From Astorians:Back in the days when Pistilli was pitching the Riverview to the neighborhood, many of us expressed our concerns about parking. A new building with so many units was going to create some problems. He assured us that there would be parking in the building which would alleviate this issue. Fast forward about four years - we have a serious parking issue in the neighborhood, especially in the summer with all those visitors to the park.
It is understandable if the people who own/rent units would like to save some money by parking in the streets. If that is the case, and if the garage is not being used to it's fullest capacity, why doesn't this man simply offer parking as part of the rental/ownership package? Why not think about the community and also make it worthwhile for someone to live there? I am so angry that Joseph Pistilli basically lied to us about the parking situation!
38 comments:
Um, why doesn't the moron who posted this screed either: 1. Ditch the car amd take public transit, like 60% of New Yorkers, or 2. Pay for parking, like the other 40%. Problem solved.
What a cheapskate! Pay for your parking if you hate having to look for a spot.
Better yet, just forget driving if it's such a hassle. I'm car-free and never have to worry about alleged "parking problems", but I do know that if I had a car, I wouldn't be so selfish as to park it on the streets all day and night, and then complain if others want to do the same!
"why doesn't the moron who posted this screed either: 1. Ditch the car amd take public transit, like 60% of New Yorkers"
Because you can't take public transit to do most things in Queens. That's why a good percentage of the 60% who don't own cars generally don't live in Queens.
"2. Pay for parking, like the other 40%."
Because the lower and middle classes can't afford to pay upwards of $200/month for these things and Pistilli said that his provision of parking would alleviate the problem.
Next dumb set of questions?
I'm car-free and never have to worry about alleged "parking problems"
It's nice to never have to leave your pod...sorry, pad... in your LIC tower to do mundane tasks like shop, right? Everything delivered right to your door and no need to mingle with the riff raff who have the audacity to own cars!
The Pistilli property is just piss - near nothing except the park. I feel sorry for the local residents that are getting swamped by the folks who will be moving into the building in about 20 years. No one is buying at this place thats why there are all of 2-3 cars in the parking lot.
so right now they have some immigrant non-union workers fixing the tiled area along 21st. looks like they are trying to waterproof where the storefronts meet the tiles. water seeping into the foundation is a serious issue, why hire non-union immigrants to fix the mistakes of other non-union workers? i passed by there the other day and the repair crew was smoking weed while pouring concrete along the storefront windows, maybe the third time will be a charm..
He may be scum of the earth, but its not his fault and its really not his problem. For all the other things you can blame Pistilli for, I don't think this is one of them. If this was in writing (that he would alleviate the parking situation) then someone should pursue legal action, otherwise, well, he can charge what he wants and people have the option or not to purchase parking.
As a tenant at 19-19 24 Avenue, I am still puzzled why someone who is having problems in their apartment would come to a website, post names, whine, etc. instead of spending that time to call the building management, cause all HELL to break out in the lobby/management office or in the worst case scenario call their attorney and/or hold back rent/maintenance. Instead they run to their keybords because that's going to solve the problem?
It is really embarrassing to see people in this blog badmouthing innocent workers who try to make a living by responding to almost every little issues you have in your apartments. A friend of mine bought a loft apt there and from what i heard, the super goes out of his way to respond to every little problem, its a shame that people carelessly give a bad name to the super for problems that he also encountered when he took this job in this building. People be careful of what you say and be honest when you say something. The building is 98% occupied and i would think that super was there every step of the way doing his job.
I would strongly suggest you people who are talking about me or my job to confront me in a respectful manner, otherwise you are violating my rights by giving out names and gossiping about me on the worldwide web? to the ones that said i don't respond to their problems...well truly you must be mistaken because i have everything written down with time and date plus description and response time back to you and have proof to show.
Of course it's in writing. I believe there was a CB meeting, then it went to the borough president then BSA.
http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=6902.0
its a wonder they put this up on astorians.com as they all but ban the community from its on board if
1. they say anything disrespectful of the local politicans,
2. they have a different opinion from the local politicans (Con Ed anyone?) and
3. anything negative is said about the community that would hurt development.
As long as they have a policy of banning members of the community the self appointed mods will be held as the laughing stock of how not to run a community or its blog.
It also went to the AG's office.
Call Andrew Cuomo.
Wow someone is sore.
But look at the postive. They sent us into the wilderness and we found ... Queens Crap!
Something good came of that.
Of course it's in writing. I believe there was a CB meeting, then it went to the borough president then BSA.
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Community board 1?
hahahahahahahahehehehehehehehohohohoho
What a pathetic group.
And Mighty John Young is about to rezone your community?
You losers don't stand a tinkers chance.
Sort of explains why 90% of Queens is downzoning and the morons in Astoria like development.
If you are that stupid, then get the power plants and immigrant barracks.
Case closed, write them off, move on.
Crapper, your points make no sense.
Yes, you CAN take public transit to do most things in Queens. This is why most Queens residents don't own cars.
And we're talking about Astoria, which has one of the lowest car-ownership rates in the borough.
Please name one routine thing you can't do if you're car-free in Astoria.
If you can't carry a large item, it can be shipped, or you can use Zipcar or car services.
And your second point is even sillier. You''re saying that poor people can't afford to pay for parking, yet you think they can afford a car!
How on earth can an allegedly "poor person" buy/lease a car and pay for insurance, gas, maintenace, state fees, etc., and then have no money for parking? Parking is a tiny fraction of those other costs.
And it's irrelevent anyways, because the "parking problem" complainer was just mad that other people were trying to park for free, and he selfishly did not want competition for the spaces. Don't you think the other car owners think the same about the complainer? Why should he get special treatment?
Poor people shouldn't be buying non-essential items. In NYC, a car is a non-essential item.
Would love to know what fantasy land you live in. And what neighborhood. A lot of Astoria is really not readily accessible to public transportation. Driving past Astoria Park we have an express bus to Manhattan, the bus to Rikers, and one down 21st Street which no one is shopping on.
If you need a car, you are going to own one - a hand me down, a used one, an old one. You can't take the kids to school on the bus and then make it to work. You can't take your parents to their frequent doctors appointments without a car. You can't shop at Costco or any supermarket, really, and take the bus. You can't go visit your family on Long Island or upstate or in NJ without a car. And no one is renting a zip car every day or weekend to do that shit. You're off your rocker, pal.
And we aren't talking about "poor" people, we are talking about middle class people, which kind of adds credence to the report that was published on another post. Anywhere else in the country, a car is easily affordable along with rent or a mortgage. In NYC, it's considered a luxury. Yes, lets all buy bikes!
The people are complaining because they were sold a bill of goods by a developer - mainly that he would provide enough on site parking so that the neighborhood would not be burdened with additional cars on the street. That didn't happen and now the community is screwed. End of story.
Many people in Queens work in industrial areas where buses don't run. A lot of us also use their cars during the course of their work. It's funny how some people assume no one needs a car because they don't.
It's funny how some people assume no one needs a car because they don't.
The new kids in AStoria and the tower people in LIC look down on us. they know what is happening.
bike to work.
Many of the people in Queens also work odd hours and mass transit is not reliable nor safe to use.
Nobody has given a single instance of someone who HAS to have a car in NYC.
You are saying they WANT to have a car, but they don't want to pay for parking. Two separate issues.
There is no part of Astoria that isn't accessible to bus lines, so no, that isn't an issue. If you are handicapped or elderly you can use the dial-a-ride service.
There is no industrial neighborhood in Queens that has no bus service, so that too, isn't an issue. There are barely any manufacturing jobs left anyways, and those areas are all being rezoned.
All the excuses about night jobs and alleged unsafe hours are baloney. It's less safe to walk to a car on a deserted side street than it is to wait at a bus stop on a major street, or at a subway, which always has cameras and an attendant.
Now if you WANT to have a car; that's perfectly fine, but nobody HAS to have a car. And if you can afford a car, you can afford parking.
It's like saying I can afford a nice house, but I can't afford a microwave for the kitchen. Doesn't make much sense.
Just because you have a bus or train line in your neighborhood doesn't mean it gets you where you need to go. If you have to transfer multiple times to get somewhere, that is not an efficient mode of travel.
News flash: Being elderly doesn't automatically qualify one for Access-a-Ride.
"There is no industrial neighborhood in Queens that has no bus service"
You obviously doesn't know industrial Queens. How exactly would you get from Astoria to work at JFK anyway? Please list all your transfers and how long each takes. "There are barely manufacturing jobs left" is not a good argument. These are the jobs that what what remains of the working class hold. Sorry you look down on them and would rather they went away to make room for more condos.
"It's less safe to walk to a car on a deserted side street than it is to wait at a bus stop on a major street, or at a subway, which always has cameras and an attendant."
Most bus stops are not on major streets, especially the ones near manufacturing areas. You obviously don't ride the subway at night or you would know that many station are "MetroCard only" with just a machine and no station agent. There may be cameras, but if the cops aren't there to help you, what good are they? You want to PREVENT being attacked. And most buildings in industrial areas have parking lots which are guarded, so it's safer to walk to your car than to take public transportation.
"nobody HAS to have a car. And if you can afford a car, you can afford parking."
Yes, there are people who HAVE to have cars. And your affordability argument is dumb because it's like saying if you can afford $2000 a month rent then you can just afford a $2500 a month apartment instead.
This idiot is espousing Access a Ride? Have you ever taken it? It's the worst service ever. They make you wait for at least 2 hours after they drop you off to return home. So forget about a quick trip to the grocery store or a short doctor's appt. The drivers are known to be notoriously bad and unsafe as well. I also can't believe this moron is advocating walking through a desolate industrial area at night to take a bus. Oh wait a minute - a lot of the buses don't run at night or run so infrequently they may as well not run at all. So that's not even an option! What an out of touch loon
This guy has also obviously never taken a Queens bus past 8pm. Many of them don't run overnight or run so infrequently they may as well not run at all. Yes, why not wait for the Q67 at 4am in Laurel Hill instead of drive home. LOL!!!
Crappy, don't fall for the thread getting off topic. Typical astorians.com trick.
Lets repeat things:
1. the people that run Astoria are small time crooks who turned their community over to ... small time crooks.
2. the buildings going up there are the cheapest possible built not for the community (as it will be for a few more years) but as immigrant barracks of Elmhurst West where a half dozen transient guest workers will live in each unit.
3. Astoria is going down the tubes. No one in power wants to talk about it, wants to deal with it, and if they are still there, its only to rip out the pipes.
4. You have no oppotunity to voice concerns in the press, communtiy board, or public forums like the local blog.
5. All resources are not going into the community which is being hollowed out for eventual urban renewal, but for the tower people on the waterfront.
The locals are pretty much written off with recieved wisdom stating that someone has to take in all those 100,000s. Might as well be those 'upzone upzone upzone redline zone' nitwits of Astoria.
What interest is that community to the rest of us?
Because the shit they try there they will try on the rest of us.
The overdevelopment in that communnity means the rest of us are downwind from new power plants, and up the line from trains that have no space for us.
Rezoning is not something to "game" and see how much you can get away with.
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Someone actually posted this on the thread over at astorians.scum today. Got a slew of negative nods.
Exhibit A of a communtiy totally clueless on what is in store for them. Mighty John Young will have a field day with them.
The only part of Astoria that will escape is that small section of ugly houses that Vallone and D'Amico and company live in.
This is exactly what happened at Queens West when Rockrose Development Corp a/k/a The Pitaki Development Corp "promised" the local community that the parking garage was for 'Residents Use' so they would not take up the local streets.
When the building sat idle for four years because the clueless yuppie transplants had not yet come to NYC, Rockrose QUIETLY turned the parking garage into a 'MUNICIPAL GARAGE' for cash flow - and so it remains. Why pay 3K for a 2 bedroom AND 500.oo / month for a parking space? Those MBA's living there got that much right.
Fast forward six years, there are 7 400 ton gorillas filled with 6 figure transplants all with out of town SVUs clogging Vernon-Jackson while lifelong residents have to PARK ON THE SIDEWALK since there is NO ROOM while the precinct 'looks the other way'.
Pistilli LIED to Astoria just like Rockrose LIED to the Vernon-Jackson area and all of our SPINELESS local politicians that got paid off by these ponzi scheme OVERDEVELOPERS LIE TO US EVERYDAY.
VOTE THE BUMS OUT!
Actually, I live five minutes from this building and grew up around the corner from it. The 69 bus stops in front of the building and travels in a straight line to most major train lines including the F,V,N,R,W,7,E, and G lines. It connects with shopping in the Ditmars and Broadway areas.
I am certain that the residents of this building will park in front of spots used by the existing residents of the neighborhood and cause problems. However, I guarantee that only the sickest people will need cars if they live in that building. Transportation to that area is excellent and people are on the streets of Astoria all hours of the day and night.
What good is your transportation in Astoria if it doesn't take you where you want to go or you have to transfer multiple times to get to your destination. Not everyone limits themselves to Astoria.
I have been car-less in Astoria for the last 8 years. I travel to Long Island via the Long Island Railroad or Nassau Bus from Jamaica. I travel to Philadelphia via the China-town bus. I travel to every part of this city all hours of the day and night via public transportation. To Jersey via Path. Need I go on? I am visually-disabled, have two bad knees, two bad ankles, 70 pounds overweight and a late-middle aged female.
If you cannot live in Astoria without a car, you cannot live anywhere. Again, I know whereof I speak. My mother lived 53 years around the corner from this building without a car while taking care of 4 children and bringing groceries home on foot.
Exactly my point. If you actually LIVE AND WORK in Astoria, living on public transportation alone is do-able. If you need to commute to most parts part of Queens or Brooklyn for work, you really can just forget about it.
I am confused by your comment. Nassau Bus, The Long Island Railroad, and Path are all public transportation. You can also add Metro North.
The China Town Bus goes to Massachussetts, Washington DC and Boston.
I can travel easily through several states while partially-handicapped and an able-bodied person cannot?
You took these modes of transportation to work? I doubt it. We are talking about people who need cars to get to their jobs or for other legitimate reasons that some people would like to pretend don't exist.
Pistilli's so-called "Grand Manor" also is problematic. I don't think he has managed to sell one unit, in part because of high parking and maintenance charges. That and cheap labor and materials. People aren't as stupid as this chump thinks.
Pistilli, and the local politicians he owns, should be banished from Astoria forever.
Astorians.com poster 1: If he made a legally binding commitment, sure! If not, then its the idiot's fault who believed his word
Astorians.com poster 2: I find this comment insulting. Many of us took him at his word because he presented his plan for the building in front of the community, in front of Peter Vallone Jr, in front of George Delis and many other community leaders. I assure you, I am not an 'idiot'. I am a business woman who runs a 20 million dollar business. Sometimes, you take people's word. That does not make a person an idiot. I am pretty sure that the community could not create some sort of legally binding document and force him to sign it.
Astorians.com poster 1: I apologize if I've insulted you, it wasn't my intention really. Even if he assured you verbally that there would be a garage, can he really control what people purchase? And is it his duty? I think the responsibility falls upon those who approved his building. They are in charge of the neighborhood and the zoning etc. He is in charge of a building. Lay blame where it is due, not on an easy scapegoat.
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Well, if that means the community board and politicans have any hint of blame for mismanaging Astoria this discussion will die down quickly.
Afterall, if you don't like what they are doing, the recieved wisdom in that community is you shut up or move.
If you post something critical of the community board or politicans the mods will ban you from astorians.com (after their clumsy efforts at insulting and poking fun at you get nowhere.)
The local newspaper will not print your letter.
The two minutes the communtiy board will give you will be greated by snears or yawns.
Oh yes, poster 2, if a developer makes any promise in front of Vallone or Delis, and you believe that that is enough for them to protect you, you ARE an idiot.
Maybe the problem isnt only coming from the Pistilli building, but also from the increase in apartment units in the area that do not have underground parking?
Pistilli in general presents a problem. The real issue is the dishonesty of the real estate company and those that are involved in it. I had the grave misfortune of living in 19-19 for a year, and the problem is only partially with the super. Ive complained to management about numerous building related grievances, but to no avail. In response to one comment- sure its 98% full, but don't let that fool you. it looks great at first glance, thats how we were suckered in. In actuality the ppl that get the attention might also be the longer term holders of the condos-- not the renters. Both should have equal rights and access to the super. This was not the case. Anyone down to file a class action suit against the pistilli?
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