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The Kew Garden Hills block is something out of a bygone era, with many of its mostly Jewish residents living on the same street for half a century, treating each other like family.
But some of the Queens homeowners say they are now living in fear of the “800-pound gorilla” haunting the community — a proposed Hatzolah ambulance depot on their block.
Opposition to the project on 68th Road at Main Street has brought alleged threats and other forms of intimidation, with protesters noting that a key opponent was left in a burn ICU after a mysterious fire started in his car.
“We [are being] blackmailed into being silenced,” said a resident, too afraid to publicly share his name, to the Post.
Locals opposed to the plans by the Queens Hatzolah — a local Jewish ambulance service that aims to provide more culturally sensitive services — have formed a block association to fight the project. The proposed depot would have five ambulance garages and be taller than the houses on the block.
The residents say they are worried about the quality-of-life ramifications to their idyllic block if an outpost of Hatzolah, which responds to 7,000 emergency calls a year, is located there. And that’s not to mention the effect it might have on their home values.
Ari Koenigsberg, president of the 68th Road Block Association, said he used to volunteer for Hatzolah and knows how valuable the service can be to the Jewish community.
But he said his group’s opposition to the new building is pretty simple: Ambulance depots are noisy places that bring vehicles driving at frightening speeds; Hatzolah uses vehicles with diesel engines that its members are allowed to idle, polluting the air; when responding to a call at any time of night or day, the ambulances turn on sirens and flashing lights; at four stories, and the building will tower over everyone’s home.
In other words, the landscape of the bucolic block will be changed forever.
“There are other places you could build that are zoned for commercial use,” said Mordecai Koenigsberg, Avi’s father who lives in the same home as his son, to the Post.
The elder Koenigsberg said the plan was made with “no consideration for the neighborhood” and that he and many other residents were never asked for their thoughts.
“People are generally in favor of the operation of this Hatzolah group because they are helpful to the community,’’ Mordecai said.
“We said it may be true that you are doing a lot of valuable things for the community, but there has to be some oversight,” he recalled of conversations with backers of the plans.
Then the threats came, he and other project opponents said.
Backers of the plan reportedly told those who oppose the building that the protests could make volunteers not as willing to help those in the area,” Mordecai Koenigsberg said.
“That’s a nasty thing to say,” Mordecai said.
The block is home to many religious Jews who often use matchmakers to help their children find spouses.
A supporter of the project allegedly “goes over to a neighbor and says, ‘You have a daughter that’s 21 or 22. If you fight us, your daughter will not get married,’ ” said another block resident, who asked not to be named. “A widow was approached and told, ‘What do you care if your house goes down in value? You will leave it to your children.’
“Our quality of life is being destroyed,” the neighbor said. “I don’t need to live where people are intimidating me, intimidating my children.”
These sentiments were felt even before fire broke out at Avi Koenigsberg’s house in the early morning on March 3. The blaze started in his car, which had been turned off about four hours earlier when he got home and parked it in the driveway.
The smoke traveled upward from the car to the garage and then to Avi’s room above. Firefighters pulled him out of the house unconscious.
“If I had been upstairs for even a few more minutes, I wouldn’t be here anymore,” Avi said.
His insurance company and city fire marshals are still investigating how the fire started, he said. It appears the fire started in the trunk or in his backseat, Avi said, adding that there is no proof it was arson but it also hasn’t been ruled out. The FDNY did not respond to a request for comment from The Post.
Some residents noted that the fire happened at the address to which the block association is registered and said they were worried an overzealous supporter of the depot is out there.
There is no indication Hatzolah was involved in the blaze.
Hatzolah did not respond to multiple requests for comments from The Post.
While the block association is trying to stop them in court, it is likely the depot will be built, foes said.
“The irony of this is that nobody [at the top] at Hatzolah — the coordinators, the president — would even think or allow this to happen to their block,” a homeowner said.
Another resident who spoke on condition of anonymity added, “We have the best neighborhood anyone could ask for.
“They put a pall over the block.”
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