CB5 chairman asks mayor to rescind shelter permits

Vincent Arcuri, Jr., the chairman of Queens Community Board 5 is calling on Mayor de Blasio to rescind the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) permits that were approved last year that would allow for 78-16 Cooper Avenue in Glendale to become transitional housing for homeless individuals r8C06_HomelessShelter12_12_copyun by Samaritan Village.

In the letter dated April 1, Arcuri applauds the de Blasio administration’s commitment to developing industrial properties in Queens and points out that 78-16 Cooper Avenue could be perfect as an incubator.

“This existing, approximately 50,000 square foot building that once housed aircraft manufacturers, cabinet makers and knitting mills could, with relatively little investment, become a major incubator site,” Arcuri writes.

In closing, Arcuri asks de Blasio to rescind the permits approved by the DOB last march and urge the New York City Economic Development Corporation to enter negotiations with the current owners to restore industrial usage to the property.

Share