Sheepshead Bay City Councilman Chaim Deutsch will have to play Solomon tomorrow on his vote before the City Council’s Land Use Committee to allow a special zoning permit for the Cherry Hill gourmet Food Market & Cafe at the former Lundy’s Building, 1901 Emmons Avenue,
The food market and cafe, opened in 2009, has pitted longtime residents who want to maintain the antiquated special zoning of that area of Sheepshead Bay as a fishing village against the large influx of Russian-American immigrants who support the market and its nearly 100 employees.
The bitter dispute led to a recent widely-circulated letter in the neighborhood from a longtime civic leader and opponent of Cherry Hill that included attacks on other community members.
Deutsch asked that the writer of the letter not be named publicly because he is a recognized and respected community leader, and that sometimes things get said in the heat of battle.
Tomorrow’s vote comes after Community Board 15 recommended by a 20-2 margin earlier this year approving the text amendment to legalize the market’s use with recommendations such as pursuing their current square footage use of roughly 20,000 square feet. The building currently houses other businesses as well including a Turkish restaurant, a dentist and a beauty parlor.
The issue comes as a growing number of people in Sheepshead Bay feel it’s time to rezone the 1973-enacted special district that was created in hopes it would spur the water related tourism industry along Emmons Avenue. However, with the influx of Russian-Americans the area now accommodates several residential type uses such as having the 24-hour gourmet Cherry Hill market.
Deutsch did not say how he plans to vote tomorrow, but at the time of the community board vote he said he favored a compromise position which would allow the special zoning contingent on maintenance of parking and that the other businesses in the building are not pushed out by the popular market.
