By Nathan Duke
Community Board 5's Zoning and Land Use Committee rejected a proposal last week at the board's monthly meeting to construct a 1,650-seat intermediate/high school at the corner of 74th Street and 57th Avenue in Maspeth. But the board supported a smaller school at the proposed site or construction at a different site.
Walter Sanchez, the committee chairman, said the community needs new seats to alleviate overcrowding in classrooms, but the proposed school would be too large for the neighborhood.
“I think [the city School Construction Authority] is passionate about building good schools and filling seats,” he said. “It's been a horror show with overcrowding. But you can go too far. This community cannot take this many seats. They are building schools in a vacuum.”
He said the proposal was not set in stone and that other sites for the school have been mentioned, including the former St. Savior's Church site on Rust Street. He said the board would probably approve a new school at the proposed site, 73-35 57th St., which is half the current proposal's size.
“There are a lot of parents who want schools,” he said. “But you can't just throw up another school without smart community planning.”
The current proposal would construct a four-story building that includes one middle school and two high schools with a total of 1,600 students to 1,650 students, said Mary Leas, the SCA project support manager. The proposed school would encompass 190,000 square feet with a 45,000-square-footprint.
Residents have complained the project would cause major traffic problems along 57th Street and Grand Avenue and that the school's proximity to other local schools, including PS 58 and IS 73, could result in students swarming the neighborhood's streets.
“Many on this board have fought long and hard against overdevelopment in our community,” board member Manny Caruana said. “This piece of overdevelopment is being pushed on us by the city of New York. If you do not think the impact of these kids on the community will be detrimental, you should see videos of them smashing car windows and smoking joints.”
Sanchez said the board's committee rejected the current proposal, citing the proposed building's height, number of seats and parking as problematic.
But Maspeth resident Marge Kolb said many residents support the project.
“I know there is concern about the 1,600 seats and parking, but they have built the same-sized schools at other properties in the city,” she said. “When you have crowding in high schools, it leads to higher dropout rates.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
