To Address Quality-Of-Life Woes
In response to concerns from businesses and residents regarding the new pedestrian plaza on the Brooklyn/Queens border, Community Board 9 will convene a meeting of interested parties to discuss an appropriate path forward.
As announced, the session will be held next Thursday, Aug. 21, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 213 of Queens Borough Hall, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens.
Board 9 voted in support of the plaza-located at Drew Street, 101st Avenue and Liberty Avenue-at its October 2013 meeting. Since then, some local businesses and residents have complained about the plaza, and these concerns have been the subject of media coverage.
The meeting will bring together stakeholders to discuss possible solutions to any problems that have arisen. Board 9 Chairperson Ralph Gonzalez will lead the session. The Department of Transportation’s Queens Borough Commissioner, Dalila Hall, has been invited to serve as a mediator.
Representatives of the Bangladesh American Community Development and Youth Services Corporation (BACDYS), which advocated the creation of the plaza, will participate in the meeting. Merchants from the area who have complained about the plaza are also scheduled to attend.
All parties who signed petitions for and against the plaza project will be notified of the meeting.
“When Community Board 9 voted in favor of the pedestrian plaza, we did so with the understanding that we would monitor the plaza’s local impacts and keep an eye on whether it remained an asset to the community,” Gonzalez said. “With this meeting, we hope to give all sides of this discussion a seat at the table, and we are aiming to arrive at the best resolution possible.”
The meeting will be open to the public. All Board 9 members have been invited to attend as well.
For more information, call Board 9’s Kew Gardens office at 1-718- 286-2686.
