Reject the Proposed 15–25 Story Development on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills

Petition to:
Queens Community Board 6, NYC Department of City Planning, Queens Borough President, and Local Elected Officials

We, the taxpayers, voters, homeowners, tenants, business owners, and residents of the Forest Hills community, strongly oppose and reject the proposed 15–25 story residential development planned between 67th Road and 67th Avenue on Queens Boulevard.

While we support responsible housing development, this proposal is excessive in scale and would place an unreasonable burden on an already congested neighborhood.

We support thoughtful and responsible affordable housing development throughout New York City. However, large-scale projects should be prioritized in areas with substantial undeveloped or underutilized land and infrastructure capacity, rather than overcrowding already established residential neighborhoods.

For example, locations such as Aqueduct Racetrack contain significant open space and present opportunities for large-scale housing development without displacing essential businesses, blocking sunlight to existing residents, or overburdening already congested communities.

Forest Hills is already a densely developed neighborhood experiencing the cumulative effects of multiple recent developments. Responsible city planning should balance growth with infrastructure capacity, healthcare accessibility, quality of life, and preservation of existing communities.

Why We Oppose This Proposal

1) Loss of Sunlight and Quality of Life

The proposed high-rise would block natural sunlight to surrounding residential buildings, including at least 24 apartments in the Fontaine Co-op alone.

Access to natural light is essential for physical and mental health, sleep regulation, energy efficiency, and overall quality of life. Residents should not be forced to live in darker, colder apartments due to overdevelopment.

2) Destruction of Essential Community Businesses

The proposal would demolish critical neighborhood businesses, including:

a 24-hour CVS Pharmacy
grocery stores
restaurants and cafes
banking services
dry cleaners
orthopedic and medical supply services

Most critically, there are no other 24-hour pharmacies within approximately six miles of Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Patients discharged late at night rely on immediate access to medications and prescriptions. Eliminating this pharmacy creates a serious healthcare accessibility concern, especially for seniors and vulnerable residents.

3) Overdevelopment and Infrastructure Strain

Forest Hills is already experiencing the impact of multiple large residential developments, including Trylon Towers, The Yellowstone, BLVD Condominium, and The Perennial.

These projects have already increased:

traffic congestion
parking shortages
strain on transit and infrastructure
sanitation burdens
population density

Approving another oversized development without fully assessing the cumulative impact on the community is irresponsible and unsustainable.

4) Construction and Environmental Concerns

Residents would face years of excessive noise, vibrations, dust, and construction disruption. Construction-related air pollution is a recognized health concern, particularly for seniors, children, and individuals with respiratory conditions.

We urge the City to require full environmental, structural, shadow, and infrastructure impact studies before any approvals move forward.

Our Demands

We respectfully call upon Queens Community Board 6, the NYC Department of City Planning, and all relevant elected officials to:

Reject the proposed development in its current form:

Conduct comprehensive environmental and sunlight impact studies
Preserve essential neighborhood businesses and healthcare access
Protect residents from overdevelopment and infrastructure overload
Ensure transparent and meaningful community participation before approvals move forward

Forest Hills is a thriving residential community that deserves thoughtful, balanced, and responsible planning.

Sign this petition to help protect our neighborhood, our local businesses, and our quality of life.