Right on the heels of a group home hearing in Throggs Neck, another public hearing is scheduled for a proposed group home in Pelham Bay. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 7, and brought before the full board at the October 23 general meeting.
With an ever tightening real estate market, developers caught with an un-sellable inventory are turning to the state to sell their over-priced, poorly-con-structed properties at above-market prices, that in the end comes from our tax dollars.
Community Board 10 will host a public hearing on the Pelham Bay group home taking place at the auditorium of the Greek American Institute at 3573 Bruckner Boulevard on October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Community Action for Human Services notified CB 10 of the proposed group home for three to seven developmentally disabled individuals, at 3407 Bruckner Boulevard, in the new Waterbury Estates development.
So far, members of the Waterbury-LaSalle Community Association are taking a cautious approach to the proposed home, studying the matter.
“Initially, everyone is always against group homes,” said Andrew Chricio, one of the board members of WLCA. “When the hearing is held, we need people to come out and speak their mind.”
Those ready to fight against the proposed group home in Pelham Bay can use Padavan’s Law, a state law written by Senator Padavan of Queens which allows for community involvement in the site selection for groups homes for the developmentally disabled.
The law mandates a public hearing concerning the site by the local community board where the home is to be located.
A community board cannot oppose a group home simply because the community does not want it there. If community members can prove over-saturation of a particular area with group homes, they can then propose an alternate location.
“We are still doing research, but we need the community to come out to the hearings,” said Mary Jane Musano, of WLCA.
There are about 20 group homes located in the confines of CB 10, many of which are located near Westchester Square.
Some in the community are concerned that excess housing builders cannot sell on the open market will be snapped up by those who run group homes.
Valenti noted the wonderful working relationship that the Pelham Bay community has with a group home on Mayflower Avenue.
