By Tien-Shun Lee
A Comfort Inn under construction in Briarwood will open in about six months and some Briarwood Tenants’ Association members have concerns about the project.
Located at 87-07 Van Wyck Expressway, the 57-room hotel is near Shea Stadium as well as Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
At a Dec. 17 meeting of the Briarwood Tenants’ Association called by Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), neighborhood residents aired various concerns over the location of the hotel, traffic congestion and security.
Inn executives tried to dispel their fears. “It’s right there in a highly commercial area,” said Dan Siratwala, the hotel manager. “For anyone going to Manhattan, it’s very convenient for them to stay … It’s a beautiful location.”
Siratwala’s brother, Jack, owns both the new hotel and the neighboring Jets Motel, located behind the inn at 139-06 Queens Blvd.
Residents cited various reasons for their misgivings.
“The biggest danger is the street, 87th Avenue,” said Ruth Mendel, of 86-25 Van Wyck Expressway. “It’s very narrow, and there isn’t parking, and it obstructs the garage to our building.”
Mendel said traffic to and from the Jets Motel, combined with vehicles going in and out of her building’s parking garage make the two-way street with parking on both sides dangerous. Additional traffic from the hotel, which will have 39 parking spaces, would worsen the situation.
In addition, some residents worried about security around the motel, saying guests were of questionable character.
“For some people, the Jets Motel presents a noise problem, a people problem, and a traffic problem, so people are very nervous about that,” said Robert Kenler, who lives in the same apartment building as Mendel. “People stay for short stays, and some of the people in there are not such good people.”
But a representative of the 107th Police Precinct said there had been no complaints filed against the motel, which is within its coverage area.
Hotel officials tried to reassure neighbors that the Comfort Inn is a well-known chain which should attract respectable clients.
Kenler said he was upset that the nearly completed hotel had been built without public discussion.
“I just found that very bewildering,” he said. “I know the zoning rules here are very liberal, but still I’m wondering how could they build a motel without a public discussion.”
Jack Siratwala declined to comment.
“With any kind of development,” Gennaro said, “people are going to have legitimate concerns that it’s going to have a traffic impact, etc., so this is one of the reasons that I set up the meeting — to get a full airing of all the issues.”
The councilman said another meeting between community leaders and the owners is planned for January.
According to Dan Siratwala, daily rates at the hotel will range from $80 to $150 for a single or a double.
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 229-0300, Ext. 155.
