Residents debate legal dispensaries, call for more policing for auto crimes Car theft, pot shop controversy at CB 9

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

Room 213 in Queens Borough Hall was a packed house on Tuesday evening for Communtiy Board 9’s monthly meeting. Students from a Queens College urban studies class attended, accompanied by their professor, a former Bronx councilmember and Bronx CB 6 district manager, James Vacca.

“This is where it all starts,” he said. “This is grassroots local government.”

One of the meeting’s highlights was Paul Graziano’s presentation on City of Yes, which the city describes as “plans to modernize and update our city’s zoning regulations to support small businesses, create affordable housing and promote sustainability.”

Graziano, a former City Council candidate and expert on land use and zoning, presented the board with an array of information. He criticized multiple aspects of City of Yes, including the deregulation of commercial and residential zoning and increases in density across the board in lower-density neighborhoods.

When he shared the proposed elimination of parking requirements, some guests audibly gasped.

During the Education and Youth

Services Committee report, Cochair Alexandria Sumpter-Delves confirmed a new elementary school is coming to Richmond Hill, despite parents petitioning for a middle school. She said there is another potential middle school location and that she will relay information once it is concrete.

Capt. Jeremy Kivlin, the commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, said it had been a tough month since the death of school crossing guard Krystyna Naprawa and two violent hate crimes against Sikh men — sentiments that board

Chairperson Sherry Algredo shared. “There is no place for these crimes against Sikh people or any culture within the 102 Precinct,” Kivlin said.

Crime is down 3 percent year-todate, Kivlin said, and down 6 percent for the 28-day period. The area is struggling with auto theft, especially in Kew Gardens and Southwest Ozone Park.

He said the cars most commonly targeted are Acuras and Hondas, and residents should use steering wheel clubs to deter thieves.

When a board member suggested the need for more patrol in the areas affected, Kivlin assured there are plenty of cops out patrolling, but auto thefts can be completed in seconds, making them difficult to catch. He also mentioned most of the thieves are not from Queens, and are coming in from Long Island, upstate and New Jersey.

The board briefly addressed three cannabis dispensary applications at 120-34 Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens, and 110-04 Jamaica Ave. and 130-04 Jamaica Ave. in Richmond Hill.

Multiple members of the board, including Algredo, said the state and the Office of Cannabis Management had not provided the board with “proper guidance” for legal weed shops.

Algredo said that OCM wants the board to figure out whether the shops are close to schools or religious institutions, but she would also send them a letter with the board’s recommendations and feedback.

Resident Bruce Feinstein, who lives near the site at 110-04 Jamaica Ave., voiced his opposition during the public forum.

He reminded the public of last summer’s homicide at The Plug Smoke Shop, near the prospective site. “I was home that Saturday morning at 11:30 when that homicide took place,” he said. “In fact, the getaway car was parked directly in front of my house.” He volunteered legal services to the board to fight the sites if needed.

Another resident, Andrea Kelly, voiced disapproval. “There’s enough drug dealers in Richmond Hill already,” she said, encouraging neighbors to rally against the shops.

One applicant, as a final effort to plead his case, pointed out the public’s concerns are regarding activities in illegal shops, not the legal dispensaries. Q