Building Rumors Swirl In Glendale, M.V.
The rumor mill was churning around Ridgewood, Glendale and Middle Village in the last week as reports surfaced regarding the potential opening of a Walmart, a large liquor store and a 7-Eleven convenience shop in each respective neighborhood.
The blog “Commercial Observer,” an offshoot of the New York Observer, reported last Tuesday, May 21, that Walmart-the nationwide discount chain which has been trying to get a foothold in New York City for years-is eyeing a possible site in Ridgewood’s industrial section near the Brooklyn/Queens border to create an up to 300,000 sq. ft. store.
No specific location was mentioned in the report, but “there’s an old industrial building over there with vacant lots next to it,” according to Faith Consolo of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, who was quoted in the Commercial Observer report.
The Times Newsweekly contacted Consolo for further details, but received no response as of press time Wednesday afternoon.
Walmart-which sells everything from groceries to high-end electronic devices-attempted to build a store in or around the Gateway Shopping Center in Spring Creek, Brooklyn. The nearest Walmart to New York City is located at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, just across the Queens/Nassau border.
Their plans, as previously reported, were scrapped after facing protests from elected officials, unions and small business owners. Reasons for the opposition to Walmart ranged from the company’s reported reputation of paying low wages to nonunion workers to fears that the large chain would pull commerce away from small businesses across the city.
Paul Kerzner, president of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association and the Ridgewood Local Development Corporation, offered support for a Walmart in the Ridgewood area in a phone interview with the Times Newsweekly last Friday, May 24.
“I think it’s great for the neighborhood and it’s great for the city,” he said, adding that it would attract shoppers of all demographics from around the city into the neighborhood and give low- and middle-income families the ability to expand their purchasing power.
Asked about the possible effects of Walmart on small businesses in Ridgewood, Kerzner believed the impact would be negligible.
“The people who shop on Myrtle Avenue and Fresh Pond Road will continue to do that,” he said, noting that those businesses will continue to be supported by local residents who live nearby. Since the location being eyed by Walmart is within an industrial area outside of walking distance for most residents, Kerzner stated, the large retailer would serve more as a “destination” for those traveling to find a bargain.
“The people who go to malls don’t just go for a quart of milk or to get their shoes repaired,” he added. “It’s not the convenience retail like we have on Myrtle Avenue or Fresh Pond Road.”
Concerns about the impact of small businesses were raised previously when large discount stores such as K-Mart or The Home Depot opened in surrounding areas, Kerzner noted. However, he stated, small businesses in Ridgewood nonetheless survived based largely on the support of neighborhood customers.
Liquor store, 7-Eleven?
During last Tuesday’s meeting of Community Board 5’s Transportation and Public Transit Committees, the Times Newsweekly learned of plans for the creation of a large liquor store at a former garage and gas station at the corner of Cooper and Metropolitan avenues in Glendale.
Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano stated the advisory body learned of a liquor license application filed by an entity known as Cooper Wine and Liquor to open a 5,000 sq. ft. shop at the site, which has been vacant for years and includes a former Gaseteria service station.
Eric Yun, spokesperson for City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, stated that the lawmaker was recently contacted by a contingent of liquor store owners in Middle Village and surrounding communities who fear the opening of the shop would drain their business.
“We definitely share those concerns and will continue working with small businesses in the area,” Yun added.
Reportedly, the liquor stores have retained an attorney to file an objection with the State Liquor Authority (SLA) to the proposed store’s liquor license. Unlike applications for liquor permits at bars and restaurants where alcoholic beverages are served on premises, applications for the sale of liquor products to be consumed off premises are not required to be presented to the local community board for review.
Finally, the Times Newsweekly learned on Monday, May 27, that a plan is in place for the creation of a 7-Eleven store at the former Ride Tech auto repair shop and dealer located at the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and 79th Place in Middle Village.
According to information provided by Board 5, an application filed with the Buildings Department to convert the former automotive business into a retail convenience store was filed in February and is “pending zoning approval.” The site is located in an R5 residential zone with a commercial overlay allowing for retail businesses such as 7-Eleven to be established.
The convenience chain has several locations around the Times Newsweekly coverage area, including on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood, on Eliot Avenue in Maspeth, on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills and on Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park.
Though the exact plans for the site have yet to be revealed, some concerns were raised over vehicles potentially pulling into and out of the parking lot on the site, according to Lorraine Sciulli, first vice president of the Juniper Park Civic Association.
“We want to see the plans and listen to what the neighbors have to say” before the organization takes a concrete stand on the plan, Sciulli told the Times Newsweekly on Tuesday, May 28.
