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Arverne East Plans Under Fire

Locals and developers clash over new development


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NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, along with L+M Development Partners, Triangle Equities, and the Bluestone Organization, held a virtual meeting with community stakeholders on Thursday, Aug. 13, to present plans for the proposed development of Arverne East. 

“We are setting the stage for the Eastern section of the Urban Renewal Area,” said Kevin Parris, director of Queens & Staten Island planning with HPD. 

The proposal aims to transform 115 acres of vacant land into three main components: a 35-acre nature preserve aimed at restoring and promoting the native ecology; 1,650 units of housing which will include 1,320 units for formerly homeless, low, moderate, and middle-income households with some potential homeownership opportunities; and integral infrastructure upgrades for stormwater, sewage, water, electric, gas utilities. 

Designs also include up to 300,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, including 10,000-15,000 sq. ft. for a new brewery and tap house for the Rockaway Beach Brewing Company – a local business currently operating out of Long Island City – and a 60,000 sq. ft. a boutique hotel along the beach.

City Councilman Donovan Richards said that this project looks to undo 40 years of blight that was caused when the beach met the bay. 

The location was previously used as a site for the rich in the summertime, according to Richards, who explained that city planner Robert Moses lobbied the community to create a 500-spot parking lot in Eastern Rockaway, which killed the local economy back then. 

“It’s a new day and we now have a new opportunity to reimagine what this new site will look like again,” Richards said. “We need real robust community engagement in this plan.” 

Richards pointed out how residents in the Eastern parts of Rockaway have not had equitable access to the beaches, concessions and other amenities provided to those further west on the peninsula. 

HPD representatives said that plans for the blighted area were prolonged following the 2008 market crash and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, but since then they have seen a positive change with the development of Beach Green Dunes and the ongoing developments in downtown Far Rockaway. 

Following the presentation, the floor was open to the public. Nearly 120 members of the community were present for the conversation. 

“We need to have a new environmental impact study,” said CB14 Chair Dolores Orr, who demanded that HPD rethink its entire building policy since it is using EIS data that was collected in 2006, prior to Superstorm Sandy and, more recently, the outbreak of COVID-19. 

Glenn DiResto echoed the concerns of the CB14 chairperson. “A lot has changed,” he said. “Remember there were two hospitals when that EIS was done.”

Felicia Johnson said she also co-signs with Dolores Orr’s comments and added that any plans for a new development must also take in account COVID-19 and its effects on large-scale commercial and retail development such as Hudson Yards, which after only 18 months has already lost $25 billion tenant Neiman Marcus.  

“The project needs to reflect what our new normal is going to be,” Johnson said. “Hudson Yards is basically dead. We don’t need dead empty space.” 

Parris responded to concerns with the environmental impact, stating that HPD’s current plans are still in the early phases and that they are currently analyzing the necessary changes to the environmental impact study, which they plan to release publicly in the near future. 

Apart from the necessary changes to the environmental survey, members of the community continued to voice concern with the overall proposal.  

“We need schools. We need a hospital,” said Alexis Smallwood-Foote, a resident of Arverne View. “This is reparations for this community from all the politicians that didn’t do what they were supposed to do for this area.” 

Sonia Moise, a member of CB14 and Edgemere resident, voiced her concerns with the plans for another hotel in the area, mentioning how residents have been promised before that a new hotel would not turn into a homeless shelter, and those promises were later reneged upon. 

 “We were promised this many, many times before and what winds up happening? It’s slated for homeless families,” Moise said, reminding those present of what happened with the La Quinta on Beach 44th Street. 

Harold Paez, former president of the Community Education Council, also raised concerns about promises made by HPD that plans will be made to provide extra seats for students. 

“We’re looking for a proactive approach with the Department of Education about this school issue in Rockaway,” Paez said, adding how parents have been “voting with their feet,” by taking their children to private schools off of the peninsula. 

Based on HPD’s timeline, they plan to re-explore the public approval process in September with a ULURP hearing. If all goes well they plan to begin Phase One of its Urban Farm project in October 2020 and will go to Parks/PDC for approval in December 2020. By April 2021, HPD hopes to close off the project area to commence construction of the Nature Preserve and by July 2021 will begin work on infrastructure improvements. 

To find out more information on the Arverne East project and its components, visit arverneeast.com. Another hearing will be held with members of the community on Aug. 25th.

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