This will be a shock to you - the Richmond Hill Block Association held a meeting with DOB and attendees left more frustrated than ever:Block Association gets few answers
A local building contractor and resident, Jim Cook, questioned how to go about repairing a site that was structurally unsound and a danger for neighborhood children. New York City Building Deputy Director of Intergovernmental and Community Affairs, Robert Hudack, said, “That’s a process. We’d have to survey the building, we’d send our engineers out there, then we’d try to go to court and get a court order that would allow us to get the order for them to demolish the building, seal the building, whatever the case may be . . . but that process takes several months.”
It only takes a few minutes for a developer to get a demolition permit. But it takes the city several months to knock down a dangerous building. Nothing should stand in the way of "progress." Not even the law.
Photo from AMNY.com
7 comments:
A few minutes and a few $$$$$$$ in somebody's pocket. DOB..... the Department Of Bribes!
Well, we have two sides to everything. You can't criticize developers for doing things underhandedly, and then criticize the DOB for not doing the same thing.
Yes, developers illegally tear down structures all the time. Sometimes, they even do it by the book, and get the proper permits and do it the right way.
(I know, I know, stop laughing, but there are rumors that occasionally it does happen legally.)
The big difference here is, these developers own those buildings. Please don't advocate that the city condemn private property within a short time just because of a complaint from someone at a civic meeting. Hate it or not, the city is supposed to go through the proper channels to inspect, then condemn if necessary.
I am hearing complaints from all over that when the public has meetings like this citizens are not getting anything of substance.
Did the newspapers attend? Did they comment on this problem? Did local officials attend? Did they comment on this problem?
Write a letter to the papers on this, people, and send a copy to Crappie.
Don't take BS from anyone! Remember, you pay taxes for services. Right now, the way things stand, if someone (who likely doesn't even live in your community) wants to build a really big project, all the public taxpayers' (read your) money and machinery of government is channeled to their assistance.
Token meetings which have been held by DOB throughout Queens are an insult to residents! I've attended a few. There's a lot of talking about DOB improving things but very little doing, on their part! I guess they think we're all stupid and easily soothed into believing their promises of change!
The realization of our powerlessness is starting to overwhelm me. I have been trying to reach the DOB concerning the NY Times printing plant and my calls are not returned (see last article about the expansion of the Times a few pages back).
Community Board #7 has written to the NYC EDC asking them to cease construction until a meeting is held. The matter will be discussed on the 22nd but the expansion continues. The College Point Board of Trade has also expressed its concerns in a letter as well. Two elected officials, State Senator Frank Padavan and City Councilman Tony Avella also sent correspondence to the NYC EDC. And yet the construction continues.
I sent a "Letter to the Editor" to several local papers and the Queens Gazette and Queens Examiner are the only papers that published it. The Examiner also did a more in depth cover story. There was an article in the Queens Courier but I found it to be one-sided and inaccurate. It was also buried all the way in the back of that week's edition.
I also called TV and radio stations but they all said that they need to see something "official" before they would look into it??!?!?! I told them to check it out for themselves. Thinking back I should have told them where they should really go!
As I stated at the outset of this contribution, we have become powerless, at least as individuals, to affect change. Why are people so afraid to unite to stand up for their rights? Use 'em before we lose 'em! Start being a pain in the ass. Lots of letters and phone calls will catch someone's attention eventually. How can we work as a team and address all of our concerns and save our beloved Borough of Queens (and the city) before it is too late?
Alan (I'm talking from past experiece). The only way to bust up DOB's arrogance is with a DOI investigation or an FBI probe. This was done over a decade ago. Result ......(to start with.... the first wave)....14 building inspectors were indicted for corruption and bribery. Some went to jail!
DOB won't take calls or give answers unless an elected official intervenes on your behalf and then maybe they also get the run around. It is sickening. I sympathize with you! There is such a tangled web of intrigue here.
Generating publicity in the press about those bastards at the NY Times is almost futile. They're all in the "ink and newsprint" business together. Like brother lawyers, they will always support each other! TV stations are lazy. Unless you hand them the smoking gun, they'll do nothing. They only get interested in a news story when the corpse is found. Good investigative reporters are hard to find these days.....almost as extinct as the Dodo Bird! Maybe a "SHAME ON YOU" Arnold Diaz broadcast might be the way to go! It cant't hurt to call him. It's a wild shot that could just work. Try anything!
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