CB 13 votes down Lubavitch bus stop @ the Ohel

Posted Friday, Sep 28 2012 9:33am in Chabad News

Community Board 13 on Monday voted down a proposal by an area synagogue for a charter bus stop near the cemetery where the sect’s founder is buried.

Hundreds of pilgrims, members of Congregation Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, located at 226-20 Francis Lewis Blvd., visit the adjacent Montefiore Cemetery each day and thousands stop by on special religious occasions to pray and reflect near the graves of the sect’s leader, the late Rebbe Menachem Schneerson, and his father-in-law, Yosef Schneersohn, the prior rebbe.

There are concerns among homeowners in the quiet Cambria Heights community about noise, traffic and pollution caused by buses that already come to the area and idle when they drop off the pilgrims. The group’s rabbi, Abba Refson, sees the proposal as a solution, while neighbors worry it would only make things worse.

“I do believe the request is unfair,” said CB 13’s Transportation Chairwoman Tanya Cruz. “We see the buses and we know they aren’t going to listen to us and really try to rectify this.”

A public hearing on the matter was held at CB 13’s Transportation Committee meeting on Sept. 11 at the Alpha Phi Alpha Senior Citizens Center in St. Albans, where the proposal was voted down by residents 66-0 with no abstentions. The full board voted down the proposal 23-0 with no abstentions.

The city Department of Transportation is considering a spot on Francis Lewis Boulevard somewhere between 227th and 228th streets for the bus stop, called a layover zone. The agency may still approve the plan since the community board’s power is only advisory. continue...