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Sunnyside BID Adds 20 Benches to Shopping District

July 30, 2012 Staff Report

Sunnyside Shines, which is in charge of increasing the vibrancy of the local business district, and the NYC Department of Transportation are in the final stages of installing about 20 benches though out the Sunnyside business district.

After months of planning–and asking businesses and property owners if they would like benches–the DOT is ready to install the first group of benches in the next few days. Each bench will have dividers to reduce the chances that people will sleep on them.  The locations are as follows.

  • 43-06 47th Avenue between 43rd Street and 44th Street
  • 46-01 Queens Boulevard between 46th Street and 47th Street
  • 46-09 Queens Blvd between 46th Street and 47th Street
  • 41-16 Queens Blvd between 41st Street and 42nd Street
  • 43-42 40th Street between Queens Blvd & 43rd Avenue
  • 43-46 44th Street, between 54th Drive and 55th Avenue
  • 44-07 Queens Blvd, between 44th Street and 45th Street
  • 43-46 46th Street between Queens Blvd and 43rd Ave
  • 39-11 Queens Blvd between 39th Street & 39th Place
  • 39-13 Queens Blvd between 39th Street & 39th Place

An additional four benches will be installed at the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and 45th street in the next couple of weeks.  Finally, more benches will be installed after muni-meters replace regular meters in Sunnyside in October.

“Sunnyside Shines is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with The Department of Transportation to get the benches into our business district,” said James Bray, executive director of Sunnyside Shines. “I hope everyone enjoys the additional seating.”

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24 Comments

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EA

God I hope a bench did not kill anyone!!!!!!!!!!!! I was biking by this morning and it looked like there was some horrible car crash! The bench was ripped out like a Lego toy!

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SuperWittySmitty

I saw a senior citizen sitting on one of the benches today, 45th & Greenpoint. He actually looked comfortable and it was 94 degrees. I checked and the bench did not feel hot.

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Southie

I am thrilled that Bloomberg is spending his time worrying about large sodas and trans fats. I don’t want him making any more important decisions. If large sodas/trans fats/hiding hospital formula keeps him occupied until his reign ends–wonderful.

Out of curiousity Krissi, what about the Queens Zoo was so “disgusting” that you are comparing it to the “Staten Island dumps”? I have been there many times with friends and their small children. The kids always had a ball and I thought it was fine and I don’t even like zoos.

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Krissi

I just saw the benches on Greenpoint and they look great! However, the first thing my husband said was “They look great now, give it a few weeks and they will be all tagged up”.

Unfortunately he’s probably right.

We all pay taxes in this town, it angers me to no end that instead of working on strengthening our community by cleaning up streets, holding landlords responsible for their buildings and sidewalks, working on business improvement, affordable housing, education, and police our (illegally elected in my opinion) Mayor Bloomberg prefers to spend his time worrying about large size sodas and trans fats.

JVB has been a good official for our area, but we need more focus throughout the city on the forgotten buroughs. Not just Manhattan/gentrfied Brooklyn problems.

And it is not just Sunnyside I’m concerned about. I went to the Queens Zoo for the first time the other weekend. I might as well have been walking through the Staten Island dumps it was so disgusting.

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EA

Oh God you people! It seems that any change for you is bad.
A new park… bad
Fixing bird crap… bad
Don’t get me started on the dog run.
A bench never killed anyone! (don’t quote me on that)

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Roger_the_Shrubber

Look on the bright side. In the summer you can put some charcoal under them and grill up some burgers and hot dogs.

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Bliss

Once again, not very impressive action taken by the BID, seems like a lot of money for something that won’t really help.

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Helios

What’s wrong with a few benches? You can use them to rest, wait for a friend, eat an ice cream, put your packages down.

I’m more annoyed at the overflowing garbage cans. We need bigger ones. More people, more building, more garbage! The ones on 46th & Skillman are always full. Have you seen them 7am on a Monday morning. Disgusting!!

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SuperWittySmitty

I agree that benches are not what this community really needs- we have some parks on both sides of the boulevard and there are benches there, along with the ones near the arch. I can’t imagine where else they would be needed.

It would be great if Mr. Bray and his organization could communicate with the community and get some feedback.

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43rd Street Resident

Thank you Krissi!

In our neighborhood, Bid works very comfortably with the elected officials to spend lots of money to do nothing worthwhile. None of the elected officials live in the neighborhood except JVB.

You are right!

No one wants to live in a neighborhood with trash all over its sidewalks, cracked and broken sidewalks and empty storefronts. These benches will not change a thing!

Our elected officials should try to lure some quality replacement businesses to our area instead of giving themselves awards, honorary dinners, and taking pictures.

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Oppressed Masses

>>> Benches on Skillman Ave would take away sidewalk space from the eating establishments that encroach on the public sidewalk with tables and chairs.

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sartke

I suggest we remove all sidewalks, buildings and roads from Sunnyside – these things have all been known to attract homeless people. This neighborhood would be much safer if we turned it into a big pile of dirt.

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J&S

I like the benches, the ones on 46th St. are always being used, especially by senior citizens. However, these are metal — too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer with the sun beating down on then. Who’s bright idea was that?

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J&S

I like the benches, the ones on 46th St. are always being used, especially by senior citizens. However, these are metal — they’ll be too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer with the sun beating down on them. Who’s bright idea was that?

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J&S

I like the idea of the benches, the ones on 46 St are always being used. However, these are metal — cold in the winter and too hot in the summer with the sun beating down on them. Who’s bright idea was that?

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Krissi

I like this idea. The chairs over underneath the Sunnyside arch get a lot of use…

that being said no one will want to come to our shops if A. our shops are badly lacking in diversity and B. our streets are littered with garbage and cracking every which way.

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Webley

When was the last time you saw shoppers sit in those? Shoppers shop, like there is a lot to shop in Sunnyside.. thrift stores, 99c stores, drug stores and a few banks, and a few mediocre restaurants. That’s about all there is.
Benches.. like we live in a community by the ocean, what are they going to do, sit and watch people walk by or loud vehicle drive by? Totally useless spending. They should spend money to plant more trees and get rid of the messy storefronts, and make the stores pay for fixing the roads their trucks mess up every day.

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roger_the_shrubber

@Ruben

“There but for the grace of God go I.”

That’s the thought that comes to my mind when I see homeless people.

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TheBitchyWaiter

But on the positive side, Ruben, Sunnyside now has new benches for the hundreds of us who live here who are not “vile and mentally unstable unsafe people.”

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Ruben

Oh great, a place for all the Sunnyside Bums to chill. Can we seriously do something about these regulars? you got one bum who hangs at the bus stop with his Kart of garbage goodies. You got another bum who walks back and forth Sunnyside with his pants hanging low yelling CHAAAANGE to anybody who passes by.

They are vile and mentally unstable unsafe people. Idiots who give them money are people trying to make themselves feel better. you wanna help, donate to the charities…not panhandlers.

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