From the Times Ledger:After years of fighting for rezonings to stop the proliferation of hotels being built in their community, Dutch Kills residents are making steps to take their community’s character into their own hands.
At the Holiday Inn on 29th Street in Long Island City July 7, Dutch Kills residents hosted Gianni Longo, architect and co-founder of the Manhattan-based community-planning company ACP. After discussing the needs and wants of the community with the residents present, Longo encouraged them to make a map of specific places in the neighborhood that could be improved.
“We have a chance to actually make a difference,” said Noni Pratt, a resident of Dutch Kills who invited Longo to speak.
The residents of Dutch Kills fought for a rezoning of the community after a large number of multi-story hotels were built or in the planning stage for the area as tourism increased during the 1990s and 2000s. These residents felt the rapid growth of hotels was ruining the character of the town. While the citizens won a rezoning in 2008 that stipulated a maximum height for buildings in the area, many taller hotels have still been built or are planned to be built due to being grandfathered in or builders applying for variances.
“A lot of people are very cynical and very depressed after the city rolled over us after the rezoning,” said Megan Friedman, vice president of the Dutch Kills Advocacy League.
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), who visited the meeting, suggested trying to get St. Patrick’s Church landmarked after it was suggested by the residents.
“It’s exciting to hear you talk about ideas for the community,” she told them.
Maloney also promoted the work she has done on construction for the nearby Queens Plaza Park, which drew the ire of some residents, such as Friedman, who believed she had not done enough.
Longo suggested residents draw a map of Dutch Kills and mark what areas they liked and what they could improve. He said if they did this, he would come back and they could discuss how to get some of their hoped-for projects completed and where to find funding for them.
The Queens Chronicle has more.
7 comments:
Mobilizing...at 11th hour (LOL)?
Just a fart in a windstorm!
The typhoon of over-development will soon blow residents completely out of the water!
Thanks to that Johnny-come-lately piss poor civic association they've got there.
Guys..this area was designated a superfund toxic waste site last spring. That means it won't be "cleaned" for decades and decades to come. Quite simply, do not live here. Move. Move to Long Island. Move to the Bronx. Move to Pennsylvania. Just do yourself and your family a favor and move.
They held a meeting against hotel development at a Holiday Inn?
Guys..this area was designated a superfund toxic waste site last spring. That means it won't be "cleaned" for decades and decades to come. Quite simply, do not live here. Move. Move to Long Island. Move to the Bronx. Move to Pennsylvania. Just do yourself and your family a favor and move.
THIS IS DUTCH KILLS, NOT LIC SOUTH.
They held a meeting against hotel development at a Holiday Inn?
yes, you should have seen the host's (and baloney maloney's) face.
Baloney-Maloney & baloney-Valloney!
You're doomed.
Now let's hear the Partridges sing...that building family that's tight with the Vallones!
As for the superfund site designation that is for a small area Dutch Kills to the south of the area - and a tributary of Newtown Creek. Both of which are superfund sites as well as the Gowanus and guess what else is being cleaned up by the Superfund? The Hudson River. The East River is basically a sewer when it rains. Yet compared to the state of some of these waterways in the 1960's and 1970's, they are cleaner and are being attended to. And the Bronx? Have you seen the Bronx River???
As for the meeting in a hotel again hotel development - yeah I thought that odd too. The oinly reason I see is that the city ceased the building of anymore hotels due to this community organization and the Dutch Kills Civic Organization as well as community members. What may be happening is the hotel visitors have been a boon to businesses on 36th Ave which was moribund when I moved to the area in 96 - since 1999 36 ave has improved a ton.
So, visit the area before you trash it
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