Saturday, August 4, 2012

Concern over College Point hotel opening


From the Times Ledger:

The Point 128 hotel and mixed-use complex in College Point, formerly known as the Gelmart building, is nearly open for business, although some civic leaders are worried an impending glut of traffic could come along with it.

The complex sits on 20th Avenue between 127th and 128th streets and boasts a wide range of amenities: a 114-room hotel, full-service supermarket, 300-seat seafood and sushi buffet, indoor swimming pool, gym, karaoke establishment and rooftop terrace — all of which the team at Point 128 believes will be a boon to the area once the staggered openings are complete in September.

“I think it’s going to do wonders for the neighborhood,” said Peter Reyes, general manager of the Hotel de Point.

Reyes and the lead architect, Raymond Chan, envision the 147,000 square-foot complex, a $7 million undertaking, as a one-stop shopping destination for resident and hotel guests.

Aside from the major attractions, the basement of the refurbished building, which used to house a rubber and bra factory, will have a laundromat, possibly a bank and several small restaurants that can be used by workers in the area eager for a decent lunch.

The hotel is extremely high-tech and environmentally friendly, according to Reyes, as well as visually sleek and modern.

The chic design is a common theme throughout the building, including the rooftop terrace boasting unadulterated skyline views of Manhattan to one side and the Bronx-Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges to the other.

But according to Andrew Rocco, of the College Point Taxpayers Civic Association, those choice views come at a price.

“We can’t handle a massive development like that,” Rocco said. “We are a small, residential community, and people moved here for that reason.”

Rocco contends traffic on the perpetually clogged 20th Avenue — one of only four roads that cross the Whitestone Expressway and lead into the isolated neighborhood — is only going to get worse. Rocco questioned how 127th Street, which is where the complex’s parking lot is accessed, can accommodate ingress and egress when it is so narrow that city buses take up the majority of the street as they run their route.

But state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who once opposed the development and even sought to have the former factory landmarked, said Chan has been working with his office to try and minimize the impacts of the development.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

"But according to Andrew Rocco, of the College Point Taxpayers Civic Association, those choice views come at a price."

College Point has a civic association? Who knew? They seem to be as useful as tits on a bull!

Anonymous said...

But state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who once opposed the development and even sought to have the former factory landmarked, said Chan has been working with his office to try and minimize the impacts of the development.

TRANSLATION: CAMPAIGN DONATION

Snake Plissskin said...

1. Does CP need big development like this? No the infrastructure cannot handle it.

2. Does CP need a program to protect housing stock and maintain the character of the neighborhood? Yes, but no one that can help will do this.

These big hotels springing up around Queens will wear out rather quickly - hotels by their nature need complete revamping at least every decade.

This will not happen. This is Queens and nothing changes for the better and the economy is going into the toilet.

IMHO within 25 years they will be SRO eyesores, human warehouses with many people to a tiny room, blights that will bring down their communities.

Anonymous said...

Snake-

That was the plan! Let's not forget Bloomcrap's pet projects, the police academy and the garbage transfer station. We get the Point. HE DOESN'T!!!

Of course it helps the powers that be to have a neighborhood void of leadership! Bend over folks and take it. You have no choice!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully this will come to a happy ending.............

Anonymous said...

"Phony" Avella is hungry to get re-elected, and
Chinese $$$$$ will soon be flowing into his war chest.

"Mr. Chan...Mr. Chan...
Mr. Chan...you got Yuan for me?

How much of it will be laundered through his pal Moby Man Stashitzky's
North Flushing Senior Center?

Anonymous said...

Wake up to reality!

College Point
is the asshole of the area,
and it's been that way since the early 1930s.

Just dump it all into this working class nabe so that privileged Malba, Whitestone and Beechurst don't have to suffer.

So it's been written...so it will be done!

Anonymous said...

college point civic association works very hard for the point.Only people that are not members have negative view.Get in the game and help.

Anonymous said...

Sure the college point hotel is large and for sure their will be traffic concerns.But what is the choice leave the area looking like a dump,at least some one is willing to in vest in cleaning up property that has been a mess for years.Would people be happy if it was houses NO.Happy if it was taken over by home less bumbs NO.How about a hang out for drug addicts NO. What do people think it was going to be a garden.

Anonymous said...

I hear all the time that their is no parking in college point.Most of the time from people that own houses with no garage , did they think that parking in front of their homes would last for life.A lot of these people are the same people that do not use a broom in front of their homes.Or rent out part of their houses and add to the parking problem,a little walking is good.

Anonymous said...

People that are not happy with what is going on in the point need to get involved .College point civic needs members.The plans for this hotel were their for all to see if you were looking, long before it started.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
college point civic association works very hard for the point.Only people that are not members have negative view.Get in the game and help.
-------------------------------------------------

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

The Joker is posting on Queens Crap!!!

Anonymous said...

Why do people complain about things being fix up? How about being glad that some one takes a change to spend money to fix things up.Look at college point blvd a dirty mess when you look at it from a point like bell blvd or franny lou. College point blvd is a mess at least some people will in vest and fix up around hear.One look at college point blvd and you know why some call it garbage point.

Anonymous said...

Because in Queens when someone tries to stand up to this bullshit the boys show up with the ice cream truck and in exchange for a Mr Softie they will happily cut your throat for sprinkles on it.

We have met the enemy and he is us!

Anonymous said...

"The College Point Civic Association works very hard"? LOL!

They obviously haven't
worked very smart judging from the results.

Sabina Cardalli...now there was a hard worker!

Anonymous said...

And some of those Mr. Softie trucks have been selling drugs.

Somatize the already tuned-out voters!

Remember folks...
your average politician is just one step up from a child molester.

And one, in particular...Dennis P. Gallagher...
is an out and out bonafide convicted granny f----r!

Oooh...is he still "advising" Councilman Peter Koo?

Anonymous said...

This hotel will bring jobs to College Point and not just to Asians .This hotel will need many supplies, creating many off shoot jobs,trucking,food,gas,bedding,
maintenance, household, and entertainment. Should the building be empty like so many stores on College Point Blvd.If you don't like crowds move to Upstate New York where there are no jobs

Anonymous said...

To the last comment posted:
Just wait and see. Only asians will be working at the hotel. And no, we do not need this in College Point, and yes, Avella is a phony is who not get my vote for anything he runs for. How much more can we take. Police Academy, garbage transfer station, hotel, etc. Streets are narrow and congested. Go somewhere else!!!!