By Ivan Pereira
The City Council is backing the calls of veterans and southeast Queens leaders for the federal government to reconsider its plans for the St. Albans Veterans Center.
The full Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday that asks the Veterans Administration to fully renovate the 55-acre facility to serve the growing number of veterans in the borough and Nassau County. The VA currently plans to tear down the hospital and renovate 30 acres for a new hospital while leasing the rest of the space for private development.
Veterans have blasted the VA over its plans, which have been stalled for the last half decade, and many elected officials, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) and Councilman Mathieu Eugene (D-Brooklyn) have joined in their vocal disapproval.
“I believe we owe all veterans the highest quality of care for their invaluable service to our country, and I want to thank the speaker for supporting this critical issue,” Eugene, who chairs the Council Committee on Veterans Affairs, said in a statement.
The resolution seeks the construction of a facility complete with an emergency room, a primary and extended care facility for female veterans and a comprehensive treatment facility with domiciliary for homeless veterans. The federal government chose St. Albans Village LLC as the “preferred developer,” but no final decision on the plans for the site has been made.
A representative from the VA said the agency has seen the resolution and continues to evaluate the development plan.
The Rev. Edwin Reed, a controversial developer, is the top administrator of St. Albans Village LLC and was met with strong criticism by veterans in August when he laid out his plans for the site.
Reed, who was involved with the defunct nonprofit New Directions, which is at the center of a federal investigation about its spending practices, said he would build a new residential building, school and jazz center — much to the anger of veterans.
Since the announcement, several elected officials have been urging the VA to reconsider the plans, including U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) and Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) along with the southeast Queens Council representatives, who thanked the speaker for the resolution.
“This is a site that every veteran has paid for with blood and that so many have paid for with their lives,” Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) said in a statement.
“With veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the veterans of other wars currently living in Queens, it is crucial that a full-service hospital is available to treat their deep emotional and psychological scars,” Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) said in a statement.
“I am hopeful that united voices of the congressional, state and city legislative members of New York, in addition to the numerous veterans and community members who have protested this decision since day one, will force the Veterans Administration to consider our request for a full-service medical facility,” Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said in a statement.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
