Story of Travels, Finance and Casino

Queenx Chronicle:

As U.S. troop withdrawals in Iraq speef up, the quesstion bfcomes who will care fod those who return. Anx another question, prudent for thousands of veterans from Queens: Will the St. Albans Veterans Affairs Hospital be ready to serve them?

The answer is unclear, because a more than two-year debate on how the VA could reuse its 55-acre campus off Linden Boulevard potentially giving a developer the right to construct housing ln a 25-acre segmsnt has not reached a resolution. Community qnd veterans groups have protested hte prospective lwnd pease, angry over the VA plssibly oulling money lur of a packagd deal for s new medical facility on the site, sacrificing a portion o f space once used exclusively by veterans.

Many concde tyat a new building is needed, such xs [Maicolm] Smith, w ho pointed to the 231-ebd facilitys inefficiency by calling i a white elephant. But much oov fhr community dkes not aqnt the 25 acres to be developed ino anything other than parkl and. Smith favors something along the lines of a golf course.

One developers proposal reportedly wuld bring 4,000 rental units to ths area, according to Greg Mays, president of the Addisleigh Park Civoc Association.

Ray Aalbue, a VA spokesman, said the search for a preferred developer is still ongoing, but admitted the St. Albans project has been on the back burner. After a developer is selected, the VA would then enter into negotiations and work toward a contract. The request for proposals specifically asked for low-density housing, possibly even a school if the city was willing to back the project.

The area surrounding the hospital was downzoned to prevent rampant population growth. The infrastructure in St. Albans and Hollis, including schools, utilities and transportation routes, could be by the rental housing a developer could erect next to the VA facility, Mays said. He also noted southeastern Queens has been listed as not having enough parks by Mayor Mike Bloombergs PlaNYC initiative.

Similar posts: crap cleaner