By Bob Harris
A number of communities are actively concerned about the expansion of religious institutions, hospitals, doctors’ offices, colleges and group homes in their areas. The 1961 Zoning Resolution gives these facilities the “as of right” to be developed in a community; however, conditions have changed since 1961. In some cases, the proliferation and size of these facilities have caused opposition.
People sometimes move into a community even if they do not know about existing zoning laws. Homeowners are not necessarily opposed to community facilities, but the size to which they sometimes expand, the traffic they may bring, the additional people and garbage they leave and the noise and pollution which may develop. Some may even realize that these facilities may not pay real estate taxes, plus use city services, so city fiscal deficits develop. And, some administrators’ salaries may be very large.
The East Bayside Homeowners Association in the Community Board 11 area with the assistance of CouncilmanTony Avella is opposing the transformation of a former one-family ranch house into a four-story synagogue in a one-family area community zoned R 2 in Bayside.
Member of the State Assembly Barbara M. Clark and Community Boards 12 and 13 are speaking out about the increase in all types of residential facilities being created by converting residential tax-paying homes into these group homes. This is being done in many other areas of Queens.
Civic associations surrounding Queens College, St. John's University and Long Island Jewish Hospital, as well as other hospitals, are voicing additional complaints of community facilities growing too large and disturbing surrounding communities. Homeowners don’t want their neighborhoods disrupted by hordes of people, cars, buses and trucks which sometimes visit the larger facilities.
The problem with the 1961 Zoning Resolution is that these facilities can sometimes be built “as of right.” Group homes fall into this category. Often the group home is unobtrusive and helps the residents who live there, such as in my own community in Fresh Meadows; however, after a city or state group transforms a home into a group home, other organizations follow suit, leading to “saturation.” Although the state Mental Hygiene Law says “saturation” is a cause for rejecting a home, there is no clear definition of the word. This is bothering CB 12 and 13.
Councilman Tony Avella, from the CB 11 community, is Chair of the City Council’s Zoning and Franchisees Subcommittee. As mentioned previously in this column, Avella is a former civic association leader who knows the concerns and frustrations of homeowners who may be troubled by a community facility.
Any person in Queens could suddenly discover that a community facility is being built in his or her neighborhood. For example, some religious institutions decide that they want to raise money so they add a catering hall to their facility. Some expand by using movable seats so they don’t have to provide parking but use the streets to park cars.
I hope the new Council members can create a climate so that a sensible number of community facilities of a sensible size can be permitted to serve people and not make life unbearable.
GOOD AND BAD NEWS OF THE WEEK
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and The Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims will hold the 17th Annual Crime Victims’ Candlelight Vigil on Sunday, April 21, 2002 at the West End Collegiate Church, 77th Street and West End Avenue (between Broadway and West End Avenue). The program will include a special tribute to the victims of September 11. People are encouraged to bring a photo for display. Light refreshments following the program. For information call (212) 416-8839.
