Dunya News

Statement on City Planning Commission Vote on 82nd Street Rezoning

July 10, 2018 | by Catalina Cruz

“The safety of our community is paramount. I am immensely disappointed in the City Planning Commission’s vote to allow this proposal to move forward despite the groundswell of opposition by the community board, local residents, small business owners, and medical professionals. The EMT union, which represents the ambulance drivers working at Elmhurst Hospital, has publicly stated that this development will be an obstruction to their ability to save lives. We will not stop fighting to protect our community. We are calling on Council Member Francisco Moya to force the developer to redesign the proposal so that ambulances will not be blocked and lives are not endangered.”

For months, Cruz has been outspoken in her opposition to the proposal. In March, she led a coalition of Elmhurst-Jackson Heights residents at a press conference to urge Queens Community Board 4 to vote down the rezoning. Most recently, she co-organized a rally with Queens Neighborhoods United in front of the Elmhurst Hospital Ambulance Dispatch Bay to highlight the public safety hazards of the project including the blockage of ambulances and emergency vehicle access to the hospital.