The New York Times Reports: LIVING IN SPRINGFIELD GARDENS

Check out the article that ran in this weekend's New York Times about SPRINGFIELD GARDENS.
Among some of the topics discussed: the influx of new housing, population increase and environmental awareness - all topics of focus since the creation of this weblog. Accurate? Inaccurate? Please post your thoughts.

An expanse of homes with a note of suburban calm, Springfield Gardens, like some other Queens neighborhoods, has also been the site of feverish development in recent years as investors have gobbled up and demolished single-family houses and replaced them with multiple-family dwellings. Many residents worry that the population increase ushered in by the larger buildings is more than the neighborhood’s infrastructure can accommodate.

“People care about their homes and look out for one another,” said Yvette Kearse, an agent with Century 21 Milestone Realty. “If you want a neighborhood with manicured lawns, larger homes and not a lot of problems in this section of Queens, a favorite is Springfield Gardens.”

Observation: Signs of Overpopulation?

A couple of weeks ago, the DEP trucks were hovering around the Baisley Park Pond area during morning rush hour. They were around for about two weeks, drilling and making lots of noise. We thought it was routine sewer maintenance, since flooding has always been a problem in Southeast Queens. A neighbor said that the DEP were on assignment, upgrading and expanding all of the water pipes and adjusting pressure starting from Linden Blvd., and working their way south. She says they haven't upgraded in decades. So why are they doing this now? She said she was told that the water pressure has to be readjusted because of the overwhelming demand and use from the growing two-family and multi-family homes in the area.