From the Wall Street Journal:
For decades, residents of College Point in northeastern Queens enjoyed its suburban feel—a quiet, waterfront enclave that sits on Flushing Bay and the East River.
But the addition of several big-box retailers in the 1990s, followed by new condo and co-op construction, brought in more residents and shoppers—creating traffic bottlenecks in an area dotted with several narrow, one-way streets.
And now, two new projects slated to make College Point home are further sparking congestion concerns.
One of the new projects, Point 128, a hotel and retail complex on 20th Avenue and 127 Street, will feature a 114-room "green" hotel, a supermarket, restaurants, a food court, shops and 124 parking spots.
Construction on the complex is nearly complete, and the hotel is expected to open in mid-August, with other portions of the facility opening later this year, according to Raymond Chan, the architect behind the complex.
But the scope of the development has sparked concern among residents as well as local officials because it is situated off already-congested 20th Avenue—home to retail chains such as BJ's Wholesale Club and T.J. Maxx.
"You can go on a weekend and the traffic is unbelievable—backed up to the service road of the Whitestone Expressway," said state Sen. Tony Avella, a Queens native who lives in neighboring Whitestone.
Mr. Avella added that locals have also had to deal with traffic brought on by the College Point Corporate Park, a 550-acre office park that is home to several companies.
But critics say the accommodations are insufficient and that College Point has been smothered with more development than its infrastructure can handle, changing the character of the neighborhood in a fundamental way.
"Historically, College Point was a quiet, residential neighborhood with a small-town atmosphere, where families lived for generations," said Mr. Avella. "I'm not against development, but the city has failed to match developments with infrastructure, and now they [residents] deal with traffic on a daily basis, sometimes like Manhattan."
17 comments:
Of course it is, but if you think like our Mayor (what a scary thought), who cares?
Queens was destroyed during the last decade.
A disinterested mayor, an incompetant borough president,
combative and subpar public officials,vapid chamber of commerce leadership that live in other counties, uncontrolled developers and insular citizens worrying only about their own issues all contibuted to its' demise.
College Point is only one of many Queens neighborhoods that will never again enjoy civility.
Arthur Nitzburg was prescient when he wrote an article about our borough's future over ten years ago.
Regretably, what was viewed then as farce has become reality.
The Emperor ... I mean the Mayor has never understood Queens. In his three illegitimate terms the Mayor has handed over the City to his friends in the real estate industry. I'm not against development. There are plenty of places in the city that are in desperate need of development. However, the real estate industry has bought our elected officials and have destroyed many of our communities.
There are only three roads in or out of College Point. The community doesn't have the infrastructure to handle the over-development that has occurred. Speaking of infrastructure, the residents of College Point don't even have a local middle school or local high school.
College Point is a perfect example of the failure of Bloomberg. Three terms of bending over backwards for the real estate industry while education has to take a back seat.
Right on, Steve!
College Point has been killed by the Bloomtard administration. As the new police academy grows, the roads around the complex have been all but decimated. For years, Ulmer Street is an amusement park ride for all of its dips. Speaking of dips, one of the worst areas is right in front of the College Point Corporate Park hut (on-site home of the NYC EDC). That speaks volumes, doesn't it?
AND everyone is ignoring the College Point garbage tranfer station and the resulting traffic of sanitation trucks as they enter and leave the area. Who cares about the danger that is anticipated from potential bird strikes because of that recklessly planned facility? Certainly not a bird-brained mayor!
There is no longer any leadership in the community and so the people who live there are dumbed down and ignorant. Then again, ignorance is bliss. Leaders like Sabina and Fred are a distant memory, as is the neighnorhood once known as College Point.
R I P
To the last anonymous, your opinion might be diffrent if Queens Crap actually posted the entire article and you met multiple parents who were able to acomplish state legislation being changed this year in Albany regrding school busing for College Point Middle school students. Have you been to a CEC meeting? Civic? or community event in College Point? College Point is alive and well my friend, and our politicians work tirelessly for all of us.
The point you are all forgetting is that the mayor is there because city council put him there so they are reponsible.
And city council is there because, dear people, you put them there and you put up with bullshit that no other borough gets close to.
If you wanted to change things you would vote them out of office - believe me, people would come out of the woodwork to do it if you folks had the backbone.
Instead, if a pol tells you to shoot your neighbor in exchange for an ice cream cone your only question is how many bullets do they want you to use to make sure the job is thorough.
Leadership?
Try doing something in Queens the politicians don't like.
Your friends and neighbors would be so horrified that you are not respectful towards your local public servant.
The would be happy to shut you up - besides, if it was important it would be in the Queens weeklies and a hard working public servant would be holding a press confernece about it, right?
To the last anonymous, your opinion might be diffrent if Queens Crap actually posted the entire article and you met multiple parents who were able to acomplish state legislation being changed this year in Albany regrding school busing for College Point Middle school students. Have you been to a CEC meeting? Civic? or community event in College Point? College Point is alive and well my friend, and our politicians work tirelessly for all of us.
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Oh really? The entire Point is turning to crap and you think that busing is the main issue? Gimme a break. You must be living in an alternate reality. What have your "leaders" done recently to stem the tide of overdevelopment which is the issue of this post. Go back to sleep and accept the your fate---College Point is D-E-A-D!!!!!!
Which politicians work tirelessly for you and your community? C'mon. Name names!!! Ever hear of something called reality. Busing is an empty victory if the students are going to spend most of their time in the heavy traffic this overdevelopment is producing. AND it's only going to get worse. Good luck wearing your rose colored glasses. They mask your view of reality.
To answer your question, I've been to meetings in College Point many times. Didn't work out for me. How's it working out for you? I hope you and your neighbors enjoy all of the new projects.
To the last anonymous, your opinion might be diffrent if Queens Crap actually posted the entire article and you met multiple parents who were able to acomplish state legislation being changed this year in Albany regrding school busing for College Point Middle school students.
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From the WSJ article: "We bus our kids to schools in other neighborhoods, we wanted a school to accommodate the growing population—not a hotel."
Please explain how you see this as a victory?
without the buses the progressive's in city and state government would not be able to accomplish their past failed policies of SOCIAL ENGINEERING of the public school population.
educating your child is secondary. their primary objective is INTEGRATION, at any cost ,which you pay for.
the D.O.E. does not publicize the cost for educating one pupil on their website presently,(especially special education costs which are unbelievable at $3.8.Billion last year). the total nyc cost is $21 billion, this year.
College Point is a poor parking section for more teachers,unless you turn your playground into a lot for their cars.
As the children take two to three busses and have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to school.
Who needs a school in CP?
Right Mr. Education Mayor?
The Police Academy complex SHOULD BE a public school complex! Then busing is not an issue. Notice how a troll changed the conversation from overdevelopment to schools and busing. Losing the big picture folks!
Pretty soon the former Flushing Airport property will be up for grabs since no one in the community is fighting to leave it be. Make it into a park, for chrissakes!
Reality bites...
College Point
is the asshole of the area.
What used to be back in the good 'ol days ain't what it is today.
Waxing nostalgic won't improve anything.
Time to move.
It's becoming a 3rd world ghetto.
FYI:
College Point started going downhill way before Bloomberg.
Mike just put the cherry on the sundae.
College Point died the day they tore down the Beer Hall. When the white flight was followed by the span-asian invasion. Also when they they built that 1st extension onto PS129, the recess yard died.
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