An offensive smell has been hovering over Long Island City for the past few weeks, according to local residents.The smell - described as "petroleum-based" - is most prominent along Fifth St. near the PepsiCo sign, where crews are remediating an oil refinery site for future residential development.
Petroleum odor from Long Island City site has residents, politicians fuming
The 9.5-acre site is part of the massive Queens West development along the East River.
A petroleum refinery operated on the site from 1860 to 1936 and then it became a PepsiCo bottling facility, according to a state Department of Environmental Conservation fact sheet.
See previous: Toxic dust blows all over Hunters Point!
Photo from Time Out NY
11 comments:
It's a "Rockrose" project.
Of course it stinks!
That smell has been wafting up from that site since they first started excavating.
Maybe they can separate the oil from the water and recycle it to heat their new luxury building!
Are they going to offer a free health plan as a bonus for every future occupant?
They'll need it!
"Hello, you've reached the Sloan Kettering outpatient clinic.
May we help you"?
The owners of "Rockrose" are of Iranian descent (we believe).
They should be quite familiar with petro/products!
Maybe some off shore drilling in the East River might solve their dirty little problem!
Geez!
Maybe I've been sipping some oil from my 12 ounce Pepsi Cola bottle?
There was an old jingle we grew up with as kids which was a variant on Pepsi's popular radio ads.
"Pepsi Cola hits the spot,
two big glasses full of snot.
Tastes like coffee ,
tastes like wine.
Oh my gosh it's turpentine"!
How little we knew that this would turn out to be true!
Residential high-rises are planned for the site by Rockrose Development. Rockrose did not return a call seeking comment.
"This is something that people shouldn't have to live with," said Community Board 2 Chairman Joe Conley. "It's not a pleasant smell - kind of rotten smelling and petroleum-based."
In 2005, work stopped at Queens West when an intense odor filled the neighborhood, and children at nearby Public School 78 reported having headaches, said Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside).
"It's very disappointing because we went through this a few years ago," Gioia said. "We can't have a repeat of that situation. It would be inexcusable."
Some residents, however, said these kinds of odors are just a part of living in a big city.
--------------
This is one of the beauties of Crappy for FULLY reporting stuff that the mainline media refuses to discuss:
1. the developer does not have to respond to the community once the politicians have turned it over to them
2. the politicians, which had a big hand in letting, no making this happen are now the champions of the people making nice ineffectual noises (yes, Team Gioia and Community Board, we are talking about you)
3. they will always find someone among the cluess public that will say "yes, its ok - go ahead and tear down that 150 year old building for a human warehouse" or the like.
A classic example of the reporting in NYC on development.
Students out there, when you are doing papers on development, report this.
If someone wants to write a letter to the Daily News about this sorry assed reporting, do send a copy to Crappie.
This guy above me is right. The press does of half-assed job when it comes to reporting city issues. They just get an opinion on each side of the issue and then go get a beer. They rarely if ever probe into things. Lazy as hell. And defensive about it. I see this both in the Daily News and the Times.
This is ridiculous!!! Why the hell don't the police get off their asses and do something about this already?????
I've also noticed a strong sulfer smell in the Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens areas. its been around since atleast last week. Any ideas?
WTF do you want them to do? They are cleaning it up!!! How about saving some of that bile for those quaint industrial buildings that your hearts are always bleeding over when they get demolished. Those a-holes who used to own these buildings (or "landmarks" as you tend to refer to them here) are the ones who dumped this shit in the soil and now when someone comes along and tries to fix it, you would rather bitch and moan about how much nicer it was back in my day when our good friends at the ToxChem company used to operate a friendly little plant where my uncle used to work for minimum wage. Oh yeah, I bet it was a real comumunity then. They were laughing their asses off in smoke filled rooms as as they were pouring this stuff into your backyards. Those guys are cool, but the developers and city who are trying to clean it up are the bad guys. Unbelievable...
Bet they will find ten time worse than this under Willets Point. Can't wait to say I told you so when they start tearing that shithole down.
- "WTF do you want them to do? They are cleaning it up!!!"
OK, Pistilli wanna be / Connecticut transplant with Volvo SVU - we get the message. You complain about hard-working middle class native New Yorkers trying to stop this overdevelopment shit in our own neighborhoods while you get to take the money of unsuspecting midwest people by renting them apartments in one of these ivory toxic towers.
We get the picture...
200 years of PCB's can NEVER be cleaned up you brainless greedy piece of crap.
Maybe part of the smell is the new carcinogenic turf that was put down in the playing field that no one uses since everyone in Queens West is too afraid to walk around their new shiny happy neighborhood with their flip flops and capris on.
WTF do you want them to do? They are cleaning it up!!! How about saving some of that bile for those quaint industrial buildings that your hearts are always bleeding over when they get demolished...
--------
Teach at a local collage. I have my students come on this site - it is a great teaching tool.
You have an interesting perspective.
Thanks for making the lesson easier.
Post a Comment