Pols Eye Public Hearing On Glendale Plan
Amid ongoing contract negotiations, the city’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) recently started an environmental study for the former industrial site in Glendale that a nonprofit organization wants to transform into a transitional housing shelter.
Officials with the DHS informed local lawmakers of the study during a meeting last month regarding Samaritan Village’s proposal to develop a homeless shelter for up to 125 families at 78-16 Cooper Ave.
“They indicated the study had commenced but were not able to identify when it would finish,” according to Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, one of the five legislators who participated in the meeting. The others were Rep. Grace Meng, State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, Assemblyman Mike Miller and City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed the ongoing study in a phone interview with the Times Newsweekly, but did not provide any further information about what the study exactly entails.
Meanwhile, the five lawmakers sent a joint letter on Apr. 1 to Community Board 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri and District Manager Gary Giordano asking the advisory body to coordinate a public hearing regarding the shelter proposal. The lawmakers stated they believe “that it is both appropriate and necessary to engage the community on this topic to obtain their input.”
“We are urging the Department of Homeless Services and Samaritan Village to present their plan before Community Board 5, and consider any feedback provided by board members or the public as you deem appropriate,” according to the letter. “To ensure the utmost transparency, accountability and participation in this process, we also respectfully encourage Community Board 5 to provide a timeslot on an official public meeting agenda for the organizations to present their proposal.”
Giordano told the Times Newsweekly the board is considering a number of dates on which the public hearing could be held, and possible venues near the Glendale site where it may be held.
As previously reported, the DHS gave preliminary approval last December for the Samaritan Village plan, estimated to cost $27 million over the first five years of operation. The factory at 78-16 Cooper Ave.- which has reportedly gone unused for decades-would need to be extensively renovated in order to be made suitable for residential use.
Opponents charged the project would be cost prohibitive for the city, as it would cost an estimated tens of millions to convert the former factory into a shelter. Others claimed the site itself, having been used for heavy industry previously, may be contaminated and require an extensive cleanup.
Many local residents also expressed concerns that the shelter would increase strain on local infrastructure and schools.
Last month, Hevesi wrote to Mayor Bill de Blasio and DHS Commissioner Gilbert Taylor asking them to suspend contract negotiations with Samaritan Village after an audit by State Comptroller Thomas Di Napoli uncovered questionable spending by the nonprofit.
