Murray Hill 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2016 A publication of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association Murray Hill No. 3 …to continue to make Murray Hill a highly desirable place to live, work and visit. ife Winter Community Issues—WeL Hear You! During the summer, we circulated a survey, “What are your that is not going to be most important issues in Murray Hill?” We received 215 over utilized for income responses which are listed below in order of importance. producing real estate ven- The numbers indicate the percentage of respondents who tures. deemed the issue important or very important. Homeless: 60% Resi- Traffic: 84% Gridlock has made it difficult or impossible dents are concerned for pedestrians to safely cross the streets at certain intersec- about aggressive panhan- tions, particularly on streets carrying traffic going in and out dling, public urination, of the Queens Midtown Tunnel and on Park Avenue. The and sleeping on public or large amount of construction and bike lanes has made traf- private property. The 33rd fic worse. Respondents also said that traffic laws should be Street Subway Station and Construction on Lexington Avenue enforced more than they are presently. the area from 30th to 34th Noise: 76% Some of the causes that should be addressed Street along 3rd Avenue are especially affected. In addition, are construction drilling, the rattling of metal plates on the the NYCLink Wi-Fi kiosks are outposts for vagrants. streets, unnecessary honking, ambulance sirens, dogs bark- Bicycle Safety: 47% Cyclists often ride on sidewalks, ing, people shouting in the street and loud parties. block intersections, ride in the wrong direction, and run red Construction: 75% Concerns range from lengthy con- lights. Bicycle laws should be enforced. struction projects which tear up streets as well as the MTA What you can do to help: Emergency Ventilation Plant construction proposed for If you see an incident that is illegal or poses immediate Park Avenue. danger, call 911. Public Safety: 73%. Respondents have expressed concern For other issues call 311 or you can report them online. When that some of the transient inhabitants of the Bellevue Home- reporting a problem you will be asked to provide an address less Shelter and Main Chance are behaving in undesirable or an intersection where the activity is taking place. You can ways that are unsafe for our children. In addition, neighbor- report problems to 311 anonymously. It takes a minimum of hood stores are experiencing shoplifting. 3 complaints for the City to take action. Garbage: 72% Third Avenue seems to be most affected 311 issues include: overflowing or broken street litter baskets, with littered sidewalks, overflowing litter baskets, garbage litter in tree beds or on sidewalks, homeless people doing in tree beds and people not curbing their dogs. something illegal or in need of assistance, noise, loud par- Zoning/Land Use: 67% Many respondents were con- ties, traffic gridlock, construction before or after hours, etc. cerned about the preservation of our (You also have to know which hours historic buildings as well as the low to construction are allowed, because dif- mid-rise character of the neighbor- ferent projects have different hours.) hood. Additionally, respondents ad- The MHNA website Traffic Updates vocated affordable commercial rents provides information about City and for small businesses and extending MTA projects, but there are also util- the BID boundaries. Respondents ity projects going on in the neighbor- disliked the food stalls on Park Av- hood. enue, and uninhabited poorly main- Sidewalk litter and litter in the gutter tained private homes. People feel that out to 18” is the responsibility of the we need a neighborhood plan, and building owner. If you know the busi- Murray Hill must be seen by the city ness, you might stop in to mention it administration as a residential area Traffic at 39th Street and Third Avenue. Continued on page 23 President’s Corner Murray Hill By Diane Bartow, President, MHNA Happy Holidays to all our members! May Peace, Joy, Hope and Happiness be yours during this holiday ife season and throughout the New Year. I hope you will join us on December 4 for the L tree lighting on Park Avenue. Bring your family A publication of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association and friends, sing a song, say hello to Santa Claus, have a candy cane and just enjoy an afternoon Board of Trustees with your neighbors. President: Diane Bartow It was good to see so many of you at the annual member meeting in Sep- Vice Presidents: Susan Demmet, Thomas Horan, tember. This has been a very difficult year in our neighborhood, due to con- Matthew Roberts, Marion Weingarten struction on every block, major traffic and transportation problems and, as Secretary: Ashley Petrylak you stated, NOISE! Treasurer: Barbara M. Sagan Major construction in the Queens-Midtown tunnel and its exit plazas and Trustees Fred Arcaro, Edward Bergman, Stein Berre, on 34th street to fix infrastructure issues is causing traffic congestion and John B. Chadwick, Jr., Carey Davidson, May Fan, noise on neighborhood streets. We have emergency repairs by Con Ed and Deborah Farone, Shinbani Gambhir, Melissa Givey, Verizon and new buildings going up everywhere. Yes, it is a nightmare! Jon Harari, Eliot Kaplan, Elizabeth Kessenides, Eric Perlmutter, Anoop Punjabi, We also had to deal with Wi-Fi kiosks, street fair rules changes and now a Anne Marie Salmeri, Lisa Searing, possible increase in the number of street vendors. Nancy Idaka Sheran, Elaine Silber, Caryn Williams, Marshall Wise, Lance Zakin An emergency air ventilation plant proposed by the MTA for the 4, 5 and Honorary Trustees 6 subway lines running under Park Avenue has caused major concern. This Joelle Anderson, Robert Cohen, Joe W. Di Domenico, is a big problem, and the project may run concurrently with the MTA con- Irma Worrell Fisher, Paula Hutter Gilliam, Ellen Imbimbo, Enid Klass, Shirley Mac Leod, struction for the East Side Access project at 37th Street and Park Avenue. Debra Moolin, Ellen H. Propp The East Side Access project is going into its 8th year and is not expected Past Presidents to be complete until 2022. We were originally told that it would take no Ed Hochberg, Mark Tracten, Stephen Weingrad longer than two to three years. This has caused a mistrust of the MTA and Newsletter Staff its projects, and a new project seems very likely to compound the problems. Editor: Nancy Idaka Sheran The next step in this process is the MTA’s Draft Environment Impact State- Editorial Assistant: Barbara Guinan ment, which they said would be released this Fall. The DEIS will clarify if Advertising: Nancy Idaka Sheran this project is necessary, and will provide details of the MTA’s analysis of Online Edition: Jon Gilbert, Mieko Kojima and the cumulative effect of this project, along with all of the other construction Nancy Idaka Sheran in the neighborhood, and its impact on the neighborhood pedestrian and Design & Production: Hilary Black street traffic, noise, public safety, green spaces and historic structures. Murray Hill Neighborhood Association We are asking the City for more community involvement in the planning Post Office Box 1897 process for reviewing and scheduling new construction and for more timely New York, NY 10156-1897 notifications. 212-886-5867 Send letters to the editor or story ideas to [email protected] Save the Date! and please use the subject line “Murray Hill Life”. Get Together With Your Neighbors for the Tree Lighting on the Park Avenue Mall Sunday, December 4 4:30 pm Look for more details in future emails. 2 Winter 2016 The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association [email protected] 212-886-5867 The Preservation and Design committee is working with the The Queens Landmarks Preservation Commission and other preserva- Midtown Tun- tion groups to get more Murray Hill buildings landmarked. nel restoration This is a critical project for the future of Murray Hill. The work is ahead Greening committee is requesting new and replacement of schedule, and trees, maintaining tree beds and scheduling clean-up events the MTA Bridg- to keep the neighborhood clean. Each one of the Associa- es and Tunnels tion’s committees is composed of dedicated members who Authority has work hard to ensure the future of Murray Hill. presented an ac- We are communicating to our members on a weekly basis, celerated sched- and you just need to check the website, murrayhillnyc.org, ule of repair that for updated information and events. will shorten the project by six Please remember, we are a volunteer organization and we months. Restoration of the Queens-bound tunnel (the south need your help if you are able to volunteer. Reach out to tube) will start in early 2017. This work will be done during [email protected] and you can get involved in a com- the nighttime. For more details please refer to my newsletter mittee that is right for you. Be a constructive force in helping article of March 2015 and check the Traffic Updates on www. to solve the problems we are facing in Murray Hill! murrayhillnyc.org. Remember to renew your membership and bring in new The accelerated water main and sewer replacement and re- members if you can. It is the gift that gives back to the neigh- habilitation from 35th to 38th Street between First Avenue borhood. and the FDR Drive Service Road has been delayed due to We all wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season construction on 34th and 35th Streets. A new date has not and New Year! been set as of this writing. The Street Activity Permit Office of the Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management has proposed new rules for street festivals: require at least 50% participation News from MECA of local businesses, limit street festivals to ten per year for Manhattan East Community Association each Community Board area and increase fees.