By Madina Toure
A pedestrian plaza proposed for the street across from the McGoldrick Library in Flushing has pitted elected officials and community and civic leaders against one another.
In 2014, the Korean American Association of Queens applied to the city Department of Transportation to permanently close the street in front of the library on Roosevelt Avenue between 155th Street and Northern Boulevard and make a pedestrian plaza with tables and chairs.
The plaza would also be on Leonard Square, which honors Corporal William A. Leonard, a Flushing resident and World War I veteran.
On Friday state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) attended the trial street closure, which he said he learned of only a day earlier, and found that the area had limited room to reroute traffic to avoid congestion.
He noted that there was little community input.Avella is planning to file a Freedom of Information Act request for the DOT to determine how the proposal came to fruition and wants a traffic analysis done.
“I only found out about this on Thursday and my first reaction was, ‘What idiot came up with this?’” he said during a news conference Monday afternoon.
He places the blame on the DOT and elected officials who support the proposal, including state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), who he said “should be ashamed of herself.”
“I fault the city and I fault any elected official who tried to sneak this through,” he said.
Chrissy Voskerichian, vice president of the Station Road Civic Association, said the plaza would take away 15 to 20 parking spaces and that the area has historical significance.
“It’s a bad idea, it’s a bad plan and it’s unnecessary,” Voskerichian said.
Mike Favilla, Stavisky’s chief of staff, said the proposal does not concern Avella.
“Tony Avella has made more crazy allegations than Donald Trump and now he’s at it again,” Favilla said in a statement. “Considering that Tony only received 52 percent of the vote in his last primary, perhaps he should spend more time in his own district rather than looking for fights elsewhere.”
Koo echoed similar sentiments.
“We look forward to continuing these discussions with those who choose to do so with respect and diplomacy,” he said in a statement.
At the trial street closure last week, Stavisky and Koo said they were unaware of opposition to the proposal but that they would meet with community leaders to discuss it.
“It’s an opportunity for people to get together and celebrate their culture,” Stavisky said Friday.
Koo said there will always be noise and traffic in the area.
“People are afraid of something new,” he said. “They live in their comfort zone.”
Jamison Moon, executive director of the Korean American Association of Queens, said they could put up a board or sign indicating the area’s historical significance and that they would clean up the space.
“What’s the purpose of having a space that is not being recognized by anyone or being utilized by anyone?” Moon said.
Flushing resident John Fourman, 45, expressed concerns about the number of Koreans moving into the neighborhood and traffic in the area.
“There’s nothing that would attract me to this place,” Fourman said.
A DOT spokeswoman said the Korean group hosted a public workshop April 16, which Koo and representatives from the offices of U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), Stavisky, state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) and Vallone attended. A one-day trial of the proposed plaza was also held April 18.
The proposal will be brought to Community Board 7 for a vote in September.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
