By Alex Davidson
Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the city Department of City Planning have approved a recommendation to allow a zoning change and the eventual building of a 33,000-square-foot commercial complex on Cross Bay Boulevard and North Conduit Avenue.
Marshall and the department sided with a decision by Community Board 10 in November to allow The Ervolino Partnership, the firm in charge of building Magnolia Plaza, to apply to the city for a change in the site’s zoning code from residential to commercial. Marshall approved the application for the zoning change, however, with specific conditions.
“The applicant should work with a traffic consultant to study traffic patterns in the area for possible improvements that would enhance access to the proposed commercial development,” Marshall said in her decision. “Such measures might include signage that would direct traffic more efficiently to the site.”
The city Department of City Planning approved the plan Jan. 22. The proposal now heads to the City Council for approval. The Magnolia Plaza complex would be adjacent to Magnolia Court, a housing development near completion also financed The Ervolino Partnership.
Marshall also said the developer must provide adequate landscaping and fencing along the driveway into the parking lot and around the perimeter of the property to limit noise pollution to adjacent houses. She said access to the site should be limited from Cross Bay Boulevard.
Ervolino presented a plan to Marshall that called for six retail stores on the ground floor and more offices on the second floor at the complex. The proposed plan also includes 87 on-site parking spaces and, pending approval from the City Planning Commission, a drop-off zone that is part of the sidewalk and will enable people to park for 15 minutes and not take up a lane of traffic on Cross Bay Boulevard.
Ron Ervolino, originally from Howard Beach and head of the development firm, presented the plan to the community at both meetings, which revealed a divide between Howard Beach residents who were in favor of the complex, and Ozone Park residents, who preferred additional housing units.
The developer could not be reached for comment nor could Ricky Pistone, president of the Ozone Park Civic Association that has spearheaded efforts to block the development of Magnolia Plaza.
The last of Marshall’s conditions for the approval of the zoning change called for the integration of the zone into final plans for the site.
“The proposed curb return would allow vehicles to pull in from Cross Bay Boulevard for passenger dropoffs and pickups in front of the proposed commercial building.”
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 1-718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
