CLEAN IT UP! ~ Senator Avella rallies against unsightly conditions inside Shopping Plaza in Flushing

On Thursday, Senator Tony Avella joined Mitchell Linden residents at a press conference calling on the owners to immediately clean up the Pathmark Shopping Center located along the Whitestone Expressway Service Road in College Point. 

The Shopping Center has four separate owners, neither of whom have taken the initiative to address the long standing litter, piles of debris, and horrific roadbed conditions at this site.  Since the Center is also used a rest stop for truck drivers, the unsightly conditions have only exacerbated at this location over the years.

“This is a problem that area residents have endured for the past decade,” stated Senator Avella. “The owners of the Plaza make a lot of money from the many businesses that are here but they have yet to put some of that money back into improving the infrastructure. The potholes, street collapses, uneven patchwork, litter and grease stains must be addressed.  I am calling on all of the owners to come together with members of the community to finally resolve this situation. It’s hazardous, unsafe and unsanitary. This community deserves better.”

Ms. Arlene Fleishman, President of the Mitchell-Linden Civic Association, stated, “These unsightly conditions have been going on for over a decade. The Civic Association has tried meeting with the owners but nothing has been done to improve the appearance of this Plaza. It is time to get rid of this blight, repair the roads and really clean up the entire shopping center.”

Ms. Fleishman reported suffering a fall inside the shopping center a few years ago, when she thought she was stepping into a puddle, which turned out to be a sinkhole. The fall left her with a cast on one leg and a fracture boot on the other, further illustrating the hazardous conditions inside the Plaza.

Ms. Emily Sheahan, area resident, added “This Center is very convenient for me and my family but I stopped going over the years because of complete lack of upkeep. I would come here all the time but I am not just not comfortable pushing a double stroller through such horrible pavement.”

Senator Avella, who gained the Pathmark Plaza following the redistricting process in 2012, added, “This shopping center was never designed to handle such a large intake of motorists and tractor trailers.  As a result, there are days when you can barely drive over all the hills that the potholes have created. The owners of this shopping center have an obligation to take care of these conditions. It is time to step up and address these long standing issues.”