THE VOICE OF WESTERLEIGH Newsletter of the Westerleigh Improvement Society, Inc. PO Box 140-043, Staten Island, NY 10314 www.wisonline.org November 2015 Vol. 51 No. 5 Serving the Westerleigh community for 122 years Circulation: 850 President’s Message Upcoming Meetings Meeting begins at 8 pm. he seasons change and we here in Westerleigh Tare preparing for the upcoming holidays and Tuesday, December 1 much colder weather. As I write this children are get- ting ready for Halloween and putting finishing touches Tuesday, January 5 on their costumes. Tuesday, February 2 Work continues non-stop on the capital projects in our com- Immanuel Union Chuurch munity. Recently the installation of rain gardens to control erosion in Westerleigh Park was begun. The project involves the 693 Jewett Avenue closure of sections of the park and hopefully will be completed at the corner of Maine Ave. next year. Most distressing these past few weeks was the progress of a ~ Everyone Welcome ~ variance application for a down zoned lot on Woolley Avenue. It appears the Board of Standards and Appeals will grant the vari- ance despite the opposition of the community and the rezoning efforts of the Society. More on this topic in this issue. WIS Holiday Party On a lighter note the Society’s upcoming Holiday Party is set december 5, 2015 for Dec. 5 at the Immanuel Union Church. Last year’s affair was extremely festive and it’s a great way to begin the holiday season 7–11 pm with neighbors. Full details are in the enclosed flyer. Hot Buffet, Entertainment, Open Bar Please feel free to contact the Society with any issue you feel (See our insert for details) we can be of help. Too Many Leaves, Alert! car doors and when open, take yard and food money and items left inside. To waste? Lock Car Doors our knowledge nothing of great recycling stickers Westerleigh has experienced some value has been stolen, and no are available from Councilman minor, but disturbing, thefts. Ac- damage done to cars, but please cording to victims, in the hours remember to lock your cars every Steven Matteo’s office. before daybreak the robbers try night and remove your valuables. Call: (718) 980-1017 Westerleigh Sewer Avenue will be complete and traf- to iron out some concerns with Project Update fic flow will return to normal. The the final stages of work . Un- short section on Willard Avenue needed construction equipment or long-suffering residents adjacent to Westerleigh Park has was removed and improvement in on or near Jewett Avenue F been completed. the temporary road surfaces was between College and Forest Ave- promised in the near future. nues, there is good news to report: Responding to the Westerleigh With just a few locations along the Improvement Society’s efforts It is hoped that new curbs will Jewett Avenue storm sewer that to resolve issues brought up by be installed soon and the resurfac- remain to be completed, the roads residents in the past few weeks, ing of Jewett Avenue will begin. affected by the project are to be the contractor, the community All catch basins are functional and prepped for restoration. That construction liaison and repre- will be used to eliminate flooding means that before long the cham- sentatives of Community Board 1 in the project area.• bers being constructed on Forest met at the beginning of October 165 Woolley Avenue Over a year ago a builder ter proceeded to a hearing at the applied for a permit to build a Board of Standards and Appeals Variance one-family home at 165 Woolley in Manhattan. n 2008 the Westerleigh Avenue, originally the rear yard of The hearing was held on Sep- IImprovement Society was the home at 234 Garrison Avenue. tember 1 with a continuance on successful in rezoning much of The Buildings Department denied October 27. Society President our community to the R2 designa- the application since it failed to Michael Morrell and David Carr, tion that permits only one-family meet the minimum lot size for the Matteo’s chief of staff, both testi- homes on a minimum of 3,800 R2. The builder decided to apply fied in opposition. Despite over- square feet of property. It took for a variance (exemption) from whelming community opposition three years of effort and the sup- the zoning resolution to the Board the variance was granted. port of Council Members Michael of Standards and Appeals, the What is most disconcerting is McMahon and James Oddo. The agency that can overrule zoning the fact that such approvals can be goal was to maintain the Wester- rules and allow such construction. leigh’s character and avoid tear- used as evidence in other, similar The Society opposed this vari- variance applications. Despite this downs and higher density devel- ance application with the sup- opment on small lots.Since the decision, the Society will continue port of Borough President Oddo to do its best to protect Wester- rezoning in 2008 much new con- and Councilman Steven Matteo. struction has taken place within leigh’s zoning and character in the Community Board 1 also voted to future.”• the new zoning requirements. oppose the variance and the mat- Street Staten Island our streets have been involved night work. The Soci- rescheduled for Spring 2016. This ety, through Councilman Steven Resurfacing year, Mayor de Blasio has agreed Matteo’s office, has secured much n the last few newsletters we to increase funding for street badly needed road work in West- Ihave mentioned the scheduled milling and repaving citywide, but erleigh. We are hopeful that our resurfacing of streets approved especially on Staten Island. Much community will be early on the list by the DOT. We’ve learned that of the new work was concen- for resurfacings in 2016. • due to priority work elsewhere on trated on main thoroughfares and 2 Vision Zero borough has slowed to the point of tioning, complaining or simply doubling or even tripling the time confused. But, he said, after the first By Lou Bergonzi it takes to run even the simplest of waves of complaints, people seem errands. And if you’re driving near to have accepted the new changes, schools during arrival or dismissal and for the most part, are obeying eginning time – which always resembled a them. October 1st B maze, even in good times – well, it “It isn’t a bad thing to try to save in an an effort to may be wise to bring a book to read people’s lives,” he said. “But it’s cut down on traffic while you wait … and wait … to always a challenge to balance what fatalities citywide, get by. is good for the community with Mayor Bill de Blasio For residents of our community the element of frustration among instituted his “Vi- who travel along a 2.3 mile stretch residents.” sion Zero” policy in January 2014. of Clove Road, between Howard This version of the international He points out that in 2014 there Avenue and Richmond Terrace, road traffic safety project is a multi- were 11 fatal accidents on Staten which has been downsized to a faceted action, designed to combat Island, which he said was the lowest single lane to accommodate new crashes and increase safety for in 25 years. So far this year, he said, bike paths, the complaints have drivers, passengers and pedestrians there are already 18, which while drawn the attention of almost alike. still below average, show the need all our elected officials, including for improved safety. Hence, the But some directives now in Borough President James Oddo. establishment of the Vision Zero place – while admirable in their Oddo admitted that finding the policies. Drastic or not, they appear intent – have drastically increased proper balance between traffic here to stay. the time it takes to get from place to flow, safety and the rights of bikers place along our borough’s famously can be pretty tricky. For example, Perhaps Cocola summed it car-clogged streets, and has led to the stretch between Broadway and up best by quoting his predeces- increased gripping among motorists Forest, which reduces four lanes of sor, Thomas Curitore, about what throughout our community. travel to two, has drawn the ire not people want with regard to speed limits. Curitore, he said, used to The state Legislature has given only of drivers, but of State Sena- say “People want to go 50 miles an the city the power over the place- tor Diane Savino, who called the hour on Hylan Boulevard, and want ment of speed and red-light changes “unrealistic.” everyone to go 5 miles an hour on cameras, the ability to reduce the According to Tom Cocola, the their street. citywide speed limit to 25 mph, and borough’s Department of Trans- to increase the penalties associated portation commissioner, any time “What winds up happening is with dangerous driver behavior. the DOT makes a change there is that they go 5 miles an hour on Hylan Boulevard, then race 50 miles All of this has given way to com- an initial reaction from the com- plaints that the flow of traffic in our munity, whether it is people ques- an hour on their own street. • WESTERLEIGH PARK UPDATE The drainage system installation, which will prevent future park ero- sion, continues. Left, a construction sign behind chain link fencing on Willard Avenue. Right, construc- tion of swale, part of the erosion control. • 3 Westerleigh Improvement Society, Inc P.O. Box 140-043 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Staten Island, NY 10314 www.wisonline.org PAID Permit #99 Staten Island, N.Y.