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RT04282016

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.co APRIL 28, 2016 • TIMES 23 Woodhaven residents want Neir’s Tavern landmarked BY ALAN BURTON [email protected] @RidgewoodTimes Concerned Woodhaven residents will rally with elected offi cials, civic leaders and historians next month to have a historic neighborhood watering hole declared a city landmark. Beginning at 2 p.m. on May 7, residents will hold a four-hour peaceful protest at Neir’s Tavern, located at the corner of 78th Street and 88th Avenue, calling upon the NYC Landmark Preservation Commission to grant the site landmark status. Many residents believe the tavern is a fi xture within both the community and American pop and restaurant culture. More than 100 people have already committed to attending the Historic Districts Council protest clad in suspenders to symbolize their support of the effort. Organizers say that the tavern is decades overdue for landmark status, which is needed to protect it from future development. Neir’s Tavern remains the oldest restaurant in the States still operating from its original location, which was built in 1829. The historic tavern was also featured in a number of scenes from the 1990s fi lm “Goodfellas” and 2011’s “Tower Heist,” along with being the place where actress Mae West fi rst got her start in the 1930s. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, state Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, and Assemblyman Mike Miller have all been invited to attend the May 7 rally. BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua This year, Queens residents will face the highest increase in median rent-to-income ratio, making it harder to fi nd affordable rental units. According to a study by StreetEasy, the median rent-to-income ratio in Queens increased from 43.5 percent to 51.6 percent between 2015 and 2016, meaning residents will have to spend more than half of their annual income on rent. Overall, the study, titled The State of New York City Rent Affordability, found that renters in New York City will spend 65.2 percent of their income on rent in 2016, up from 59.7 percent in 2015. Queens neighborhoods that saw some of the highest increases were Murray Hill, Long Island City and Jamaica. Alarmingly, Queens also faces the highest disparity between rent price growth and income growth. The study found that rent price in the borough is expected to grow by 19.2 percent, while income is expected to grow just 0.4 percent. Brooklyn continues to be the least affordable borough, with households spending 65.4 percent of their total annual income on median market-rate rent in 2016. New York City residents are acutely aware of this increase. According to a survey conducted by WNYC Radio, the second-largest concern for residents behind the cost of living is the high cost of housing. “With a rental vacancy rate below 3.5 percent, the supply of rental housing across the city is extremely low, which places upward pressure on prices and even more competition among renters,” said StreetEasy data scientist Alan Lightfeldt. “There’s policy momentum in place here, but addressing the supply side is only half the battle.” Programs aimed at addressing slow income growth must be implemented in tandem with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 10-year affordable housing plan, the study recommended. Only then will the median rent-to-income ratio be less burdensome for residents. around queens Queens residents will spend 51.6 percent of their income on rent in 2016, study says Forest Hills Cinemart to get a VIP upgrade BY KATARINA HYBENOVA [email protected] @kamelka A grandpa among New York movie theaters, the beautiful historic Cinemart Cinemas in Forest Hills, is getting an exciting improvement. The almost 90-year-old movie theater located at 106-03 Metropolitan Ave. announced on their Facebook page that they will be installing “VIP luxury seating better than the ones where you pay $20 per ticket.” In order to do so, the movie theater will be closed for a month starting on April 25. A Cinemart Cinemas representative confi rmed that all of the movie theater seats will be replaced. “We started in rooms 3, 4 and 5, and will move onto 1 and 2 soon,” the representative told QNS. Luckily, despite the new seats, the unbeatable price of a movie ticket will remain the same, confi rmed the Cinemart Cinemas rep. The movie theater currently sells a movie ticket for the mere $9 ticket ($6 for children and seniors) and the price includes a free popcorn. With Eddie’s Sweet Shop right on the corner, the Forest Hills cinema has been a treat gentle on the wallet for years and a popular destination for dating couples and families alike. As of May 25, we’re expecting to enjoy it even more while relaxing in the new seats. RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photo by QNS/Katarina Hybenova By the concession stand. Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Whistling Monkey


RT04282016
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