From the Queens Courier:
The owners of Keil Bros Garden Center and Nursery have struck a deal with the city to sell their entire Bayside property, including a home next to the store, for an undisclosed amount.
Ronald Keil, vice president of the family-run business, cited “the changing nature of the retail world” and “increasing costs of doing business” as reasons for the sale.
“Basically, it’s an uncertain economy,” he said.
Residents said the 416-seat school would destroy their quality of life, worsen parking and traffic congestion and lead to dangerous crossing conditions for students.
There are 21 elementary schools in the district and 12 within CB 11’s jurisdiction, according to Susan Seinfeld, district manager of Community Board 11.
Local educators said the majority of them are heavily congested, with registration growing every year.
At least three schools have had to put classrooms in space originally meant for libraries or music, Seinfeld said.
No designs for a new school have been laid out yet, according to School Construction Authority officials. The site selection process began in 2008 and honed in on the disputed site last month.
According to Keil, the city approached his 83-year-old business within the last two years. He said he and his brother are exploring options to continue the store in another part of Queens.
From Bayside Patch:
State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, has blasted a proposal to construct a new school along 48th Avenue in Bayside.
Avella said the proposed site is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood that already includes P.S. 31 a few blocks away.
“Frankly, this proposal makes no sense,” the senator said. “The school will literally be facing the backyards of homes. This is a quiet residential neighborhood that already has an elementary school a few blocks from this site. A school at this location will significant alter the quality of life of residents, including creating considerable traffic and parking concerns.”
Community Board 11 voted down the proposal on Monday night following a presentation by the School Construction Authority. But the City Council will ultimately have the final say on whether the school is built at the site.
37 comments:
Something stinks here.
Can't believe Kiels would sell out.
Like is there no other location away from this residential area to build a school??
I will miss them. They employed a good 20-30 people.
Just want to mention that Keil Bros. had the nerve to show up to the USTA hearings to shill for the expansion proposal.
And now this.
My family has spent thousands of dollars at Keil Bros. during the past decade - as many of us who live in NE Queens have - because they are a class act...or so we thought.
Who knew that they would sell out like this, just a decade or so after they sold out their other location to a Korean Church??
Disappointing doesn't even begin to cover it.
Paul Graziano
Candidate for City Council
19th District
www.paulgraziano.com
We also will lose a great gardening resource....why, Keil Brothers??? Must be all about the money.
Business must be bad.
Times change. Bayside is changing with them.
These "naysiders' always claimed that they would never face the overbuilding that goes on in Flushing.
Well, welcome to the club!
There's always Queens Garden Center.
Are they "connected" ?
Who knows and who really gives a damn?
They're friendly and have good stock.
Snooty, overpriced Keil's didn't keep pace with the times, so now it's history.
It's hard to cry because the greedy Keil's family decided to cash out.
Let's all move on. We've lost far worse than an old time nursery.
Wah, wah, wah.
At least a school is replacing it.
Better to grow young minds than plants.
I hope that it's a public school, and not one of those phony Asian education centers.
They hold the contract for landscaping during the US Open
They will be missed
They hold the landscaping contract for the US Open?
GOOD RIDDANCE...FUCK 'EM!
They won't be missed by me!
I never used them.
Whitestone Nurseries or Queens Garden Center...
better deals offered there.
I know many families who also spent many thousands of dollars there too.
Unless your family can add thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars more to outbid the city, its a goner.
He, who does not hold the deed to a property, cannot control its use. All else is just talk...especially to a greedy owner of a faltering business.
You'd might find yourself cashing out too in this economy. Maybe Keil's taxes have become too high for the money they bring in.
Nevertheless, the situation sucks big time.
Note:
Villa Bianca sold their southern Northern B'vd. site when the taxes put a great burden on their income...also to a Korean church.
Bianca begged the city for some tax relief. They said no. So now they get nothing from the church.
That's life. Love it or leave it.
Puhleeze!
This is not a sacred or historic site.
George Washington never ate, slept or fucked here.
Jesus wasn't bar mitzvahed here either.
Be thankful that Tommy Huang (or sons) didn't buy it.
stop having so many shitty kids and we wouldn't need a new school to cause "traffic and congestion"
Illegal aliens. Population boom. One-family homes with 2 families; two-family homes with 3 families; illegal apartments -- overcrowded schools.
Tommy left the Country. The kids are feeling the pressure. Stinks being them.
The sons are pieces of "Queenscrap" just like the father.
Home Depot and Lowe's competed with Keil Brothers and succeeded. This sale reminds me of the loss of Klein's Farm in Fresh Meadows. Another example of our borough's agricultural heritage disappearing.
The Baby Boomers had double shift schools. No double shift means we need more schools. You could restrict the catchment zone to walk only distances. That would leave special ed/disabled students as the only ones who get school buses.
Build a tower, people complain about not enough schools. Build a school, and people complain, because, well just because.
I'm so heartbroken about this. Kiel's has by far the best tended, healthiest nursery stock and the most knowledgable & friendly workers of any nursery in the area. And I always love walking around their beautiful "secret garden". Damn. When will the destruction of Queen's unique green spaces end.
Baysider sounds like one of the Vallones cause that is the kind of attitude that almost destroyed Astoria after a few decades of their tender mercies.
Sorry, bub, but Bayside is not Astoria. As a matter of fact, thank heavens most places are not because civic leaders usually see their community as a place of pride rather than something little more than an open pit mine for $.
in 1981 two Auburndale public schools ,P.S.130 and 177 ,were closed to save $100,000/year.
the community proved that the closing of P.S.130 was a democrat politcal landgra scam , and fought 8 yers to reopen it as a P.S. Bu CSD 25 would not allow local residents to apply. instead they bused 300 from Main st., Flushing and 50 special education pupils in ,for 35 years.at a outrageous cost to taxpayers.$20,000 and about $90,000 per year ,for regular and Spec. Ed. ,respectively.
open these two sclools for LOCAL WALKING PUPILS AND THE COMMUNITY WILL BE SERVED AGAIN ,AS IN 1970-81.
NO NEW SCHOOL IS NEEDED . IT WILL ONLY INCREASE THE BUSING OF OUTSDE OF DISTRICT PUPILS AND GIVE THE uft ANOTHER DESIRABLE AREA TO SEND THEIR DUES PAYING MEMBERS.
"Better to grow young minds than plants"
Haaa, I'm going with the plants !
Do you really think Queens schools and library's are for educating young minds ?
In 2013 they are nothing more then babysitting services for offspring of illegal immigrants (future democrats breeders )most cases to feral in-capable to be educated.
Ask any school teacher what its like in a public school these days !!
Anon No. 19:
What are "sclools"?
At some point, you will have to explain what you feel are reasonable alternatives to current special education programs. To date you haven't.
H-Mart , the Korean food market chain, is opening soon a little way down the road on Francis Lewis and 48th.
There are supposed to have a garden center as well.
The fact that a school needs to be built indicates that young families are still interested in living here, and not moving away.
That's a healthy sign that a nabe is good. It beats schools closing in the less desirable places to live.
You really are a bunch of heads-in-the-sand
throwbacks...typically Queens.
No, actually I reside at ??-?? 35th Avenue, Bayside.
Sorry to disappoint you, but my doorbell name plate does not read "Vallone".
I think you're that Ass-torian from the hysterical society...the one who always likes to BS about
northeast Queens.
Yeah, we've all got your number here fella!
"The fact that a school needs to be built indicates that young families are still interested in living here, and not moving away."
Actually, it doesn't mean anything of the sort. There hasn't been a population boom of children in Bayside. Rather, kids are going to be bused in from other parts of Queens. You sound like the one with your head in the sand. Or up your butt.
There will be! Bayside's growing
Auburndale's PS 32 is overcrowded anyway...
with Bayside and downtown Flushing kids.
Garden World...not too far from Keil's....is still there
I think that Keil's owner is in his eighties.
I heard that he had the property on the market for years. Now he got his price to retire well.
It's sad but some things have their cycles.
This one is at its end.
Bay Landscaping is long gone. They occupied about a full block frontage on Francis Lewis B'lvd. right across the street from Waldbaums.
How many nurseries does an area need?
LOL!
My butt is on your bowl.
Let's see if you post that.
many of the P.S.177/130 pupils ,not allowed in their local P.S., were bused a mile away to P.S. 162 and 31.in 1981. 177 is a Spec.Ed. Autistic school for 35 years.serving many queens districts.
no new elementary P.S. is needed in CSD 26. just use the existing buildings for the local resident's pupils.
your property taxes will rise again.
thank you liberal/progressive complex.
Anon No. 29:
You're welcome!!!! Someone has to show interest in students with special educational needs (not all of them are autistic, you know)!!! You clearly don't.
But let me ask again. What alternatives do you have?
Why don't we pay the parents to stay home and take care of the seriously handicapped? Shipping those kids to a school every day is an ordeal for them. I've seen kids loaded into school buses who look like they have no idea where they are. What are they really getting out of going to school? They'll need 24 hour supervision for their entire lives and will never be able to work. It would be less expensive to help them at home than to shuttle them back and forth in a pointless exercise.
Thank's for having the "balls" to post it "Crappie".
You're always on the level...that's why we all trust you to tell things like they are!
I can always take the heat from you because I always respect your counter comments to me.
Good for the Keil's. I have known them for over 40 years. They have moved, downsized, consolidated and just about anything else to stay in business, but Home Depot and the like are driving them out just as cvs is killing neighborhood pharmacies. They have always been community conscious. Glad it's a school and not a supermarket or strip mall!!
we are five blocks away. 48th avenue is bad enough with spring and summer congestion caused BY Kiehls nice selection hugely overpriced all the time.. i go to garden world or order on line..they can try to sell to the school authority but it does not make sense to us, as homeowners, there are other places that would make better sites.. i'm hoping that the city council goes crazy and this gets stopped. i dont care about his finances..let him sell the property to a develoer to build some houses- even that would create an issue. this is ridiculous.
We'll really miss Keil Brothers, and hope that they will reopen very quickly. It is depressing to know that business is bad. Let's hope the economy picks up and makes them wealthy.
So disappointed, look around who needs a nursery, concrete driveways and everything else, our neighborhood's are changing very quickly, beautiful 1 family homes turned into multi dwellings.....guess its really getting crowded in Beijing!!!
Late to the party, but for the commentor who suggested that we pay the parents to stay home with their handicapped child(ren), I get your point. However, I would suggest that you have no one in your inner circle who has a handicapped child. If you did, you would understand that these children still benefit from being involved in a community where they have a structure and are taught daily liivng skilla. Like many children, they may be more receptive to learning these skills away from their parents who undoubtedely could use a respite from caring for their special needs child.
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