that is a little high. A $300 to $600, tax per year per spot could make a world of difference. In turn to benefit the residents, they will receive permits to park in a designated area, close to their homes.
Where do we need additional parking? The Long Island Rail Road stops usually have " Park and Ride" commuters taking up many spots. This is evident in Northern Flushing at the Broadway station as well as the Murray Hill Station and the Bayside Station. Of course in most cases there is no room to build such a structure, certainly not in an area that the community boards would approve. The under utilized properties should be selected.
Where could a proposed All Day Muni-Parking complex go?
An example off the top of my head would be the currently vacant property in Flushing on Northern Boulevard not far from 162nd Street where there once was a Movie Theater and then a CVS if my memory serves me correctly. There is an existing good sized lot and if the entire property is utilized it would benefit not only the surrounding residents but also the businesses on and around Northern Boulevard. On Sundays, parishioners of St. Andrew Avelino would benefit from such a lot (free on Sundays).
The DOT have been cracking down on extended driveway openings. The question is, who does this help? Now we must considering that the car which was parked in the removed spot would be moved onto the street, therefore negating and chance that available parking would increase. This does give the neighborhood "parker" for lack of a better word, a slight chance that they could find a spot.
Everyone has a few cars on the block that take up 2 spots or is horrifically crooked or perhaps a "Long Island Park". Then maybe you would like this bumper sticker: I Park Like an Idiot.
But please do not actually go on a sticking rampage, but maybe leaving it under the windshield whipper would be comical. On a side note they really need to make bilingual ones as well.
February 8, 2008
Queens Approves Congestion Pricing Plan
The state’s Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission voted Thursday to approve a congestion pricing plan. The plan, which passed by a vote of 13 to 2, would charge drivers $8 to bring their vehicles below 60th Street during peak traffic times – 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
It is intended to reduce pollution and generate $491 million a year in revenue that would be directed toward expanding the City’s mass transportation system.
Corey Bearak, a policy advisor for the same organization, said the tax will mostly affect outer borough residents.
“From its very inception, the public faced a stacked Commission who came to their posts hell bent on tolling and taxing New Yorkers while they protected wealthy folks from the suburbs and out of state,” Bearak wrote.
According to Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, Queens’ Community Boards 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13 have all come out against the congestion pricing.
“Vague promises, intentions – items along those lines simply do not cut it,” McCaffrey said. “The public is far too smart to fall for that kind of foolishness on the part of the commission.”
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1202400140.html
Well to many non Manhattanites dismay, the congestion pricing plan has been approved. I am still unsure if it will help or just be another drain on commuters, or could possibly flood the Subway system if it deters enough people from driving in.
It is intended to reduce pollution and generate $491 million a year in revenue that would be directed toward expanding the City’s mass transportation system.
Corey Bearak, a policy advisor for the same organization, said the tax will mostly affect outer borough residents.
“From its very inception, the public faced a stacked Commission who came to their posts hell bent on tolling and taxing New Yorkers while they protected wealthy folks from the suburbs and out of state,” Bearak wrote.
According to Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, Queens’ Community Boards 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13 have all come out against the congestion pricing.
“Vague promises, intentions – items along those lines simply do not cut it,” McCaffrey said. “The public is far too smart to fall for that kind of foolishness on the part of the commission.”
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1202400140.html
Well to many non Manhattanites dismay, the congestion pricing plan has been approved. I am still unsure if it will help or just be another drain on commuters, or could possibly flood the Subway system if it deters enough people from driving in.
January 28, 2008
Bloomberg: Big Plans For Queens?
According to the Queens Tribune, Mayor Michael Bloomberg came to Queens for a second time in the past week. In his State of the City address, Bloomberg proposes a new public pool and Ice Skating Rink for Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Mayor also announced a new system that would allow complainants to track their complaints to 311. Proposals for changes for Queens Boulevard are also in the works.
The New York population is growing older and the mayor said the city will begin to address the challenge with traffic engineering improvements at high-accident areas including some in Flushing and hopefully Queens Boulevard, locally tagged as the Boulevard of Death.
Something that caught my eye was a declaration that Willets Point will become more industrialized with the addition of funding for infrastructure.
“We’ll also rezone Willets Point, a stone’s throw from here, the first step in what will be one of the most significant environmental reclamation projects of our time,” Bloomberg said.
Missing from the Mayor’s speech was where the money and political backing was going to come from for his plans. Gov. Eliot Spitzer spent most of speech on these issues when he delivered his 2008-09 Executive Budget address Tuesday.
However he does not further explain what is going to happen to its current residents. Another issue I see with his proposal for Willets Point is not so much about the "Iron Triangle" but rather its surrounding area. The local street around Willets Point need to be taken into consideration, Roosevelt Avenue for example is only two lanes and during a baseball game would make life very difficult for the proposed population living in Willets Point's housing complex. However I am very much in favor of improving Willets Point, whether it is done with its current businesses or an Eminent Domain powered wipe out. Either way something has to happen. With Citi Field opening up in 2009, it would be nice if it did not opposite a junk yard. it would be beneficial to the area if instead it was a hotel, restaurants, bars and shopping areas. Community Board 7 will eventually decide, or have Bloomberg decide for them. However, what do I know? I'm just a resident of Flushing who comes into contact with the Iron Triangle more than one would speculate. But before I get hammered with critique let me ask you, what does Willets Point in its current state do for the community as a whole? It provides jobs, industrial services and provides the means for other local businesses to get by. Hypothetically peaking couldn't it do the same for a whole new larger range of businesses?
Let me know what you think,
Mike
Welightupqueens@gmail.com
The New York population is growing older and the mayor said the city will begin to address the challenge with traffic engineering improvements at high-accident areas including some in Flushing and hopefully Queens Boulevard, locally tagged as the Boulevard of Death.
Something that caught my eye was a declaration that Willets Point will become more industrialized with the addition of funding for infrastructure.
“We’ll also rezone Willets Point, a stone’s throw from here, the first step in what will be one of the most significant environmental reclamation projects of our time,” Bloomberg said.
Missing from the Mayor’s speech was where the money and political backing was going to come from for his plans. Gov. Eliot Spitzer spent most of speech on these issues when he delivered his 2008-09 Executive Budget address Tuesday.
However he does not further explain what is going to happen to its current residents. Another issue I see with his proposal for Willets Point is not so much about the "Iron Triangle" but rather its surrounding area. The local street around Willets Point need to be taken into consideration, Roosevelt Avenue for example is only two lanes and during a baseball game would make life very difficult for the proposed population living in Willets Point's housing complex. However I am very much in favor of improving Willets Point, whether it is done with its current businesses or an Eminent Domain powered wipe out. Either way something has to happen. With Citi Field opening up in 2009, it would be nice if it did not opposite a junk yard. it would be beneficial to the area if instead it was a hotel, restaurants, bars and shopping areas. Community Board 7 will eventually decide, or have Bloomberg decide for them. However, what do I know? I'm just a resident of Flushing who comes into contact with the Iron Triangle more than one would speculate. But before I get hammered with critique let me ask you, what does Willets Point in its current state do for the community as a whole? It provides jobs, industrial services and provides the means for other local businesses to get by. Hypothetically peaking couldn't it do the same for a whole new larger range of businesses?
Let me know what you think,
Mike
Welightupqueens@gmail.com
January 18, 2008
Queens Community Boards Go Online!
According to the Queens Tribune, community boards 1 through 14 can now access their respective community boards.
You can access the community board website at:
www.queenscb.org
“You can go directly to your local board to access all you need to know about your neighborhood,” Borough President Helen Marshall said during her State of the Borough Address, where the new Web site was unveiled.
Dan Andrews, spokesman for the borough president, said the president had wanted to bring the community boards to a broader audience.
I Think that this is a huge step in the right direction, since there are more people who have opinions and ideas and suggestions for their neighborhood than were regularly attending meetings. The website is still in its "beta" stage as I could not find any content concerning my community board (7). The format of the website also has a few kinks that I hope will be resolved shortly. I encourage you all to get involved since they are making it more viable for the full-time worker as well as the stay at home mom to make our needs heard. The boards are open once a month so make sure to keep up to date for the next meeting.
If you have any questions about www.queenscb.org you can call (718) 286-2900 for additional information.
If you are unsure of which Community Board district you live in here is a direct link to the list for your convenience.
Find Out Which Community Board District You Live In
Thanks for reading,
Mike, We Light Up Queens
You can access the community board website at:
www.queenscb.org
“You can go directly to your local board to access all you need to know about your neighborhood,” Borough President Helen Marshall said during her State of the Borough Address, where the new Web site was unveiled.
Dan Andrews, spokesman for the borough president, said the president had wanted to bring the community boards to a broader audience.
I Think that this is a huge step in the right direction, since there are more people who have opinions and ideas and suggestions for their neighborhood than were regularly attending meetings. The website is still in its "beta" stage as I could not find any content concerning my community board (7). The format of the website also has a few kinks that I hope will be resolved shortly. I encourage you all to get involved since they are making it more viable for the full-time worker as well as the stay at home mom to make our needs heard. The boards are open once a month so make sure to keep up to date for the next meeting.
If you have any questions about www.queenscb.org you can call (718) 286-2900 for additional information.
If you are unsure of which Community Board district you live in here is a direct link to the list for your convenience.
Find Out Which Community Board District You Live In
Thanks for reading,
Mike, We Light Up Queens
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