"Take a look at these two future piles of crap. In red is 31-23 31st Street, a former plastic wrap factory. In the yellow is 31-70 31st Street, a former gas station. The gas station has been demolished and the factory gutted. Both are right in front of the elevated subway, too. 7 stories are planned for each, the factory will house 91 units while 65 are planned for the other. The plans for the factory state that there is to be a 6 story addition - last time I checked only the outer walls were left, the foundation was gone. This seems to be a scam used by the developers to get approval, since plans for a new building have been disapproved for the gas station. So as long as they leave an original wall they are free to do as they please. The plans for the factory are built in acordance with the Quality Housing Program, which states it "encourages development consistent with the character of many established neighborhoods." They expect us to buy this crap? How do two buildings which are bigger than any in their surroundings comply with neigborhood character? This adds up to at least 156 new people and two enormous eyesores for the community. We can only wait to see how ugly these turn out." - Astoria guyAstoria guy, getting an alteration permit when you plan to build a new building is also a way to save money on permits.
10 comments:
Another example from that developer's playgound, the infamous laboratory for tomorrow's city, CB1 in Queens.
In their backyard today, in yours tomorrow!
Hey, isn't that the neighborhood that had the blackout last summer from all that development and illegal apartments?
Why the hell are they still putting in new buildings?
As long as the people let the politicians do their thinking for them, and blame Con Ed, they will continue to have problems.
That's fine, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the rest of us are going to pay the price to bail them out again.
Everyone knows that unless the local people in Astoria wake up, and start to take some responsibility for what is happening to their community, their housing will look like Elmhurst, their streets will look like downtown Flushing, and their shopping look like Jamaica.
The same people have run that community for 30 years.
They are totally unequal to coping with what is facing them.
Time for a change.
Hey, I want to live along an elevated. I want to experience the NY of '07.
1907.
What is your problem? The people that will move into these barracks will find it very easy to get back and forth to their $7/hr 12 hr/day jobs in Manhattan.
The gleaming new fixtures, although made of cheap particle board will last until the developer has made their money, lets say, 10 times over.
Then it can be torn down and rebuilt even higher!
I saw a sign on the construction fence says that the service station's gonna be luxury condos
Hey.... Don "Junior" Vallone....il padrino of the neighborhood....wadda ya gonna do about approving over development with innadequate infrastructure.....blame con Edison?
Posts like this are what make people think this blog is just anti-development. This is prime, urban Astoria right next to the El. What on earth is wrong with having large apartment buildings right near a subway line?
Also, pretty much everything under the N is an eyesore; what could be less pleasant to walk past than a gas station?
What I'm concerned about is whether any zoning or politicians will try to require unnecessary parking (and curb cuts) in this transit-accessible development.
"Prime real estate next to the el"
Folks, those yos yos in Astoria are a dangerous breed.
They have no pride in their community, and seek to exploit it through zoning changes that would have people shot anywhere else in the city. What can you expect in the land of 99 cent stores, odd banks, a geriatric clubhouse.
Post a Comment