Residents of College Point and Whitestone packed the Poppenhusen Institute last week to express their opposition to recently funded plans to extend Linden Place through the Flushing Airport site, a move they say will increase congestion in the community, destroy valuable wetlands and create a flooding threat to adjoining properties. Linden Place extension opposed in College Pt.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation, which is overseeing the project, said construction could begin as early as 2008 on the site. The EDC ultimately hopes to develop much of the 24-acre site, although Avella and CB 7 have been adamant that they would not approve of any development plans until infrastructure improvements such as the Linden Place extension are completed.
Photo from Gothamist
8 comments:
Don't these guys ever give up?
They are like little Johnny all dressed in white, then whoops, into the mud.
Time and time again. Who is reponsible? Lets have a public hearing and roast 'em.
How come Padavan supports this plan......just because Avella (his "enemy") doesn't? !!!!
By the way, was Padavana little "tipsy" at a recent civic meeting where he sniped at a long time member who asked a legitimate question of him?
Maybe we need term limits at the State level also!
As someone who has been intimately involved with the history of Flushing Airport, I attended several meetings regarding this issue. I attended and video recorded the meeting in College Point on May 30th and was impressed by both the turnout and the information offered by James Cervino.
First of all, to the second poster, you got your facts wrong. Councilman Avella has been pushing for the Linden Place extension right from the start. Joan Vogt, who works for Senator Padavan, spoke at the meeting and she indicated that the proposed roadway is not acceptable citing environmental concerns, specifically for wetlands preservation.
A lot of information was brought to this public forum that was not known to the community in the past. I believe that when Councilman Avella learns of this potentially nightmarish environmental boondoggle, he will put aside his differences with other politicians and once again, represent the College Point community.
It was revealed that if Flushing Airport is developed, the water that is contained on the property will be pushed to the surrounding communities! What a potential disaster in the making. This will impact the NY Times printing plant, the Whitestone Expressway, and the coops to the east as well as the homes on the west side of the property.
Another fact that I was aware of that came out at the meeting was the existence of ancient glacial aquifers under the property that provide an underground waterway that extends to Suffolk County. There is potable water under our feet that can be used in case the regular sources of drinking water become unusable. The development of the property has the potential to damage this valuable resource.
For the past several years, I have seen both the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations methodically destroy our wonderful borough by allowing severe overdevelopment. Who is benefiting from this? One only needs to look to the iron triangle to see their agenda at work. This administration is about to take away property under the guise of "eminent domain" in order to give developer buddies an opportunity to further rape and pillage the citizens of this city. Bloomberg made a statement indicating that a few people should not stop progress. The city owes the businesses in that area an infrastructure that was paid for by the taxes that the business owners put into the system. Then the area would not look so blighted!
In conclusion, it is the responsibility of the citizenry to keep informed and actively protect his or her rights and the rights of communities to have greater input in decision making processes. From what I have seen over the past few years, this administration will stop at nothing to get its way, even if it is not for the public good. Where does the buck stop? Maybe it is time to seek new leadership before more damage is done! Do I hear impeach Mayor Bloomberg????
My mistake Allan....I was misinformed.
But it is time that the Padavan Avella fued end!
These guys have hated each others' guts too long at the expense of their constituents!
LET'S HAVE SOME COOPERATION !
Nightmare for the neighborhood, atop the traffic the land is very much like Corona Park before it was an ash dump and the park it is today.
If developed the neighbors would be subject to the “Boom Boom” of driving pylons for years
There are oil spills and rotted underground tanks there as well.
It will be a mess for years !
I understand that there will be another meeting in College Point on June 27th about this matter. Nothing is written in stone but this administration seems to have no problem bulldozing (pun intended) their way through the system to get what they want, no matter what the cost now and in the future!
"For the past several years, I have seen both the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations methodically destroy our wonderful borough by allowing severe overdevelopment."
You should also accuse our elected officials, community boards, and obviously inept civics/preservationits.
Everyone acts like this is the mayor's fault.
IT IS THE FAULT OF THE LEADERSHIP AT EVERY LEVEL IN THIS BORO!!
IT IS THE FAULT OF THE LEADERSHIP AT EVERY LEVEL IN THIS BORO!!
Actually, I couldn't agree with you more but we must start at the top and work our way down. As I recall, many of the locally elected officials showed up at the first Flushing Airport rallies a few years ago but they seemed to have dropped the ball since then.
I firmly believe that everyone in the community must join together to assess and react to the situation regarding development issues that appear to be beneficial to those who are not a part of the community. Yes, we need a voice but I have issues with the some of the leaders in current elected positions. The councilman who represents my district is John Liu. Need I say more?
Apathy is the number one obstacle to getting things done. If everyone relies on someone else to represent them, then they have no right to speak out after the deals are made. I recommend that people educate themselves by attending meetings and paying attention to the media. I also feel that more people should write letters, attend rallies, and let their collective voices be heard. Blogging is another effective form of communication. Go Queens Crap.
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