Mrinali Dhembla
News@Queensledger.com
Residents and members of community board five gathered at the cafeteria of Christ the King High School on Metropolitan Ave for their monthly board meeting Wednesday evening.
Top of the agenda was a presentation from Adam Rothkrug, the zoning counsel for Rosa’s Pizzeria on Metropolitan Ave that wants to develop a seven-story, 54-unit property, with 19 parking spots on an empty lot on Fresh Pond Road between Bleecker and Menahan Streets.
“We think it is a beautifully designed building in an appropriate corner location, opposite a manufacturing unit,” Rothkrug told the Queens Ledger, adding that his team would be open to discussing allowing community use of the property. “If Ridgewood is looking to have some affordable housing, this is an appropriate location.”
The owners of the property plan to designate 7,000 square-feet for commercial use, and 13 to 16 units will be permanently affordable under New York City’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing rules, which require certain developers to set aside a certain percentage of affordable units in a new development.
“The city is looking at districts in the city that have produced the least amount of affordable units, and community board five falls within that,” Rothkrug said, noting that there will be no studios planned in the project, which is unusual.
To go ahead with the project, the empty plot on Fresh Pond Road will need to be rezoned from current lower-density R5b district with a commercial overlay to an R6a, which will allow the said project to be the highest-density and tallest building — 73 feet — on the block.
“One of my key recommendations was that the parking space is inadequate,” said Councilman Phil Wong. “I also recommended that the building be shorter.”
Some residents think the new project will jack up rent prices, and highlighted that the proposed application sets aside affordable units in the project at 60 percent and 80 percent of area median income, which would fix the monthly price of a one-bedroom at $1,800 and $2,500 respectively.
“I am scared that this rezoning does not reflect the incomes in this neighborhood. When one property gets upzoned, others follow,” Middle Village resident Ezra Kohn, who also testified at the meeting, told the Queens Ledger. “These prices are out of reach for neighborhood residents, especially those who live in rent-stabilized apartments.”
The project was proposed to the community board nearly four years ago, and was certified in January of this year. This issue will be turned over to the land use committee now, which will vote on it next month.
Representatives of Outreach Development Corp.— an organization that provides behavioral health services and drug-and-alcohol abuse treatment — that has had a working relationship with the community for a while, highlighted its outreach training institutes, certified community behavioral health clinics and inpatient facility for teens (aged 12 to 18) in Ridgewood.
The clinic provides same-day, or next-day crisis support for adults and teens, and families regardless of income levels and health insurance status. In addition, it has psychiatry services, music therapy and gym to help teens in recovery.
“If you’re interested at all, we can come on-site to partner schools, wherever else that you might work, to help connect folks to care,” said a representative from the corp., adding that on the request of the board, the organization will also assist in providing Narcan-training and Narcan-kits to the community.
Councilman Phil Wong addressed the issue of the construction of NineDot’s lithium battery plant proposed at 64-30 69th Place, directly across from PS/IS 128, which has sparked community outrage. He said the negotiations with NineDot were still ongoing, and that he had proposed a new site for the plant.
“We all know when there is a fire, FDNY will just stand there and wait for the fire to put out,” Councilman Wong said, echoing the concerns of the residents . “There is no way to put out lithium ion fires.”
The next monthly community board meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11th at 7:30 p.m.
