Maspeth residents are eyeing the newly opened Elmhurst Park with envy and have strengthened their advocacy for a park at the former St. Saviour’s site in Maspeth.
The new parkland, located at the former Elmhurst gas tanks on Grand Avenue and 57th Avenue, was formerly owned by Keyspan. After a contentious battle with local civic groups, Keyspan sold the property to the city for $1 to be used as public parkland, instead of to a developer for construction of a Home Depot.
Bob Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA), and a fierce advocate for the Elmhurst Park project, called the park’s opening last week “the best victory for the civic” at last week’s JPCA meeting.
Now, the push is continuing to get the city to acquire land at the former St. Saviour’s church property for a park. Located on 58th Street in western Maspeth, the property is owned by Maspeth Development, LLC. For five years, civic groups around Maspeth have advocated for parkland at the site.
Currently, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall have allocated $3.5 million in funds to purchase the property. The city values the land at approximately $4 million.
The state Department of Transportation has already agreed to develop the park as part of its Kosciuszko Bridge replacement project if the city purchases the land.
Developer Scott Kushnick has repeatedly said he is willing to sell the property to the city but believes he is not receiving fair offers for the land. Kushnick intends to build warehouses on the property.
As the negotiations stalled, civic leaders are criticizing the administration for not moving forward with the process.
“Money is not the issue,” Christina Wilkinson, president of the Newtown Historical Society, said to a crowd at Monday night’s Communities Of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) meeting. “The city should start the ULURP process.”
The uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) is a city process for acquiring land and can take roughly two years to complete. Wilkinson said that if the city is truly interested in acquiring the St. Saviour’s site, the ULURP process should have already been started.
Crowley, who also attended the COMET meeting, said a public park at the site was still a top priority. However, she stressed, “Our negotiation with the owner has not been successful,” but she reported that the city is serious about the project and the negotiations are ongoing.
There are other small setbacks with the St. Saviour’s project. Wilkinson said the historic church, which was dismantled and stored in trailers donated by Phil Galasso, would eventually have to be reconstructed elsewhere. The park, however, should be the number one priority: “I don’t think it’s wise to create a problem with the church,” she said.
Holden, whose civic group helped save the church, agreed the park was the biggest priority. “Ideally we would rebuild the church in the park,” he said. Another possibility is placing the church at All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village. Holden also said starting the ULURP process for St. Saviour’s was essential. “They should have done this a while ago,” he said.
Wilkinson was perplexed that a project with so much support and funding was stalling. She has support letters from more than 30 civic groups, and Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES) recently drafted a letter to send to local elected officials. CURES is a coalition of local civic groups fighting for green solutions along rail lines in Queens.
Despite the setbacks, Wilkinson was hopeful that the advocacy was paying off. “I think the message is finally getting through,” she said. To further emphasize the importance of the issue, she has planned a rally at the site for May 21.
by Eric Yun
