Saturday, August 11, 2012

Homeless shelter coming to Glendale?


Dear Friends,

I would like to inform you of the facts in regards to a proposed homeless shelter in Glendale.

The property in question, 78-16 Cooper Avenue, is owned by Wilner Realty Management LLC. Michael Wilner is an owner of the company and the site’s property manager. Mr. Wilner has confirmed to me that he has indeed been in contact with a Not-for-Profit agency that runs homeless shelters. He would not provide the name of the organization.

I do not support turning this site into a shelter.

NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) has a legal process that must be followed before any such site is approved. The process can take weeks, and in most cases months. The community board must be notified before an application begins, and Community Board 5 has not received any notification. Nonetheless, we should still be very concerned.

To be clear, DHS has not yet received a proposal.

The property is zoned M1-1 for manufacturing use, not residential use. This zone is meant to bring economic opportunity and services to the community. However, the land-use law allows for hotels in this zone, and unfortunately, the city has allowed the use of shelters for this zone before. But to give an occupancy certificate to a shelter in this location would be an inaccurate manipulation of the law and should be stopped.

The site should be developed to enrich the community. The neighboring and attached lot is currently under renovation by a local company named “Artistic Stitch.” The site under renovation is scheduled to open in the coming weeks as a community sports and recreation center.

Michael Wilner, the property owner at 78-16 Cooper Avenue, said that the building has been vacant for much of the past 20 years. He has not signed any agreement on leasing the approximately 70,000 sq. ft. of space and is willing to show the building to interested buyers.

Our office, along with the offices of the local elected officials of Glendale and Middle Village, will fight a proposed homeless shelter for 78-16 Cooper Avenue. We will also begin circulating a petition that makes it clear our community will not allow this type of development. Please keep in contact with my office at 718-366-3900 or email ecrowley@council.nyc.gov for further details.

Elizabeth Crowley

31 comments:

Unknown said...

It happens FAST. This building at least needs renovations before anyone can move it. Take a look at whats happening on the upper west side. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/11/nyregion/nyc-homeless-shelters-in-record-demand-new-facilities-planned.html?_r=2&hp
If they can't stop it, how can we?
How can they put that many homeless people in an area with limited public transpiration and jobs?

Anonymous said...

Why would they need public transportation? They'll just hang out all day at the pedestrian plaza that everyone's so excited about.

Anonymous said...

Well, there goes another nice neighborhood down the toilet. No wonder the middle class is leaving in droves. Wonder who will pay for all the homeless when the middle class leave New York.

georgetheatheist said...

Move it to Ft. Totten next to you-know-who's group. Plenty of not-used buildings there. Plenty.

Anonymous said...

Stick them on Governor's Island. Plenty of empty old buildings there. They can ride the free bikes on the weekend.

Anonymous said...

The destruction of stable middle class neighborhoods is what this is about. Does anyone really think Liz Crowley will do anything

Anonymous said...

Why dont they put it in Long island city i drive on hunters point and borden ave everyday and each week a new sign goes up for vacant space.

Lots of businesses are giving away FREE on CL office partitions.i saw hundreds a few weeks ago..

Oh they have to have their own apartment and separate baths......

Anonymous said...

This is a great example of why Glendale needed a strong City Council member instead of that nitwit Dizzy Lizzy Crowley. Good luck with Crowley Glendale, you'll need it.

Anonymous said...

Liz Crowley is useless. Glendale is going down.

Anonymous said...

There's one shelter in Queens now that DHS has place 2 dozen registered sex offenders in. Watch out since DHS doesn't care how it dumps on a community.

Anonymous said...

If it bothers some of you here as much as you claim it does and really does make you fearful about living in Glendale, then are you trying to organize protests against this thing?

Don't wait for a city council member that you (by your own words) think doesn't do anything. Contact the media and picket in front of the offices of the DHS.

According to their web site, this appears to be the address:

33 Beaver Street
New York, NY 10004

Make a big stink.

If you don't do anything and the homeless shelter goes in, well...

Are you that helpless?

Anonymous said...

Since Crowley is on the Dems *hit list ther isn't a chance in hell she can do anything to stop this. Just wondering if the Juniper Park Civic Assn.will take up this or mistakenly think it is to far away to efect them.

Anonymous said...

Glendale is fucked

Anonymous said...

Probably someone in Crowley's family will make money.

Bugleg said...

It's still not clear what is or isn't being proposed--there is alot of second and third hand information circulating. That said, whatever use emerges for the property needs to be consistent with the scale and density of the surrounding area.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the owners of Atlas mall will just LOVE the pan handlers that will be flooding the plaza.

And im sure the new bistro that is opening along side Artistic Stitch will love the view as well.

Anonymous said...

So why can't Mr. Wilner hold out for another 20 years and wait for a manufacturing tenant?

Anonymous said...

Glendale went down years ago as well as it's surrounding neighborhoods. Take off the blinders and realize you live in a shit hole. Move your family elsewhere, a place they can thrive and a place your children can actually ride their bikes up and down the streets with nothing to worry about.

Anonymous said...

I wonder where Michael Wilner resides. I bet its not Queens. what a scumbag.

Queens Crapper said...

Jericho, long island

Unknown said...

If the local government cant organize a plan to use that property in a better way they will get what they deserve. Rezone the property to give Wilner Realty REAL options to better serve the community. Just collecting his property tax and not helping him out forces his hand with few options.
Give a Grant and a Tax Abatement Plan to something that will improve the neighborhood. Govt needs to help not just collect taxes

Anonymous said...

I live in this community. I do not think Glendale will benafit in anyway by having a homeless shelter there. We the peolpe of Glendale must do something about this until it is to late. This part of town wont be no longer a safe place.

Anonymous said...

I am a Glendale resident and it makes me feel nervious the fact that there will be a shelter to close to home. Why cant they built a shelter in open lots were there will be little to no residents in the areas.

Anonymous said...

Please join us in the rally against Samarital Village shelter for sex offenders on Cooper Avenue.
Saturday Nov 2nd at 78-16 Cooper Avenue. More info on our Facebook event page: https://m.facebook.com/events/636523929704376/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Anonymous said...

Apparently the Homeless Shelter came to an agreement to Lease this building and they are in the early stages of planning/environmental testing on the property.

Anonymous said...

The opening of the shelter is of no surprise to me. It is part of the open secret plan to gentrify the entire city and its surrounding boroughs. It began with Harlem and the construction of high priced condos in what was previously one of the poorest parts of Manhattan. It continued on with The Bronx, due to its proximity to Manhattan and the renovation of Yankee Stadium. It's still continuing with the renewals of Pelham Parkway and the Bronx Terminal. The expansion into Queens is just the logical next step. In my opinion the conflict comes because of the general demographics in Glendale. Not to paint everyone with the same wide brush, but some people don't see a problem with gentrification if it only affects people of color. The difference is that those behind the plan don't really care about that. They care only about their bottom line. And if that means pushing out those they deem undesirable, they're going to do so regardless of color. The people in Glendale seem to have lulled themselves into this belief that their race and clean sidewalks give them some sort of advantage, but it doesn't. The only reason it hasn't happened sooner is because it is relatively far from Manhattan compared to The Bronx. However, believe it or not, Queens, despite it's larger size, actually has a lower median income than the Bronx. If I were a developer, those would be the numbers I would be looking at, not the demographics. The lower income is a sign that most people here also have little relative political power or motivation because they are bogged down with day to day needs and will therefore offer little resistance to the developers plans. The shelter is just the first step. It serves to keep the "cheap labor' close to the jobs offered by the incoming developers. Soon after we will see construction and renewal of housing like condos catering to affluent folks and then finally, the development of high-end, swanky retail business meant to keep said folks in the city. Leaving those of us with out the means to afford to live here with no other choice but to move out. I'm not saying I like it, I'm just saying, regardless of color, if you are not one of the "creative class" which is the new code for rich, I would start seriously considering moving out while I still have a chance.

Anonymous said...

Dear Elizabeth Crowley,
What are you doing to stop this homeless shelter from coming to the Glendale/Middle Village area?

Anonymous said...

Glendale is a great community to live in. It's a quiet family neighborhood that isn't over populated and unfortunately if you turn that building in to a homeless shelter it would ruin the intergrity of the neighborhood and would deter shoppers from "The Shops at Atlas Park" Regal Cinemas and also Artistice Stitch...this without even mentioning the residents of the neighborhood. I for one would look to sell and move out if this were to pass. Statistically, when shelters open up in neighborhoods like this unfortunately it doesn't being people in ot the community that would take care of their surroundings...they know they aren't going to be around for long and do not care about causing a nuisance to the residents who WILL be living there for most of or not all of their lives.

It's a terrible idea and would destroy the sense of community and pride of living in Glendale Queens! I would be ashamed to say I live in Glendale if that shelter comes to pass.

Why not build the shelter in Park slope, preferably on the block of our current Mayor Bill Diblasio’s home or on East 79th Street in manhattan, Michael Bloombergs home.

Anonymous said...

Glendale is a great community to live in. It's a quiet family neighborhood that isn't over populated and unfortunately if you turn that building in to a homeless shelter it would ruin the intergrity of the neighborhood and would deter shoppers from "The Shops at Atlas Park" Regal Cinemas and also Artistice Stitch...this without even mentioning the residents of the neighborhood. I for one would look to sell and move out if this were to pass. Statistically, when shelters open up in neighborhoods like this unfortunately it doesn't being people in ot the community that would take care of their surroundings...they know they aren't going to be around for long and do not care about causing a nuisance to the residents who WILL be living there for most of or not all of their lives.

It's a terrible idea and would destroy the sense of community and pride of living in Glendale Queens! I would be ashamed to say I live in Glendale if that shelter comes to pass.

Why not build the shelter in Park slope, preferably on the block of our current Mayor Bill Diblasio’s home or on East 79th Street in manhattan, Michael Bloombergs home.

Anonymous said...

I left Glendale in 1993. Things were going downhill then. The only reason to live in Glendale now is if you have a city job with 20 year retirement and then you leave. Bringing in Homeless people will plummet home values and school ratings. This is just another form of Block Busting.
It's just not worth living in NYC anymore. ZERO quality of life.

Anonymous said...

I am a glendale resident and I find the neighborhood to be a family based community. I like living in glendale, but from what I hear , the community will go down the moment the shelter opens.
Seeing this proposal is making me look to living in Upstate New York, also the nyc taxes and the Manhattan and Albany bureucracy forces our taxes to go up, not to mention the corruption of our elected officials , which I think affects liz crowley as much as our illustrious govener.
Moving out of this city in light of this proposal is the best option. Lower taxes and better jobs in upstate new york or north dakota is what is making me want to move their as soon as im out of college

extra hint
upstate new york is to new york city and albany
glendale residents to city hall and our elected officials , see the similarities?