By Chris Fuchs
Community Board 7 voted unanimously Monday in favor of allowing a non-profit group to operate a home in College Point for moderately retarded Queens residents.
The board, which covers Flushing, Whitestone and College Point, voted 32-0 to permit the 45-year-old group, the Association for the Advancement of Blind and Retarded Inc., to establish a residence at 9-06 119th St. in College Point. It would house a total of eight residents, six of them men between the ages of 21 and 45, who have been classified as moderately retarded and are not readily employable.
James Crisafulli, a board member, said the only permissible reason for voting down the request was if there was an “over-saturation” of such residences in a community. He pointed out that there were two similar facilities in College Point near the one proposed Monday night — one 5 1/2 blocks away and the other eight blocks away — but the city had concluded the proposed home did not violate the state Padavan Law.
Despite the unanimous vote Monday night, there were at least 10 residents among the 23 who spoke who said they were opposed to the home. Their concerns ranged from whether the home would fit in with a nearby junior high school to whether the level of education of the employees would diminish the quality of care given to residents.
“There are many, many children in the area,” said Barbara Cronin, a resident of 119th Street, who spoke at the meeting. “There are 50 junior high school students who may not be as tolerant as they should be.” She also said that section of College Point is prone to flooding, which may cause added troubles for the residents of the home.
Because the establishment of the home does not violate the Padavan Law, and the community board voted in favor of it, there are no more proceedings that the association must go through.
The home was purchased for $465,000 and has four bedrooms, Crisafulli said. In addition, the group spent $177,000 on improvements, including the installation of a new bathroom and the conversion of the basement into a recreation room, he said. There will be 13 full-time employees, he said, but during the hours of midnight to 6 a.m., only two people will staff the home.
A spokesman for the group did not return a telephone call seeking comment. But according to Crisafulli, the Association for the Advancement of Blind and Retarded operates 14 such residences in the city, nine of which are in Queens. One of those homes is within the boundaries of Community Board 7, he said, which was approved by the board three years ago.
The eight residents will attend adult day programs and serve as volunteers in the community. On Saturdays, he said, they will attend recreational programs, always under supervision.
In addition, the board voted on two other issues Monday night: an application to put up wall and pylon signs in the parking lot of a drugstore in College Point and an application to allow the Boys Club of America to expand its building on 41st Road in Flushing.
The application for the drugstore, Walgreens on 14th Avenue in College Point, passed narrowly by a vote of 18-15. Some of the residents opposed to erecting the signs said they would detract from the character of the community, although the board members pointed out that Walgreens is not right near a residential neighborhood.
The other issue, the expansion of a building on 41st Road in Flushing, used by the Boys Club of America, passed unanimously 35-0.- Representatives of the organization said it had outgrown its current facility, constructed in 1991, and they wanted to build in its place a three-story structure.
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
