As one block in Glendale is looking to restore the original flow of traffic to the street, one lawmaker is looking to switch the parking regulations along a section of Cooper Avenue to give residents more parking opportunities.
Assemblyman Mike Miller wants to move the parking from the residential side of Cooper Avenue between 66th Street and 69th Street to the cemetery side of the street. Miller believes this change will “increase the number of parking spots we have on Cooper Avenue,” he said.
In all, the plan has the potential to open up an approximate 20 additional parking spots for residents around the area, Miller believes.
“I think it’s a positive thing,” Miller said of the potential switch. “I think it will get a good response [from the community]. Parking is important, so adding 20 spots would be good.”
The blocks from 66th Street to 69th Street are packed with garages — 66th Place to 67th Street is exclusively garages — meaning those spaces are unusable at any time.
To get his plan moving, Miller had a meeting with DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia and toured the six-block stretch of Cooper Avenue.
“I took a tour with Commissioner Garcia and I showed her what I was looking to do,” Miller said. “I asked if it was feasible and if there were any laws that would prohibit making the switch — there wasn’t.”
A representative from the DOT said the department appreciates Miller’s suggestion to bring more parking to Glendale and are in the process of reviewing the proposal.
This plan also addresses a safety concern many have with that strip of Cooper Avenue.
Where 68th Street intersects with Cooper Avenue, there is a bend in the road, which makes it difficult for drivers to see oncoming traffic.
“[The plan is] two fold,” Miller said. “We’ve been trying for a few years to get serious about 68th Street and Cooper Avenue.”
Miller has also reached out to Community Board 5 (CB 5) and area residents with his idea, asking them to take a poll on how they feel about the proposed plan.
“I think that it may be a good solution because coming out onto Cooper [Avenue] from, say, 68th Street is very dangerous as it has that curve,” said Gary Giordano, district manager of CB 5. “My gut reaction is that it is a good idea, especially for traffic safety.”
The assemblyman encourages anyone who may be affected by the plan to call his district office at 718-805-0950 and make their voice heard.
