November Community Board Meeting Recap
By Katie McFadden
November’s monthly Community Board 14 meeting on Tuesday, November 12, was chock full of information and updates for the community.
The meeting, held at the Knights of Columbus, began with updates from the local NYPD Precincts. An NCO Sergeant from the 101st Precinct said they recently towed about 30 abandoned cars from the Beach 50s along Rockaway Freeway. They also recently cooperated with the NYC Sheriff’s office to shut down an illegal smoke shop that was selling marijuana to children on Mott Ave. They also made several arrests on Beach 44th Street for a large amount of marijuana being sold on the streets. The 101st’s next Community Council meeting is Wednesday, November 20. Captain Carol Hamilton of the 100th Precinct announced they’re down 52.3% in index crime. They will be having a meeting with the owners of the first legal marijuana shop on Beach 87th Street in December to discuss some things. The next 100th Precinct Community Council meeting is Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m. at the Knights. Captain Waheed Akhter of Transit District 23 said they’ve mostly had a decrease in crime and warned people about falling asleep on trains to prevent things like property theft.
Chairwoman Dolores Orr shared some sad updates, including the recent passing of Sandee Doremus on Monday, a local resident and longtime liaison for Senator Joe Addabbo. “It’s quite a shock to all of us. She was always around,” Orr said.
Orr and several others reminded everyone about the town hall with the MTA on Thursday, November 14, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the YMCA, advising people to attend if they have questions or concerns about the upcoming 17-week shutdown of the A train in January.
As far as cannabis goes, Orr said that three licenses for legal cannabis shops have been issued for Rockaway, two in Council District 32 and one in 31. One has opened. Every location must have a security guard and no loitering is permitted outside of the shop. She advised people to take photos if these things aren’t being followed, so they can send them to the licensing bureau. CB14 had filed an objection to the other pending location on Beach 96th Street, since it is within 500 feet of a library, as they consider it to be a youth community facility, but the city failed to identify libraries as such, so the challenge is still pending.
Elected officials and their representatives then provided updates. A rep for Senator James Sanders said they’ll be hosting a MWBE (Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise) discussion with panelists on November 23 at 11:45 a.m. at Rochdale Village Ballroom in Jamaica. Those interested in opening a business are encouraged to attend. Call 718-523-3069 x 1103 for info. A rep for Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato thanked the district for re-electing her. A rep from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards’ office reminded the community board that the application process opens in January and board members will have to re-apply if their term is ending. Margaret Powers of Councilwoman Joann Ariola’s office announced that the councilwoman has introduced a package of bills to help veterans with housing. She announced that City of Yes Housing Opportunity was heard by the Zoning Committee of the City Council and discussions are happening to make modifications. The councilwoman is requesting that Rockaway be removed from the plan since the district deals with flooding issues. New garbage rules began November 12, requiring property owners to have a bin with a secure lid and the official NYC Bin is required by June 2026. No bags are allowed on the curb and warnings will be given before fines start being issued on January 2. Seniors or disabled residents who have issues putting the bins out can call sanitation at 212-291-1371 to request smaller bins that are easier to move. Ariola’s office is collecting pet supplies and cleaning supplies for local animal shelters. Items can be dropped off at her office Monday-Friday. Her office is hosting a Thanksgiving food giveaway on November 27 from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. Those experiencing food insecurity are encouraged to call her office at 718-318-6411 to request meals.
Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson himself provided updates before he heads back up to Albany for the legislative session. He thanked constituents for electing him for another two years. He has been hosting a series of foreclosure clinics at his office (1931 Mott Ave.) on the second Tuesday of the month to assist residents dealing with foreclosure. He also has the Home Energy Assistance Program at his office every Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to help people with heating issues. He spoke about the state comptroller’s recent report on Mitchell Lama co-ops, including Nordeck on Beach 59th Street, which was found to have several structural and financial issues. Anderson said he’s planning a walkthrough of the building and is inviting the comptroller to provide a brief on his report. He also said he did a tour with Municipal Credit Union in Arverne to try to address the issue of Rockaway being a banking desert and bring more banks to the area. “I don’t want anyone to get too happy, but we’re working on it and it’s gonna take a while,” Anderson said.
District Manager Felicia Johnson gave some updates from the DOT regarding requests. A speed bump that was requested for Beach 75th Street has been denied as it did not meet necessary criteria. However, a speed bump requested for Jarvis Ave. between Reads Lane and Beach 6th Street has been approved and will be installed when funds are available. Johnson said she had an argument with the Office of Cannabis management as they stopped notifying the community about granting licenses to locations. They said that is no longer their responsibility to notify the community. Johnson also announced that the NYC Department of Buildings is supposed to come to the CB14 office (1931 Mott Ave., Suite 311) on December 12 to answer questions for people, however, they will only come if at least five people pre-register. To register, call 718-471-7300.
She also reminded all community board members that they must maintain good attendance at general meetings and their community meetings, as the Queens Borough President opens applications for new members in January. “I have a lot of board members that have more absences than present,” she said, reminding them that attendance will be considered by the BP when choosing members. Lastly, she announced that DSNY will soon announce that businesses and nonprofit organizations will be required to have the NYC Bins that small residential buildings must use.
Next was public speaking. Joe Hartigan spoke about ferry concerns, saying the ferry should coordinate better with the shuttle service. He also said Seastreak would be interested in providing extra ferry service to Wall Street and Roosevelt Island and another company could provide service from Far Rockaway, especially during the A train shutdown. Christine James, an occupational therapist at P.S. 183 on Beach 79th Street, said she requested DOT put a traffic light in the area, and suggested the road be converted to a one-way street to reduce accidents near the school. Eugene Falik reiterated that the requirement for the new, large sanitation bins is an ADA violation. He also suggested that the DOT remove the raised bike lane on Beach 20th St. and widen the street to its original dimensions as ambulances can’t get through. He also said Snake Road needs electricity to the streetlights.
A mother and Arverne resident named Margaret shared that on November 3, at 11:13 in the morning, her 17-year-old daughter was followed on Beach 66th and Beach Channel Drive and dragged by her hair by someone who had a getaway car. She screamed and fought back, and the suspect let her go. The mother shared that she’s been trying to notify everyone as police say they can’t do anything since she wasn’t abducted, and her property wasn’t stolen. “I don’t feel safe,” she said.
A resident of Bayswater brought up a concern about a housing project going up in the parking lot for the Kosher Market on Cornaga Avenue, presenting a problem as there’s now nowhere to park and it’s the only Kosher supermarket in town. The building in question was on the agenda for the night and the presenter explained that the owner of the supermarket did not own the land where the parking lot was, but the owner is trying to make an arrangement to acquire parking at another neighboring location. Sal Lopizzo and a man named William requested that the board provide a letter of support for microgrids in Rockaway. In a motion later that night, the board voted to provide a letter of continued support. Lastly, Elizabeth of JBRPC announced that they would be reaching out to local schools for help to design a mural that will go up at the Beach 59th Street Playground in April.
A large part of the meeting was dedicated to the board discussing capital and expense priorities and making changes to a list of items they’ve been requesting funding for since the early ‘90s. Since it took so long, a man who was supposed to present on the redevelopment of Belmont Park, agreed to come speak at the next meeting instead.
There was a presentation from Erica Keller of Brisa Builders, who came to share updates on the new development at 19-19 Cornaga Avenue. The all-affordable housing building with 92 units is being built as of right due to current zoning laws, so did not require any approval from the Community Board. Instead, Keller came to make everyone aware that the project, in the works since the property was purchased in 2019, is now being developed. This development is in conjunction with the city with some funding from the state with a 9% tax credit allocation. Due to the type of building it is, it was granted a waiver for parking and will not have parking. Keller explained they’re trying to meet the needs of the housing crisis by providing a place where 30% of residents will be from homeless shelters, while others will be foster children aging out of the system and people in domestic violence situations. The building will have a 24-hour concierge desk, along with a full-time case worker and social worker and about eight staff members to help that vulnerable population. The units, mostly studios and a few one and two bedrooms, will be filled through an affordable housing lottery system. Several board members had questions and concerns, but Felicia Johnson reminded the members that Keller was speaking to the board as a courtesy, since the building was going up as of right.
Lastly were two quick reports from the Transportation and Environmental Committees. The transportation issue was regarding renaming Shore Front Parkway from Beach 56th Place to Beach 52nd Street, back to Edgemere Ave. The members were unsure when the change was made to begin with, and most voted to show support for the name being changed back to Edgemere Ave. In the environmental report, a resident on Beach 90th Street was requesting support for a permit to start a can and bottle redemption center there. As the location is on a residential block, most of the board rejected a motion to give support for the permit.
