Share Opinions On Rego Park Development With BP Richards Thursday

REGO PARK, QUEENS — Neighbors in Rego Park can tell Borough President Donovan Richards what they think about a newly proposed apartment building before he issues a recommendation on the development.

Richards is hosting a public land use hearing on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. to discuss a zoning application that — if approved — would pave the way for an eight-story apartment building on Wetherole Street near 67th Avenue, where single-family homes currently stand.

The proposed apartment, which has been in the works since last year, was approved by Community Board 6 at the beginning of this month. All told, 20 members voted in favor of the building, and 12 voted against it, records show.

As proposed, the building will have 21 apartments, five of which will be income-restricted, the zoning application shows.

The proposed development would also have parking spots for 11 bikes and eight cars, records show, plus room on the ground floor for commercial space, where Novel Medicine would move, a spokesperson told Patch.

Novel Medicine is connected to the apartment rezoning because the project site — currently two family homes addressed as 66-45 and 66-47 Wetherole Street — is owned by Roshel Khaimov, an administrative director at the medical office, Patch learned.

Richards recommendation, which needs to be issued in the next couple of weeks, is advisory, like Community Board 6's.

A decision on the building will come down to a City Council vote in the upcoming months.

You can stream the hearing live online here, or register to make a comment at the hearing here. In order to testify you need to keep your camera on and state your name for the record. Find out more about the hearing here. If you're unable to make the hearing, you can send in written testimony to planning@queensbp.org by 5 p.m. on March 17th.

Related Article: Apartment Building Could Replace Family Home In Rego Park