Elected officials representing Northeast and Eastern Queens are pleased that Gov. Hochul announced on Feb. 13 the closure of the controversial Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center situated on the grounds of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village.
Councilwoman Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens), Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) and state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-College Point) issued a statement on the closure.
“Our offices have received confirmation from the Governor’s administration that the Creedmoor HERRC will be closing — a long-awaited and welcome decision for our community,” said the electeds in the joint statement. “For the past year and a half, residents have shown great patience while enduring the placement of a humanitarian shelter housing over 1,000 single adult males.”
The Governor’s Office said it will support the Eastern Queens’ community when it comes to public safety, affordability and quality of life issues in a statement.
“The State of New York stepped in to support the city’s effort to shelter tens of thousands of migrants by offering state-owned land to shelter these individuals,” said Matt Janiszewski, a spokesman for Hochul’s office. “Governor Hochul believes it’s entirely appropriate that the Creedmoor HERRC is one of the first shelters to close and did not offer the city a renewed lease at this site.”
As previously reported, two Cuban fugitive brothers, one who had a gun, were found at the tent city last year. Some of the migrants have utilized a playground meant for students at PS 18, which is across the street from the shelter. The Services Now for Adult Persons senior center is also on the Creedmoor complex, and some seniors have been intimidated by the men.
“Since the shelter’s inception, our offices have consistently urged both [Mayor Adams] and the governor to acknowledge and address the community’s legitimate concerns,” the Northeast and Eastern officials continued. “In our joint letter to both administrations last month, we specifically requested that Creedmoor be prioritized for closure due to its detrimental impact on the surrounding area. With two social services centers and an elementary school nearby, it was evident from the start that this location was unsuitable for such a facility ... we look forward to seeing this transition take place beginning in March.”
Community Board 13 leaders also welcomed the news that what they called the wrongly sited HERRC was closing.
CB 13 members had problems with the site also being near a Little League complex and the Cross Island Y.
“Queens Community Board 13 thanks City Council Member Linda Lee, State Senator Toby Stavisky, Assembly Member Ed Braunstein and Borough President Donovan Richard for their staunch advocacy on behalf of our community throughout,” said CB 13 Chair Bryan Block, District Manager Mark McMillan and Land Use Subcommittee Chair Corey Beark in a joint statement via email. “This removal cannot happen too soon!”
Parents recently grew concerned when reports emerged about a permit being filed for a shelter at 118-08 Jamaica Ave., an empty lot in Richmond Hill.
Per the permit listed on the city Department of Buildings database, the building is proposed to be five stories tall with 12,407 square feet of space for the facility, which would include 129 beds.
The proposed shelter, to the dismay of many residents on neighborhood Facebook groups, is within walking distance of the Richmond Hill Library, PS 51, PS 90, Richmond Hill High School and the future elementary school slated to be built at 120-08 Jamaica Ave.
At Tuesday night’s Community Board 9 meeting at Queens Borough Hall, resident Paul Trust spoke on behalf of the Richmond Hill Block Association.
“We understand that at this juncture, a permit has been filed and no decision has been made regarding the fate of this property,” Trust said. “It is vital that the safety of the community remains a top priority.”
He said the corridor and the nearby intersection of Lefferts and Jamaica avenues have been “problematic.”
“Just recently, one of our members was accosted at Lefferts and Jamaica Avenue by a gentleman who became aggressive and shouted expletives when he asked for money and wanted more than the dollar that was given,” Trust said.
The architect on the permits is listed as Michael Kang, and the owner of the property is Gunnveet Sandhu.
According to both public records and Trust’s testimony during the public forum, Sandhu is part of the Sandhu Group, based out of Inwood, NY.
Back in December, during testimony at a City Council meeting, Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-Brooklyn) expressed concerns about the group, which she said accrued multiple violations and fines totaling more than $140,000 across its developments.
The Sandhu family was charged with bribery in the third degree and a Class D felony, Zhuang said at the time.
The Sandhu Group declined to comment on the permit filed for 118-08 Jamaica Ave.
2 comments:
Putting Homeless Shelters "in the community" only helps the drug dealers, who wait outside the shelters to pressure their homeless clients to do crimes for them. They take drugs to get the courage to do crimes, then get their sentence reduced because the drugs did it. You need to put these homeless far, far away, where the drug dealers can't control them. And in the name of privacy, they refuse to put cameras in the shelter bathrooms where all the dealing gets done.
That area will just become disgusting. Most homeless people have mental problems as it is so why are they closing down a mental institution instead of putting them into it.
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