TimesLedger Newspapers letter writer Anne, of College Point, makes the case that the spa proposed for the College Point Corporate Park has a good chance of succeeding.
“How many spas does College Point need?” she asks. “We already have the one on 11th Avenue, which is overcrowded.”
Community Board 7 and Borough President Helen Marshall should not be deciding which businesses are needed and which are appropriate for College Point.
Their opposition to the Korean-owned New York Spa of College Point has a foul odor. Kwang Nam Park, who is hoping to build the spa, already owns the property, which is not located near any residential area.
In October, the community board voted against his proposal, citing extra pilings that would be needed to accommodate the second-floor pools of the spa on the soft ground in the corporate park.
Would it not have made more sense to ask Park to submit his plans to an independent engineer? After all, in 2009 Marshall and CB 7 voted to approve plans for a larger facility close by. The city plans to build a $1 billion NYPD cadet training facility, which will sit on 35 acres of land and house 2,000 parking spaces.
After a sit-down with the property owner, state Sen. Tony Avella said, “I thought it was a good idea to begin with, and now having met with you and seeing the plans I still think it’s a good idea. I do not agree with the community board’s report nor do I agree with the borough president’s report.”
The report from CB 7 also cited Park’s lack of experience as reason to vote against the measure, but that is not its call to make. And the fact that Park has enough funds to buy the property and build the spa indicates he has some business expertise.
In fact, Park and his father have run several successful businesses, including the Kew Motor Inn, a chain of Dunkin’ Donuts stores and a bagel store.
CB 7 is standing in the way of the free enterprise system. The concerns that Marshall raised about the effect the spa might have on parking and traffic in the Corporate Park are silly.
If the public is not interested in another spa, Park will lose money, but that should be his decision to make and no one else’s.
