By Michelle Han
Borough President Claire Shulman in her 14th annual State of the Borough Address hailed Queens' strong economic health and praised the advancement of several development projects initiated in the past year.
Speaking vehemently on another pressing borough issue, the borough president declared an all-out war on school crowding as Queens faces some of the most severe crowding conditions its public schools have ever seen.
Shulman delivered her 45-minute speech before a standing-room- only crowd at Queens Theatre in the Park Monday, using a color slide presentation to emphasize her overall positive assessment of Queens.
She spoke enthusiastically about Queens' robust economy, describing the borough as a place where “large chains and retail developments continue to seek the new opportunities Queens has to offer.”
Focusing on the positive, Shulman made no mention of the community opposition that surrounded many of the initiatives she lauded, including construction of the light-rail system connecting terminals at Kennedy airports with the subway and Long Island Rail Road and numerous proposals by the developer Forest City Ratner for multiplex movie theaters.
A mention of several retail developments, including two multiplex theaters planned for a five-mile stretch of Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, drew only hesitant applause Monday.
“Those must be the developers,” Shulman joked.
In her glowing review of the borough's overall strides, the borough president highlighted a number of advancements that marked Queens this year. Among them:
