Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Queens street becomes fake park

In Western Queens, where the window to secure open parkland has been shut since the days of Robert Moses, street closings may be the most effective way to bring open, if not exactly green, space to a growing population.


IN SUMMERTIME, THE STREET IS FOR PARK-ING


Instead of coming out in favor of real access to the waterfront and a park at St. Saviour's, these schmucks advocate for play streets next to existing parks and a greenway through an industrial area and the press acts like these are great alternatives. Real smart. And we wonder why Queens is treated like a joke?

P.S. Does Peter Vallone know about the street vandalism happening at these events? At least the perps left their fingerprints...

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The arrival of young families from other countries and, increasingly, other boroughs, has created a growing demand for kid space ..."

How precious. Sounds so family. I see the Commissar catering to the illegal aliens by opening the streets for vandalism.

But when taxpaying citizens in Maspeth ask politely for a piece of abandoned church property to be converted into a park, the Commissar and his lackeys give those citizens the finger. Tells them to do shit in their hats. No developer would make any money from that action.

Citizens, taxpayers. Illegal aliens, freeloading criminals. Who should we spend tax dollars on?

Easy. Always let the working, taxpaying, law-abiding citizens carry the load for the freeloaders.

By the way, when these public streets are used as city parkland, can the unleashed dogs be let loose to attack the children and the elderly?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the hand prints are the handiwork of a Protestant hard line group from Northern Ireland trying to intimidate Jackson Heights Catholics?

More likely, it's the descendents of the Mayans.

Diversity is strength!
It's also......street vandalism!!!

Anonymous said...

I am a New York City taxpayer and Queens resident, and I do not want my tax dollars spent to create a park in the middle of a bunch of factories and warehouses (the St. Saviour's site). Now if there were available property for a park in Jackson Heights, that would make sense since that is a dense residential area.

Anonymous said...

Yeah well the people who live there want it and they are NYC residents and taxpayers, too.

Anonymous said...

Hey why not just give them a play street and they can continue to send the kids to either the railroad tracks or the Grainger parking lot if they actually want green grass? Problem solved.

Anonymous said...

Everyone should advocate for a new park in their neighborhood. We are overcrowded and need open spaces, no matter where we live.

Anonymous said...

The Parks Department has determined which neighborhoods are underserved by parks. St. Saviour's site was one of those areas and a park there would have filled a gap.

Anonymous said...

Everyone should advocate for a new park in their neighborhood. We are overcrowded and need open spaces, no matter where we live.

But unfortunately, you can't "create more affordable housing" AND "create new parks in neighborhoods". Those are two mutually exclusive goals.

Anonymous said...

When you have limited resources, you must make decisions on the most efficient use of those resources. Putting a park in the middle of industrial factories and warehouses is not an efficient use of taxpayers dollars. Putting a park in a dense residential area, such as Jackson Heights or the site of the old gas tanks, is an efficient use of limited resources.

Queens Crapper said...

That would be smart planning except that West Maspeth is being converted from M1 to R5. So the newcomers are going to need a park and the old timers are still without one.

Anonymous said...

Yes, smart planning is making sure you have space for a park BEFORE it becomes overdeveloped and you end up saying "Oops! We should have planned better!"

Anonymous said...

Why exactly do we have money spent on a park at the Greenpoint Shit Station? No people living there. At least at St. Saviour's, there are people living on 3 sides.

Anonymous said...

It's terrible to live in a mixed use community that has both jobs and houses! Then you get the excuse by the government and nimrods like this guy who keeps posting that you shouldn't have a park in a community that doesn't have apartment buildings.

Anonymous said...

Visit Sunset Park. Every day on the street, it's a giant party, complete with kids running down the middle line and loud festive music.

Anonymous said...

Interesting, the rich get the waterfront and the long term residents a fire hydrant.

Anonymous said...

CB1, the community board from hell

Anonymous said...

This is an immigrant dump fast becoming elmhurst. services fall and they say how vibrant and diverse.

like the 7 train.

a dump.

and the clueless locals just go along.

Anonymous said...

I'm a NYC and don't approve of a $6 million greenway through industrial Astoria. There are a handful of bike riders that use it and in tough fiscal times there should be more money put into things we need to survive, not yuppie recreation.

Anonymous said...

Gone full cycle.

A hundred years ago they made waterfront parks to get the immigrant kids off the freaken streets. Check out Lower East Side.

Now, this is what we have come to?

Anonymous said...

All those factories and warehouses near the St. Saviour's site are going to become residences? Nice try with that one Crapper . . .

Queens Crapper said...

Yeah, gradually. Check the IBZ demarcation.

Anonymous said...

"All those factories and warehouses near the St. Saviour's site are going to become residences? Nice try with that one Crapper . . ." said ANON.

The residents, citizens, taxpayers, self supporting middle class workers (all the very same people) of Maspeth near the St. Saviour's' land as well as those some distance from it, wanted the land converted to a park.

That shouldn't be very difficult to comprehend.

Those people don't have a park. They want a park. They need a park. They are the property owners in that vicinity.

So they get to decide the future for that vicinity, not developers who pay Commissar Death and Taxes to seize land from taxpaying, productive citizens for their own uses. Certainly not people who live far from that vicinity.

In short: mind your own business. Quit sticking your empty heads up the Commissar's asshole. He will only shit you out when it pleases him.

Anonymous said...

Those people don't have a park. They want a park. They need a park. They are the property owners in that vicinity.

than they should have bought the land, that land wasn't seized it was purchased. How many of you would give up something valuable for the community to use. Did these people move in thinking a park was on it's way? if so they should talk to their realtor. Not to mention they are as close to Maurice park as some Middle Village resident are to Juniper. Let the church go, because it's old doesn't mean we need to keep it, history belongs in books. 90% of the morons who protested the destruction wouldn't have been able to find St.Saviors with a map, before the crusade started, and now 90% of them will never go look at it in it's new home.

Anonymous said...

"Did these people move in thinking a park was on it's way?"

They bought a house across the street from a large green churchyard that they were invited to use whenever they wanted to, a de facto park. Their property values will plummet if that site is developed. 90% of the people who protested live or work within 5 blocks of the site, so finding it on a map would not have been a problem. Maurice Park is on the other side of the LIE. Children and elderly people are not going to head down a truck route and cross the LIE service road to get to Maurice Park. Even the owner said he would be happy to discuss entering into a contract with the city. Stop being such a hateful person. The ball is in Mayor Bloomberg's court, as it has been the entire time. I hope he picks it up and doesn't drop it again.

Anonymous said...

, a de facto park

if your neighbor let's you use his yard, then sells the house does the new owner have to let you use it? and no way most of you who protested lived that close to the site that's just made up. There are pedestrian walk ways across the LIE you don't have to dodge traffic, they LIVE on truck routes by virtue of the area, the owner would sell at a fair market value, I don't hate anyone YOU PEOPLE HATE anyone who advance anything for financial gain. Again can we use you yard as a public playground?

Anonymous said...

A churchyard is not the same as someone's backyard. It is made to welcome people and for celebrations and gatherings.

Yes, let's make the elderly go out of their way to climb pedestrian ramps. Have you been up there? Have you seen what goes on up there and who hangs out up there? I love your logic.

The vast majority of the people who came out to protest lived in the immediate area.

Truman Harris said...

I've heard everything now. This moron wants old folks to ascend and descend the ramp over the LIE (and there's only one in the area). There's graffiti everywhere, people on skateboards, bikes terrorizing pedestrians and others up to no good on that ramp. You don't have a clue but are banging the drum for development. Why?

Anonymous said...

A churchyard is not the same as someone's backyard. It is made to welcome people and for celebrations and gatherings.

still private property, and climbing the ramps is not needed, just walk under the LIE at street level, you're lying about the residency issue, and while we're at it ignored the request to use your yard or are you a renter who can not give yard useage permission? BTW parks are not some sort of "right" they are convenient but not a right of property ownership.

Anonymous said...

because A- I don't worry about kids who hang out they tend not to bother me,

and B-developement is money in my pocket, shithead

Anonymous said...

First you said there are pedestrian walkways across the LIE, then you said "use the tunnel". Make up your mind. You would not send your kids or your grandmother to walk that way to get to a park.

Ask the people who live south of the church about the yards. They would love to even HAVE a yard to invite people into. They were taken by eminent domain years back and now they're living next to contaminated land.

Not lying about the residents. I can tell you where each person in the group photos lives.

Nice that you admit that you don't have a clue. How is money being put into your pockets if something is built there? Are you one of the owners? Why not post under your real name as I am doing?

It must really piss you off that Serf, Hevesi and Marshall put money toward saving the church. Oh well, you'll have to live with it.

Truman Harris said...

"just walk under the LIE at street level"

Yes, and deal with this.

Anonymous said...

First you said there are pedestrian walkways across the LIE, then you said "use the tunnel". Make up your mind. You would not send your kids or your grandmother to walk that way to get to a park

sidewalks are pedestrian walk ways YOU assumed I meant the overhead ramp, I meant use YOUR yard. It's more fun to post annon. that's why you usually post under Crappy, and they put your money into it as well and now it's where? who cares as long as a bulk of the land gets used have your little wooden building, get together and cry about time marching on despite your efforts to stop it.

Truman Harris said...

Hey asswipe, whether it's under the expressway or over the expressway is not the issue. The issue is it's too far, it's not safe, the city says the nabe could use a park there and the residents who live there want one. It's 1.5 acres of green space - that is very rare in Queens these days and is worth saving. Maybe instead of your lame ass sour grapes attempts to refute what the vast majority of people want and practicing one-upmanship, you should learn what caring about and looking out for your community is about.

Queens Crapper said...

Hey, let's develop ALL the parks in the city and just have play streets!

Anonymous said...

Hey, let's develop ALL the parks in the city and just have play streets

now you're talking, you want green move out of the city.

Anonymous said...

thought you weren't moderating? where's the answer to truman baby

Anonymous said...

Hey asswipe, whether it's under the expressway or over the expressway is not the issue. The issue is it's too far,


but you argued about the ramp not the distance

Truman Harris said...

No the city said the area needs a park. It needs a park because the other parks are too far away (more than 10 minutes walk). That was their words, not mine.

Anonymous said...

I just thought "Play Street" was a new fancy name for "Block Party." What's wrong with a weekly block party? When I wasn't hungover, I used to like my old nabe's annual Sunday block party in Brooklyn.

Anonymous said...

A lot of people want a lot of things, that doesn't mean you spend tax money on everything. You have to make efficient decisions. I'm a NYC resident and don't approve of a $6 million greenway through industrial Astoria. There are a handful of bike riders that use it and in tough fiscal times there should be more money put into things we need to survive, like a new subway line, not yuppie recreation.

Anonymous said...

A lot of people want a lot of things, that doesn't mean you spend tax money on everything. You have to make efficient decisions. I'm a NYC elected official and think that opening play streets is a very cheap alternative to building a real park. It allows my buddies to continue to build crap, and I don't have to bring home the bacon, so to speak, to my constituents. Most of them are gullible enough to think that this is an acceptable alternative to green space. Why ruin a great thing?

Queens Crapper said...

The truth is, if Dennis Gallagher had pushed for a park, St. Saviour's might have become a park. Instead he worked diligently against the idea and for a developer who was lining his pockets. Anything to spite the JPCA, right Dennis? You're an absolute piece of shit and I hope that Middle Village granny takes you to the fucking cleaners.

Anonymous said...

"than they should have bought the land, that land wasn't seized it was purchased."

How could they have bought it when it was never sold publicly but under the table? Even the Attorney General said it wasn't done properly.