Boro Park ShopRite Agrees To Limit Use Of New Driveway In Face Of Community Concerns

The following is a press release from the offices of Councilman David Greenfield:

Councilman David G. Greenfield and ShopRite officials have come to a win-win agreement regarding the use of the driveway connecting the store’s rear parking lot to 19th Avenue in order to reduce the impact this new exit will have on the adjacent residential area. Under the deal, the driveway will only be used for customers to exit the ShopRite property and will be one-way from the dead end at 19th Avenue to 50th Street. The driveway’s use is limited to vehicles, with no truck traffic allowed in order to prevent backups on 19th Avenue and to maintain safety on local streets. The city Department of Transportation is now conducting a study to determine whether a traffic signal is needed at 19th Avenue and 50th Street due to the increase in traffic that will occur, and will install signage alerting drivers that the driveway is only used for exiting the parking lot and that left turns onto 50th Street are not permitted.

This agreement on behalf of the community between ShopRite and Councilman Greenfield comes after months of negotiations and meetings involving company officials, residents and community leaders including Community Board 12 Chairman Yidel Perlstein. During the course of the discussions, Councilman Greenfield insisted that ShopRite conduct a traffic study to properly measure the impact that opening up this driveway would have on nearby residents, especially those near the intersection of 19th Avenue and 50th Street. In addition, Councilman Greenfield personally met with Brooklyn DOT Commissioner Joseph Palmieri at the location to give him a firsthand look at the residents’ concerns. Finally, he met with representatives of the community to ensure that they were happy with the proposed agreement. Greenfield recently wrote to the DOT to formally spell out the details of the agreement and to discuss the traffic signage necessary to lessen the impact on nearby blocks.

“I started working on this issue last year on behalf of residents immediately after hearing that ShopRite had begun construction without any notice to my office or the community. It literally took as a year to resolve, but I am very pleased that company officials listened to our concerns and agreed to take steps to minimize the impact this new exit will have on this residential corner of Boro Park. My thanks to everyone involved in reaching this deal, which I am confident will help maintain the quality of life that the residents in that area currently enjoy,” said Councilman Greenfield.

Councilman Greenfield’s involvement in this situation began in February 2013, when he asked the Buildings Department to immediately revoke all permits issued to ShopRite after hearing from concerned neighbors when the work suddenly began without notice to the community. After the city issued a stop work order, Councilman Greenfield began meeting with ShopRite officials, the DOT and community members to reach this agreement.

“Now that this agreement is in place, I will continue working with residents, the DOT and ShopRite to address any issues that might arise or to take any additional steps if necessary. This is a great example of how a local issue can be resolved when the community comes together for a common goal. I am very pleased that we have found a way to protect the community while meeting the needs of this important business,” added Councilman Greenfield.

“I thank Councilman Greenfield for leading the negotiations on behalf of the community,” said Community Board 12 Chair Yidel Perlstein. “There is no question that we got this result because we as a community stuck together to make sure that the community’s needs were accommodated.”