Bayside activists are dogmatic in their opposition to the construction of a Latter Day Saints Church in Flushing, but purportedly not for religious reasons.
If the church were to be built at 145-15 33rd Ave. as planned, it would account for 23,000 square feet of its neighborhood in Flushing, and have a 94-foot steeple. A protest held on March 8 drew many neighborhood preservationists, including Bayside Hills Civic Association President Michael Feiner. In Feiner's words:
It is about , this time with a Church that is asking for three variances to build a 23,000-square-foot building on the land it owns at 145-15 33rd Avenue. A 12,000-square-foot structure is allowed there under current zoning. The plan also calls for a 94-foot steeple, which would end up being one of the tallest structures in Queens.
We have to support the opposition for these variances for not for only the obvious reason, that this structure would not fit the character of the neighborhood and that the variances requested by the church go against zoning laws, but also the opposition is led by many of the people who supported us against the illegal home in the garden of a corner .
An urban planner who designed the area's zoning, Paul Graziano, worries that if the church is permitted by the Board of Standards and Appeals, "...it will set a precedent in all R1 and R2 districts throughout the city, allowing houses of worship to undo all of our hard work a decade ago in getting the Community Facilities Zoning Text Amendments passed."
In the analysis of Andy Rothman, a Community Board 11 member, the BSA approves "almost everything," regardless of what the Community Board, or Borough Presidents recommend.
Baysiders have historically been wary of new religious structures being built within residential neighborhoods, often citing parking concerns, as well as the effect of crowding and noise levels on home values. In 2009, the East Bayside Homeowners Association went to bat with Jesus Covenant Church, a Korean congregation. The New York Times authored a piece at the time that implied opposition to the church was less about zoning and parking, and more about its demographics.
The EBHA opposed the construction of a Chabad synagogue a few years prior, and the BCHA virulently opposed the construction of a .
