This color-coded map of zoning in Western Queens could change if the rezoning trends continue. How it will look afterwards is unclear. That, he said, is where the consensus seems to end. “When this kind of issue comes up, the neighborhood always gets divided. They cannot come up with a solid conclusion,” he said. That division was evident from speaking to Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. (D-Astoria), and the District Manager in the area. In an earlier interview, CB1 District Manager George Delis explained zoning changes were considered publicly in the late 1980s. “Every one of the property owners who came out was dead against it. Every single one.” “A lot of has changed since the late 80s, and I think people’s feelings have changed,” said Vallone. He later added, “The neighborhood cannot continue to maintain the influx of population it has in the past.” That “influx of population” is small compared to what the neighborhood can expect in the coming years, according to Graziano. Graziano, who helped engineer the milestone rezoning of Bayside, explained why advocates now have a new frontier on which to shift their focus. Astoria is “immediately adjacent to Manhattan. It’s the area that is going to see the most large-scale development in the borough… up to 40 stories or more.” Standing on 28th Street outside St. Patrick’s, Graziano noted the single-family houses sandwiched between two multifamily units. This, he said, was “indicative of [the housing stock in] Dutch Kills.” Abedin, the real estate broker, said simply, “The zoning right now is not too organized.” Broker And Activist “Queens County is supposed to be a bedroom community, and that is rapidly changing,” said Rosemarie Poveromo, head of the United Communities Civic Association. Poveromo is also a real estate broker. She explained, “I work under a double edge sword.” “How do I juggle [these competing interests]? I listen to my heart. I do what is right for the community at large. What my association feels is right at large,” she said. Poveromo, who declined to elaborate on the volume of business her company conducts, did say a lot of developers are looking to buy anything in Western Queens. “They’re looking for anything old. Any old home, any vacant lots that they can buy to build on. And we see it all over,” she said. The Next Round Hoping to prevent developers from doing just that are activists like Kim Frances of Laurelton. Once Cambria Heights completes its rezoning, City Planning officials will shift their focus over to Laurelton. There, Frances and her neighbors hope they’ll be able to keep developers at bay. Frances said the rezoning is aimed at stopping developers who want to “knock this house down and put up two twofamily houses. Why do we want that in our community? Why can’t our community be like Whitestone? Why can’t our houses sell for $1 million?” Whether the Laurelton section of southeast Queens will one day resemble Whitestone in the north is yet to be seen. What is clear is “We don’t’ want our area to turn into a whole apartment building craze,” Frances said. Another Laurelton resident in support of the rezoning shed some light on why some homeowners are busy learning about the zoning in their area. “In Springfield Gardens Estates, right across the street from Laurelton, a two-family house is [selling for] $499,000. I’m concerned because it’s right next door to us. It’s sort of like bringing down our homes.

[Feature Archives]