From the Queens Gazette:DKCA President Jerry Walsh told the membership that the developer at the hotel site on 40th Road, who had sought a variance that would allow raising the height of the hotel to 14 stories, had been successful in that quest. Turned down by Community Board 1 at its November meeting, the developer went on to have a hearing with the Board of Standards and Appeals, which considered the site's "common vested" status with the Department of Buildings and granted the developer the variance. Walsh declared that fight lost (and took no comfort in the notion that it could be considered more a hotel in the Queens Plaza area, where zoning allows considerably higher buildings, than in Dutch Kills) but said that hotel site developers on 39th Avenue and 27th Street, similarly unsuccessful winning Board 1 approval of their variance applications, were headed for BSA hearings themselves (dates of which were not determined at the time of the DKCA meeting) and should be met there by a contingent of angry Dutch Kills residents.
The audience discussed attorneys: what it would cost to hire them, if any might work pro bono and other considerations. George Stamatiades of Board 1 said that Eric Palatnik, recently an attorney for the manufacturers in the protracted Dutch Kills zoning deliberations, charged the manufacturers $300 per hour, and perhaps united residents would find that affordable. Chris Lundgren, a 32nd Street resident, won the raffle that is held just before the close of every meeting and told the association to keep the prize money, "for the start of our legal fund".
Otherwise, the attendees engaged in anecdotes about hotel building or speculating about what might eventually develop with the many hotels in the midst of construction or seemingly ready to be built.
Photo from LIQCity
16 comments:
More Queens Crap B.S.
Community Boards do not "approve" or "deny" anything related to zoning (thank God). Their votes are 100% advisory.
First of all, Queens Crap didn't write the article, the Queens Gazette did. And part of ULURP is having a hearing before each board, so they can either approve or deny your application on each level. While it may be true that the votes of the CB and BP are advisory, they are supposed to be taken into consideration by the City Council in the case of zoning and BSA in case of a variance when they make their rulings. The problem is that BSA has the ultimate say on variances and they operate without oversight and in the pocket of developers.
That nabe's already gone!
Does it matter any more?
They're building for "the future" which will be looking a whole lot worse.
Time to move unless you want to hold out for a windfall buyout price from a developer.
I left 6 years ago...saw what was coming.
Living in Whitestone now....much quieter there.
Its funny that when a community board approves development its always thrown in our faces that 'YOUR community oked it. NOTHING can be done to stop it.'
Exhibit A of how HDC and the other preservation communities failed to have a public education program.
These guys had a civic. They could have been exposed to other things.
Instead they received a steady drumbeat of prodevelopment propoganda from everyone - Hunter College (theres is that Mickeljohn with her smarmy powerpoint and anxious earnest interns), George one of the top people in community board one (the Wild West of Community Boards) etc etc etc
They were also just about the only western Queens organization that belongs to Queens Civic Congress.
A few years back they met privately with the leaders of the civic.
Others from the community that could have put a brake on this were not invited.
Afterall, more development in western Queens, less in the service area of the (Eastern) Queens Civic Congress.
UPZONE! UPZONE! UPZONE!
Remember that?
F#$$#*%&#g idiot.
CB1 the community board from hell.
Totally unfair, again, Queens Crap! You people from Queens gets what you deserve!
I understand a representative from Historic Districts Council did speak to them and they wanted development.
Sure, showed up once and was totally ineffective against decades of development propganda.
At least he did not swear at them.
Where are the elected officials?
Oh yes, campaigning on hunger in America.
If they turn a blind eye on communties being displaced and wiped out, they can turn a blind eye on a 15 story hotel three feet from you son's bedroom.
They can do that you know.
Why is that?
Our community board, politicans, and the Times are always helpful in every iniative to improve our community.
I simply cannot believe your complaining. If you let your community board know your feelings about this, they would work with you.
If they turn a blind eye on communties being displaced and wiped out, they can turn a blind eye on a 15 story hotel three feet from you son's bedroom.
They can do that you know.
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Has to do with something about a one party state that controls everything from the newspapers (Queens Ledge) to the community board (CB1) to the local blog (astorins.com)
The preservation community will each cut their deal with the system and would never help a place like Dutch Kills.
The more development those morons take on, the less development in their backyard.
H-m-m-m....some more BS from B.S. this time about HDC.
Tired of the "Paul/Paris" gig?
Western "granny" sure is pissed about something!
Wasn't it also part of the job of
the local historical society to EDUCATE people on the ills of over development in the area?
Nah....they just mounted a Vallone Family exhibition!
Tryin' to kiss Don Pete's ass
for funding just got them f----d in their own anyway!
Typical of the nearsightedness of the preservation community.
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