Residents say shuttered halfway house on Beach 116th St. will jeopardize Rockaway revitalization

Hurricane Sandy destroyed the Narco Freedom shelter. But the company is aiming to reopen with homeless people.

BY LISA L. COLANGELO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

DANNY RUSCILLO, PRESIDENT, 100TH POLICE PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Civic leaders and lawmakers will meet with the operators of a Rockaway halfway house next month to convince them to keep the storm-damaged facility shut rather than reopening as a homeless shelter.

The Beach 116th St. building, operated by Narco Freedom, is located on a key commercial strip that is undergoing a post-Sandy revival.

The storm swept Narco Freedom and its residents out of the facility. The group, which provides housing and substance abuse treatment, is considering a controversial proposal to house about 40 homeless — but that plan is on hold until the meeting.

“This is a business district,” said Danny Ruscillo, president of the 100th Precinct Community Council, who led a groundswell of opposition to the plan. “You can’t put homeless people here. It will defeat the whole idea of revitalizing Beach 116th St.”

For years, Ruscillo and others have complained that Rockaway is saturated with halfway houses and single room occupancy hotels.

Some of the residents were aggressive panhandlers who scare away customers and harass pedestrians running daily errands.

The city has helped merchants organize an association and provided grants for spruced up streetscapes and storefronts — and many believe that a reopened Narco Freedom facility will halt the momentum.

“The most important part of our community recovery is going to be the stability of our commercial area,” said Assemblyman Philip Goldfeder. “People need a place to shop and spend time with their families.”

Goldfeder said he spoke with Narco Freedom officials about the plan’s impact and is hopeful they will come up with an alternative.

“Maybe it could be a job training center or something more in line with the commercial zone,” he said.

Narco Freedom officials could not be reached for comment. It leases the site from property owner Jay Deutchman.

Station Liquors owner Tom Hughes said turning the site - which sits so close to the beach - into homeless housing makes little sense when they are trying to lure businesses and shopper to the strip.

“We have hired a consultant to look at business attraction strategies,” said Hughes, one of the leaders of the new merchants association. “This is some of the most prime property in the whole Rockaway peninsula and that’s the least valuable use.”

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com