TESTIMONY
Claudia Valentino, President of the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association, on Opposition to the 'City of Yes' Zoning Proposals
5:22:12
·
145 sec
Claudia Valentino testifies against the 'City of Yes' zoning proposals, arguing they threaten the residential character of Forest Hills.
- Valentino recounts her community's past zoning efforts to prevent commercial encroachment into residential areas.
- She criticizes the proposals for not considering environmental impacts and fire safety issues.
- Valentino calls for preserving her neighborhood's residential zoning to protect its fragile infrastructure.
- The testimony urges the council to allow commercial zoning only in appropriate areas while maintaining residential zoning where needed.
Claudia Valentino
5:22:12
Thank you so much.
5:22:13
Thank you so much for your attention today.
5:22:15
I appreciate it.
5:22:16
My name is Claudia Valentino, and I am the president of Forest Hills Community And Civic Association.
5:22:21
Lynn Schulman is my counsel on it.
5:22:24
And a decades long resident of my neighborhood.
5:22:27
In past years, I served on Queens Community Board 6 on the Land Use Committee, and I was a bit more than 20 years ago.
5:22:35
The person who took on the task of preparing all the paperwork and documentation for our down zoning.
5:22:40
Our zoning does not date back to the 19 sixties nor to a 100 years ago as is the case in many places around the country.
5:22:47
I know precisely why we knew it was necessary to down zone, and my own community board, my dental did officials, including Linda Katz, Queen City Planning, and Manhattan City Planning agreed.
5:22:59
We were seeing commercial activity of all kinds in croaching on areas that had the same housing infrastructure as our own and knew that it would make our area unlivable.
5:23:10
In short, we actually have already seen what would result from the city of yes provisions.
5:23:15
Number 11, and number 16, tied to businesses in houses in Midlock and also on corners.
5:23:23
We chose some 20 years ago not to go down that road.
5:23:27
In the materials I've viewed tied to the city of Yes Proposals, the corner store idea uses a really nice photo showing a three store each story corner Red Big Rick Apartment building with a store entrance on the corner ground floor.
5:23:41
We've all seen those.
5:23:42
We know what they look like.
5:23:43
They're usually on commercial quarters.
5:23:45
My area, however, does not resemble that at all, and yet would be zoned to permit such a use, particularly on the corner.
5:23:52
We are a 100% residential in our infrastructure and fragile.
5:23:57
What of environmental impacts as well that has to be taken into account?
5:24:00
There has been no review.
5:24:02
And the issue of fire safety with commercial activity sitting next to wood frame houses is a concern to the fire department.
5:24:08
The entire situation, frankly, is not really enforceable.
5:24:13
My record
UNKNOWN
5:24:13
time has expired.
5:24:15
Thank you.
Claudia Valentino
5:24:18
Sorry.
Kevin C. Riley
5:24:18
You could go ahead.
5:24:19
You could punch
Lynn C. Schulman
5:24:20
Go ahead.
5:24:20
Finish, Claudia.
Claudia Valentino
5:24:22
Okay.
5:24:22
Thank you.
5:24:23
I recommend that the areas that are truly appropriate or commercial activity absolutely be allowed to zone that way.
5:24:28
We need it.
5:24:29
But the areas that are a 100% residential like my own, be allowed to hang on to the zoning that we have.
5:24:35
Thank you so much.
5:24:36
I appreciate it.
