Congratulations to City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) and his constituents who succeeded in blocking the construction of a controversial motel just a stone's throw from Springfield Gardens High School.
All one really needs to know about the proposed motel is that the management planned to charge hourly rates.
The motel was being built at 219-05 N. Conduit Ave., just a few feet away from the school. Exactly who the clientele using this motel would have been, no one can say for sure. But in the past, similar establishments have been frequented by prostitutes, drug dealers and other lowlifes.
Hundreds of community members persuaded the City Council to rezone the area so the motel could not open. This was not the result of a one-day protest. Once they learned that the motel would have been legal under existing guidelines, the community demonstrated outside the site all summer long. They even demonstrated outside the developer's home in Great Neck. Their persistence paid off.
This was democracy in action. The community recognized a potential problem and they kept fighting until they won. But it was no easy battle. They had to race the clock to get the building blocked before the foundation could be laid.
Said Sanders, “We knew the zoning was going to change, and we knew he was rushing to put in the foundation, but we won.
“They said we couldn't do anything and that was that. The community said it wasn't that.”
At a party at the high school celebrating the community's victory, Sanders said the community members were the “real heroes” in this fight.
He's right, but without his leadership and experience it is unlikely that the protest would have been effective. Hopefully that has shown area residents that they can have an impact on the destiny of their community, especially where their children are concerned.
