‘Crisis Meeting’: Forest Hills Small Businesses To Talk Car-Free Plan

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — While some residents in Forest Hills want a less congested Austin Street, others think the idea could be bad for business.

Small business owners in Forest Hills are set to meet at the neighborhood Bareburger at the end of the month to relay their concerns on what could be a roadway redesign to make some segments of Austin Street car-free after residents advocated for the change.

“Why did they have to pick on Austin Street? Why does it have to be the main business district of the community?” Leslie Brown, president of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce, told Patch. “I want to have the demands from the merchants themselves about what they want.”

The meeting will assemble business owners and will remain closed to the public.

Brown distributed a survey to over 300 business owners in Forest Hills and surrounding neighborhoods to collect their thoughts on how the redesign could affect their venues.

She plans on handing the survey to Community Board 6, which represents Forest Hills and Rego Park residents, at the board's next meeting in April.

The community board’s transportation committee approved a resolution asking the city’s Department of Transportation to study the redesign of Austin Street, which would also consider widening sidewalks and adding outdoor restaurant seating in the roadway to increase pedestrian safety.

Brown argues that pedestrianizing segments of Austin Street would hurt businesses by reducing parking for customers and delivery trucks. She started a petition earlier this week countering the online form by "Neighbors for a Safer Austin Street," which advocates for the DOT study.

“It is vital that we are a cohesive group and that we fight to keep our parking,” she told businesses in an email sent on Thursday.

In the meeting later this month, businesses will answer survey questions such as “Would the loss of parking spaces on Austin Street & Continental Ave harm your business?” and “Would your deliveries be affected if you could not have parking for the delivery trucks?”

Brown said she wants to avoid the second part of what she considers a parking nightmare created by the installation of bike lanes in Forest Hills.

Despite residents voting against the bike lanes for the neighborhood in 2018, the decision was overhauled by the city’s plan to install protected bike lanes across all five boroughs. The city’s Vision Zero Capital program includes Queens and Northern Boulevard.