Community Board 14 April Meeting Recap

By Katie McFadden

As the days get longer, so do the Community Board 14 meetings. The April meeting on Tuesday, April 14 had a packed agenda with presentations on QueensLink, the Edgemere Community Land Trust and more.

The meeting began with NYPD updates. Lieutenant Hughes of Transit District 23 spoke of two crimes, including a young kid who was slashed in the face on the A train on the morning of March 30. The other incident occurred at 4:20 a.m. on April 6, when someone stole packages from under the feet of a sleeping passenger. Transit 23 tries to deter these incidents by waking sleeping passengers.

Captain Phil Woo, the new 100th Precinct executive officer, said there’s been a 31% spike in crime over the last 28 days, mostly including felony assaults, but they’re down 50% in robberies, burglaries and grand larceny auto. Captain Christopher Solano, the new 101st Precinct executive officer, said they’re down in major crimes. They recently added 20 rookie officers who will be on foot posts in high crime areas. There has been a spike in package thefts, especially in Ocean View and Wavecrest. Wavecrest now has package lockers, so he advised people to use them.

Next were updates from elected officials’ representatives. Carl Brown of Sen. James Sanders’ office discussed the senator’s cryptocurrency bill, which will establish oversight to prevent scammers from using crypto to commit fraud.

Janine Agard of Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson’s office announced a Black Maternal Health event at the Joseph P. Addabbo Health Center on April 29 at 6 p.m. There will be resources for expecting mothers and giveaways. Let’s Get Civical will be at 10 a.m. on April 25 at the Rockaway YMCA to help people understand civics. There will be utility assistance with National Grid and PSEG on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1931 Mott Avenue. Call 718-327-1845 to make an appointment.

Renee Taylor of Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers said HPD will be at the Rockaway office at 1931 Mott Avenue, Suite 410 on June 4, to help people apply for affordable housing, file complaints and more. Her Spring Festival will be April 26 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at O’Donohue Park on Beach 17th Street with fun for the whole family.

Stacey Spataro of Councilwoman Joann Ariola’s office said the councilwoman has been meeting with NYC Parks for beach and lifeguard updates. Fines are once again in place for not composting. Homeowners will need the official NYC Trash Bin by June. They can be purchased at Home Depot. There will be a free produce giveaway on April 22 at 1 p.m. at the Rockaway office. An HPD resource van will be at the Beach 94th Amphitheater on April 27 at 4 p.m.

Dan Brown of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office announced the conviction of Guy Rivera on aggravated manslaughter for the killing of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller. He faces up to 90 years in jail. A representative from the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said there will be a swearing in ceremony and orientation for new community board members on April 20 at 6 p.m. at Queensboro Hall. Some of CB14’s new members introduced themselves. They include Sabrina Mohan of Wavecrest, Ebube Nwaeme of Bayswater, Jasmine Hardy of Redfern and Ed Lynch of Belle Harbor.

Chairwoman Orr announced that the Beach 108th Street’s former manufactured gas plant has been sold. It’s a former contaminated site that is zoned for commercial and manufacturing purposes. She also announced that Alma Realty has not yet filed their plan for the Surfside property to City Planning.

District Manager Felicia Johnson said starting July 1, the Department of Buildings is requiring that commercial storefronts replace rolldown gates with ones with 70% visibility. An orientation was held for CERT training, with roughly 70 people attending, including some newcomers. She advised that those who attended should register for the class on April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Addabbo Health Center. The training is 11 weeks.

Johnson sent a letter to the city regarding the mayor’s preliminary budget since he wants to cut the budget for all community boards. CB14 also sent a letter of support for Sanders’ and Anderson’s bill that was discussed last month regarding plastic packaging reduction.

Johnson had many updates from the DOT. The car share program that is in Rockaway has been downsized as a contractor is no longer doing business In New York, so it is only available at 1023 Nameoke and 401 Beach 44th Street.

There are safety improvements being proposed near PS/MS 183 between Beach 77th and 84th. A painted median will be removed, and they’ll be addressing a left turn issue. Beach 79th from Rockaway Freeway to Rockaway Beach Blvd. is going to be made into a one-way southbound street. Beach 80th from Rockaway Freeway to Beach Channel Drive will be one-way northbound. They will also remove the slip lane from Beach Channel Drive onto Beach 84th and they will install a concrete triangle at the intersection. These changes will be implemented in 2026 and will take a year to complete. On Rockaway Beach Blvd. and Beach 108th, safety measures were installed including vertical elements. The DOT will also extend the westbound Rockaway Beach Blvd. bus lane. Beach 39th is going to be converted to a northbound from Rockaway Beach Blvd. to Beach Channel Drive in May. DOT is reducing speed limits to 20 mph under Sammy’s Law in 18 locations.

Johnson warned that several new housing developments are coming as of right. They include 1036 Beach 21st Street, 3229 Far Rockaway Blvd., 1811 Cornaga Ave., 1016 Beach 19th Street, 137 and 155 Beach 30th Street and 139 Beach 29th Street. MTA made temporary repairs on the Beach 116th Street platform as they await capital funding for permanent repairs. NYC Parks said that due to the World Cup coming, Parks may deny certain permit applications between June 11 and July 19.

A major project is coming on Beach 108th Street by the water treatment plant. They’ll be making a sludge dock improvement with a new bulkhead and other changes. It’s slated to start this season. Johnson had several questions about how this might affect ferry service or the school nearby. She is awaiting answers.

During public speaking, Linda Ruiz of Belle Harbor encouraged people to join the upcoming CERT classes. Ivory Francis, development manager at Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, shared the nonprofit offers youth development, behavioral health, economic development, older adult services and housing. They will be serving as a codeveloper of the Rockaway Beach 43rd Street Project, where they’ll offer case management, substance use treatment, recreational and cultural programming and more. Anivelca Cordova of Lemle & Wolfe, a partner in the development, also spoke on the project.

Elsie Maio of management consultancy firm Humanity Inc., which advises organizations on sustainability and ethical business practices, spoke about a report they did for the Surfside Housing Association for Tenants in 2024. They found three vulnerabilities in the Beach 108th corridor that haven’t been assessed for current conditions. She advised that the board should require an independent assessment of these risks.

Jeremy of Arverne made a complaint about businesses bringing in scaffolding, dumpsters and heavy machinery to the area, which have caused disruptions. They have been fined for violations for conducting work without permits, but nothing has changed. He showed proof to the board of the violations and asked for help.

Nina Monica spoke about ongoing problems with the Q22 bus, as buses continue to skip stops due to being too full since the Queens Network Redesign project was implemented. She obtained signatures from 800 residents who have been negatively impacted and demanded that changes be made.

Paul King spoke on behalf of America. With the 250th anniversary coming up on July 4, King encouraged people to teach their kids about the importance of America and freedom, so they don’t take those things for granted.

A woman named Kristy from old Beach 88th Street said they’re having issues with dumping, and people living in cars and on the streets, and suggested that a survey be done of the street since the DOB considers it undefined, so it is not known who has jurisdiction over it.

Camilla from Beach 89th Street spoke about Bay Breeze Park, asking that it be opened at least in part, so people can start accessing it. Three kids including Bella, Scarlet and Elise said they’ve been waiting three years for the park to open.

Eugene Falik spoke about Rockaway being turned into another Manhattan with development, so he advised CB14 to ask for a charter amendment saying that if 75% of members of the board vote against a land use proposal, it should kill the proposal. Charlene Mitchell of Birth by Queens is hoping to open a birthing center in Rockaway by December 2027, so she requested a letter of support for the effort.

Next were presentations. Rick Horan spoke about QueensLink or the Rockaway Beach Branch reactivation, an effort to reactivate the former Long Island Rail Road corridor that went from Rockaway to Queens Boulevard until 1962. Horan explained Travis Terry got the mayor to fund QueensWay, a $35M park project along the same area, which is currently in Mayor Mamdani’s draft budget for the city. Horan explained his disappointment as Mamdani had previously shown support for QueensLink as an assemblyman and while running for mayor. Horan hopes to put pressure on the mayor to reconsider and opt for the transportation option that could create a subway line and 33 acres of parkland. If the park is built before, it would block an option to add transit later. “A study was just completed showing the benefits outweigh the costs. A letter writing campaign to the mayor is underway at Queenslink.org. CB14 unanimously voted yes to sending a letter to the mayor reminding him of his previous support for QueensLink and asking him to support it.

Next was a presentation from New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO). A representative explained it’s a nonpartisan, independent city agency providing data-driven fiscal and policy insights into how New York city’s government and services operate. They do not provide recommendations. They have 50 analysts that conduct independent analyses and provide impartial data analysis. This includes the mayor’s budget plans and drafts. The executive budget coming up in May should include numbers from the state, but the state budget is currently late. The IBO will provide an analysis after it’s released. They’ve published reports on tax lien sales and how they’ve changed, EMS response times, the process for setting property tax rates and more. On May 21 at 6 p.m. on Zoom, they’ll be hosting an online class for people to learn all about the budget. If you have any questions regarding any policy and budget analysis, e-mail info@ibo.nyc.gov

The last presentation was from ReAl Edgemere Community Land Trust (CLT). Arverne resident Zakiya Grant and executive director Malik Sanders explained the plan is to provide opportunities for more affordable home ownership. A CLT is a nonprofit organization that collectively owns and stewards land for a community and is governed by a board. The nonprofit maintains control of the land while people own the homes. Their team’s submission to HPD’s RFI was selected in 2022, so they received the land from HPD. The area they’re focusing on in Edgemere, on the bayside around Beach 43rd Street and Beach Channel Drive, is made up of 119 scattered lots including two commercial lots, 62 housing lots and 55 open spaces. Due to flooding issues, the homes will be raised. They held a developer selection through a Request for Qualifications and chose Urban Eco Spaces, which has done work in Rockaway. The project is in the pre-development phase to finalize designs and numbers. The homes will be sold through Housing Connect. The CLT will continue to do community outreach for feedback. For more info, see www.realedgemereclt.org

Next was a presentation by the Transportation Committee. The committee did not have a quorum at the meeting as not enough members are showing up, including members who haven’t attended a meeting in 15 years. Mike Tedesco spoke about the Q22 bus overcrowding issues. Starting April 12, the MTA said they would implement changes, so Tedesco asked the community to let CB14 if they notice any changes. There was a DOT presentation regarding changes around the PS/MS 183 area. The committee recommended a letter of support to study the traffic signal timing and the addition of a westbound turn lane on Beach Channel Drive and Beach 84th Street and Java Place. CB14 voted unanimously on a motion to send the letter of support. They also voted to support a study on Pinson Avenue and Nameoke to alleviate truck traffic in the area. There were recently issues with implementing traffic signals and street markings around Beach 9th Street, as they were delayed due to weather, but those projects are being expedited.