By Bianca Fortis
Residents of Glendale and its surrounding neighborhoods rallied last week against a proposal to create a homeless shelter that would house 125 families.
In early August, Community Board 5, which covers the community, received a letter outlining a proposal to transform an old manufacturing facility into transitional housing for 125 families.
The building, at 78-16 Cooper Ave., is zoned for industrial use and has been vacant for years.
The shelter is being proposed by Samaritan Village, an organization that provides services to the homeless.
While it is ultimately up to the city Department of Homeless Services whether to accept the proposal, area leaders have been outspoken about the issue since it first surfaced more than a year ago.
A group of protesters joined City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), who organized the rally Friday.
Vallone, who is running for bough president, said the shelter is being “rammed down the throats” of community members.
There is some concern from the local community that the site, which has previously been used as a sewing mill as well as a manufacturing facility for airplane parts, would need to undergo costly environmental remediations before it is ready to house people.
Vallone said a proposal for a school and a recreation center have been rejected by the city because the site is too contaminated.
He also said the shelter is too large for the community and especially the neighboring schools.
“No neighborhood can absorb 125 families in one shot,” he said. “This is the wrong place for it and the wrong size.”
He said it is more appropriate to operate smaller shelters that a community can handle.
Bob Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, said Glendale and its surrounding neighborhoods are not well-served by public transit. There are some nearby bus routes, but no subway stations.
“The residents are not going to stand for this,” Holden said. “We will battle and battle and battle.”
Vallone and Holden said if the facility could be renovated successfully, it would better serve as a much-needed senior living center.
The rally was held on the patio of Saverio’s Stone Fire Bistro, a restaurant which overlooks the facility site.
One of the restaurant owners, Fabio Dimaria, said a homeless shelter could be a blow to his business as well as the community.
“Obviously it could damage our business and we don’t want that to happen,” he said. “We’ve funded this whole place ourselves, so to have something come and ruin us like that could mean damage for a lot of families, not only us.”
Craig Caruana, a candidate for Council District 30, said the proposed location does not make sense.
“Why put a homeless shelter where there are not a lot of homeless people?” he said. “That’s the main problem. Put it somewhere where they have access.”
Vallone called the proposal a “public safety issue” and said he would continue to fight it even if he is not elected as the next borough president.
Reach reporter Bianca Fortis by email at bfortis@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
