Senior Spotlight By John Toscano
River View Gardens: Hard Work Made Dream Come True

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney paid a visit recently to a building which has a special place in her heart- River View Gardens, an 80- unit senior housing facility, part of the Queens West development in the Hunters Point section of Long Island City.

Maloney (D- Queens/Manhattan) was accompanied by Linda Hoffman, president of the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYFSC) who, along with Maloney and others, played a major role in getting River View Gardens built.

The facility's total cost was $15 million, which included $13.9 million in federal funding plus federal rent subsidies. New York state provided the land. The building's enriched housing program for the frail elderly is licensed by the New York Department of Health.

The facility, which includes both well and frail elderly, is now fully occupied.

Maloney toured the facility and greeted the residents. "River View Gardens is a very special project to me, and I am thrilled to see how beautifully it turned out," she said. "Few people realize what a monumental achievement it was to get this built- it took a huge amount of hard work and cooperation at all levels of government. Linda Hoffman really pulled off an amazing feat.

"I'm always proud of projects that are built with federal funds. It's not easy to build senior housing in New York under any circumstances- the high cost of land and construction prices us above HUD's (the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development) caps in many instances. So, getting a project built with federal funds is always a reason to celebrate. But I know that this project required everyone involved to go the extra mile."

Maloney explained that the project was delayed for many years by concerns that were completely out of NYFSC's control. Maloney said she got involved because, "HUD in response to Congressional pressure, was threatening to pull River View's funding if construction on the development did not commence immediately."

The lawmaker recalled, "I needed to persuade my colleagues that this project was very real, that NYFSC is extra ordinarily competent, and that they were clearing all the obstacles that had blocked construction."

During 2003 and 2004, Maloney kept her colleagues up to date on what was going on and kept the pressure on HUD. She acknowledged that many others were also working hard "to put the pieces in place", a group which included Alex Federbush of Queens West Development Corporation and Hoffman and her organization's remarkable board members.

"And the result is fantastic," she exclaimed. "I am truly impressed by this extraordinary facility."

Hoffman is as impressed as Maloney with the high rise senior residence. She stated: "It's often said that success has many parents- and nowhere is that more true than with this facility. It took a lot of good friends to build this project."

Hoffman also cited Maloney's contribution to the effort. "The positive outcome of the Foundation's challenging, 10-year-long endeavor to bring River View Gardens to the Borough of Queens, reminds me of a wise, philosophical saying- 'If there was no such a thing as challenge, Michelangelo would have painted the floor, not the ceiling'. Fortunately with good friends like Congresswoman Maloney and the other elected officials in this area, we were able to make our vision a reality. Without a doubt, this building is the most beautiful, has the best location and most breathtaking views of any HUD 202 senior citizen housing in the universe."

Commenting on behalf of Empire State Development/Downstate, the parent of Queens West Development Corporation, Chairman, Pat Foye, stated: "Given our involvement at so many phases- in providing the land, in negotiating a payment from the developer of the adjacent property to defray the building cost, in subsidizing the construction of the foundation, and in managing the project to the point that allowed the HUD funds to be utilized- it's exciting to see the project come to fruition.

"What's especially rewarding is the knowledge that we played a role in obtaining much-needed housing for some deserving seniors."