Thursday, November 8, 2007

Pinky lobbies Parks, BP on developer's behalf

An e-mail from inside Boro Hall regarding St. Saviour's:

"Helen said that the Parks Dept has changed its mind and does not want to own the St. Saviour's site as park land. She said the builder put a lot of investment into the property (I guess we are supposed to shed tears over this) and that he will maintain the 'shell' of the church and turn over a portion of the site for parkland (maybe as private parkland?). The implication was that all of the problems are solved."

So here we have proof that the Parks Department wanted to convert St. Saviour's into a park, but someone stepped in on behalf of the developer to change their minds. Who could that be? I'll give you one guess. (see copy of schedule above) Looks like the wife of a certain aspiring politician was by his side (before she quit, that is).

Check this out from the Forum West:

...Gallagher has taken steps to achieve his solution [for St. Saviour's] including asking Community Board 5 members where they stand on the issue before reappointing them, arranging for the city Parks Department to privately tour the site with the developer, allowing the trees to be removed to make the land less attractive to the Parks Department, lobbying Borough President Helen Marshall to support his plan and meeting with John Young, the Director of Queens City Planning to begin the process of changing the zoning.

And while [Gallagher] is “friendly” with members of Parkside Group, “that doesn’t mean they are going to get their way on every issue,” he said.

“When I disagree with them, I will fight them.”


Just haven't found an issue to disagree with them on yet, right Pinky?

The indicted councilman acts as though he has been actively trying to save the entire parcel up until Parks said no, but earlier reports prove that he has been working on his scheme to further overdevelop Maspeth for some time now. Of course, the $1 million he supposedly obtained to "save" the site, which no one can seem to find in the budget, will now disappear into thin air. Pinky held lots of meetings behind closed doors to discuss compromising the future of Queens.

Here's a rendering of what Helen's and Dennis' Maspeth legacy will be:

Lovely view, isn't it?

Thank you to our inside sources for the info. Apparently there are good, honest people in government, but unfortunately, most of them are not the ones that are in power.

Note all the "FYI"s on the schedule above. That means no personal appearance from Pinky. That's good news for Dennis. He has more time to work for Parkside this way.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Helen Marshall is an evil figure- head for the people of Queens, but a dream come true for developers. We must not let both parties have their way.

To the heroes: Never give up, and continue committing yourself to our ancestors, nature and historic and archaeological gems, the urban pioneers, and future generations.

The margin will widen between those who are blessed and those who damned for their wrongdoings.

We the people!

Anonymous said...

Has Helen Marshall ever met a developer she didn't like?

Anonymous said...

So the developer agreed to keep the church building, and to set aside some land for open space. That seems like a pretty good deal all things considered.

Queens Crapper said...

"So the developer agreed to keep the church building, and to set aside some land for open space. That seems like a pretty good deal all things considered."

All things considered being that he still needs a zoning change to build 70 units of housing and the local pols are eager to see this happen. A sliver of open space is nothing positive.

Anonymous said...

"All things considered being that he still needs a zoning change to build 70 units of housing and the local pols are eager to see this happen."

Correct, but he dosn't need a zoning change to tear down the church and put up a "glue factory" or some other industrial building.

Anonymous said...

"So the developer agreed to keep the church building, and to set aside some land for open space. That seems like a pretty good deal all things considered."

------

yea, there are from Queens - they do not know what is really going on and their leadership makes sure that they are isolated and clueless.

Throw them a bone.

Sorry, old boy, but those days are fast drawing to a close. Now is the time to draw a line in the sand. Build on the success of Sunnyside where the community rejected the clubhouse. (no despite what you read, Gioia had nothing to do with it)

That is the first time it ever happened. I tip my hat to you.

Anonymous said...

Did you read the Elizabeth Crowley quote in the Queens Ledger? Is she a moron or what? "We need residential development on St. Saviour's to fight the Cross Harbor tunnel. We need residential development in that area."
This woman shouldn't be allowed to run for office, she's the dumbest thing on two feet.

Anonymous said...

Why is Liz Crowley even being asked to comment on anything? She only surfaces at election time.

Anonymous said...

Think of this in detail:

An indicted (10 count) rapist of a grandma sits a few feet from another grandma - H. Marshall, and "lobbies" her so that both get kickback payments.

Benepe and Bloomberg then associate themselves with this same indicted (10 counts) rapist of a grandma and behave as though this is as ordinary as the daily rape of citizens and communities throughout Queens.

It looks like they all found another demographic to pander to: the rapists. Treat a rapist with respect and the rapist will limit his attacks on your family.

Anonymous said...

So why doesn't he build his as-of-right project instead? The people who live there have already voiced their opinion that they would rather have a light manufacturing use there than more housing.

Anonymous said...

I would guess that it would be more profitable to build residential housing than an industrial building. So they wait to see if the variance is approved before building anything. At the end of the day, wouldn't the community prefer the church building to be saved?

Anonymous said...

Nope. I think people would prefer that their neighborhood is not overdeveloped rather than save a single building.

Anonymous said...

We need to find out who will vote for this, then send the kids from Maspeth over to their house, ring their bell, and in front of a reporter ask them why they are expected to play on railroad tracks while a campaign chit is honored.

Name names. Let them face the wrath of the public, and like slugs in a swamp that is drained, watch their support wither.

People from Queens are always too damn polite. These developers are at war with you, using your tax dollars to find their projects.

Get real. Get angy. Kick ass.

Anonymous said...

As if the developer isn't going to knock the church down as soon as he gets his zoning change. Yes, they think we are that naive.

Anonymous said...

Wait until you see what was uncovered between Gallagher and the Parkside! A much bigger scandal is coming Dennis. Are you ready?

Anonymous said...

Thats some part time Job 10am-8pm.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer Manley, the Mayor's CAU Queens Director, is actively working against the neighborhood and with the indicted rapist, Gallagher. We should all remember this.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer Manley is a joke. No one has confidence in her and at this point, she, and that office, is a liability to the city administration.

Anonymous said...

Manley is less than a joke. There was a photo of her with her worshipful gaze on the rapist as though he actually had something useful to say.

Yes, she is the Commissar's "finger" to the community. When he's done, she's done.

Manley is a clueless drip.

Anonymous said...

Never trusted her when she worked at the paper.

The newspapers should hold the politicians at arms lenght.