June 2002 LNPCA Newsletter

In May of 2001, the Little Neck Pines Civic Association was faced with two major concerns that will affect us and our quality of life. The closing of Grand Union, the sole grocery food store supporting the immediate vicinity and the construction of a large community facility with limited on-site parking being built behind the Library, between 249^th Street and Marathon Parkway awakened our organization to focus on our community.

Construction of Community Facility

Much has been happening behind the scenes. The Board of Directors has had two meetings with the Building Department regarding the facility, as well as a request from Senator Padavan to the Department of Transportation that a traffic flow study be prepared as a result of this new construction. The Buildings Department refused to authorize the study. We subsequently met with both Councilman Avella and Councilman Weprin regarding not only this issue but also other issues in the community which affect our quality of life.

Out of our extensive research an issue has come to light that affects each and every one in the community, “As of Right”. The “As of Right” portion of the zoning law exempts any Community Facility (i.e. medical facility, senior center, house of worship, etc.) from standard zoning regulations. Basically, “As of Right” means that any property can be purchased and turned into a community facility. It can be the house next door, down the block or across the street from you. This is an issue that we perceive is not in the best interests of the Little Neck and Douglaston communities, as well as other areas of the city. We must convey our concerns to our elected officials , one of which is that the approval for building permits should not be granted until it is brought before a public forum. We must not shy away from any action or process that we perceive will affect our quality of life. Our voice must be heard. Our next meeting will be open to all residents of the community to discuss this issue and, as a community, how to proceed. It is critical that you attend this meeting. It will be held at MS 67 located at 51-60 Marathon Parkway, Little Neck [at the intersection of 51st Avenue and Marathon Parkway] on June 20th at 7:15 pm.

Grocery Food Store

Little Neck Pines board members Mary Jane Himes and Betty Ann Oliva are the two primary activists who contacted Stop & Shop and arranged for their attendance at an open forum of the Little Neck Pines Association Meeting. Stop & Shop handed out questionnaires and were impressed with the overwhelming response from the Little Neck and Douglaston communities. We were gratified to learn on April 18^th that all of our efforts have resulted in Stop & Shop officially deciding to open up their supermarket on the former Grand Union site.

Congratulations

At their annual dinner/dance on March 1, 2002, the Lion’s Club honored our co-chairman, John Ostendorf, as “Man of the Year”.
On April 1, 2002, Laura James and Jo Ann Ferrari were both appointed as members of Community Board 11. Their terms will run for 2 years. We are thrilled to have 2 board members of Little Neck Pines Association on the Community Board.
On April 24, 2002, our board member, Gregory Pizzigno, was elected President of the Little Neck-Douglaston Lions Club.

111^th Police Department Meeting

A few of our members met with representatives from the 111^th precinct of the Police Department in February. We addressed the concerns over burglaries, graffiti and traffic problems in the area, more specifically the congestion in the area of 249^th Street and Northern Boulevard and the people disregarding the one-way signs on 247^th Street. Some of us have also attended the monthly meeting at the 111^th precinct.

Meeting with Surrounding Civic Associations

Due to the efforts of Judith Shapp, a member of Little Neck Pines, and Mark Duma, our co-chairman, we hosted a few meetings with representatives of the surrounding civic associations to discuss a number of key issues affecting the community. At these meetings the “As of Right” issue was addressed. As of this writing, plans are being made to create a strategy to help the community amend the laws.

Upcoming Events in the Community

We are reprinting a wonderful book about Little Neck history for the 50^th anniversary of the book’s original printing. The book is available now and we will be offering it at our June 20th meeting for an $8.00 donation or send a check payable to Little Neck Pines Association for $10.00 [includes shipping] to our post office box.

The executive board usually meets twice a month.
Please submit all questions to P.O. Box 331 or email us at mail@littleneckpines.org