From the Daily News:
A sweeping plan to rezone almost 240 blocks in Astoria passed its first hurdle Tuesday when Community Board 1 voted overwhelmingly to approve it.
The new zoning restrictions will make it tougher to build tall buildings on blocks dominated by two-family homes. But it would allow commercial development and larger buildings in areas where they already exist.
More than 40 people signed up to speak at Tuesday night's hearing. Many of them encouraged the board to support the zoning plan, which has been hashed out during several meetings between the City Planning Department and local residents.
But others were unhappy that they will be limited in what they can construct on their property.
Nick Michaels said he has been hoping to build an apartment above the two-family home he owns. He now rents two apartments in the house to help pay the mortgage.
"It's really frustrating," said, Michaels, 42, who is married with two children. "My dream is to stay in Astoria."
His 37-year-old brother, Kyriaco, told the board about his elderly godmother who was hoping to build apartments for each of her five children in her Astoria home.
Here we go. The guy owns a two-family home, but is presumably living in the home he wants to stay in and yet rents out 2 apartments. So that means....
And his bro is whining that his godmother wants to build 5 additional units onto what? Another one- or two-family home?
God help Astoria.
18 comments:
Crappy , even God can't help Astoria. This new rezoning won't stop what is already happening. If they had gone two steps further and restricted development throughout Astoria, it might give me hope.
The areas around 21st Ave or Street are forever ruined. What was built there does not conform to anything desirable. It one big wasteland - with the uglies of tall structures I have ever seen and they are all empty. The restrictions are welcomed but come at a time where construction has halted for at least 5 years. Astoria is a troubled section in regards to what is there. This area could easily become the next urban trouble area of the city.
Your dream is to stay in Astoria yet your house is half the size you want. This stupid logic used to work with the semi-literate Greeks and Italians but no more. It looks stupid. Astoria (as well as Dutch Kills and Hunters Point) continues to be the laughing stock of the city.
Your solution is simple:
1. your house is too small. move. get over it.
2. you love Astoria because you know that building enforcement is lax and this is about the only community in NYC that encourages illegal conversions.
3. your house is too small. move. get over it.
4. everyone says people like you need to add a room for grandma, but in reality you provide the cover for a developer that that wants to put up a 9 story building
5. your house is too small. move. get over it.
6. you need the building as an investment property for your kids college education - sticking the community with the infrastructure costs as you rake in the profit
7. your house is too small. move. get over it.
Typical reporting - creating a prodevelpment frenzy of mis-information.
The reality many in the community came out against the rezoning.
How much does the Daily News make with real estate advertising?
There should be some kind of preference for people who already live there," he said.
--
ha ha ha ha ha
he he he he he
ho ho ho ho ho
Sir, you do not represent the people that live there. The point about development is that it adds room for people who DO NOT live there.
You nitwit.
False reporting. You write a lie.
The vast majority of people that showed up at the meeting were dead set against it.
I was there.
The freakin' NERVE of this mf wanting to put up 5 apartments for "each of his siblings" - what BALLS! Do what americans do - either BUY an apartment building - or DO WITHOUT!
There's our answer BTW - we keep blaming the Asians for our nabes' decline -
I thought this was about CONTROLLING development.
That is not the sense I get from this article.
Someone is full of shit.
Its about time that community gets caught up to the real world.
Don Vallone, and Vinny 'Big Mike' Donato is right out of the 50s.
Did they intereview anyone whose kids are going to school in a trailer?
Did they interview anyone sitting in the ER in Astoria General?
Did they intereview anyone that sat throught the power failure?
Did they interview anyone on the adequecy of city services for the current population?
Did they interview someone looking for a parking space?
Why not?
Maybe they should take a poll:
1. should your taxes go for supporting more development and enriching someone else?
2. should your taxes go to making services better for you and your family?
(ya listening Crappy?)
Nick Michaels said he has been hoping to build an apartment above the two-family home he owns. He now rents two apartments in the house to help pay the mortgage.
---------------------------------
You want an apartment building? BUY AN APARTMENT BUILDING.
I hear Sty-Town is up for sale...
For Starters, were any of you at this meeting? I doubt it.
I was there, and basically, when those morons got up and started talking about how his mother's dream was to have an apartment for each of her kids...everyone pretty much laughed at it. It was bull....he knew it, the board knew it and the rest of the community knew it. He wasn't getting anything by them. I actually thought the same thing...If hse has 5 kids and wanted them each to have an apartment, she should have bought a building 15 years ago or two 3 families.
"The reality many in the community came out against the rezoning."
Again... you should only speak of the "reality" if you actually went to the meeting. The first plans that were drafted were contested, and then changed. The majority of the 40 something people that actually spoke at the meeting were in favor of it. Maybe 5 people were against it, 2 of whom were the guys mentioned in the article. the other 3 had no idea what zoning was or how it was going to affect them.
Astoria is going from 2 zones to 11. Most of which are being downzoned. They obviously took their time fine tuning this, its been years in the making. And all anyone on this site can do is complain about how terrible Astoria is, and now they are trying to prevent it from deteriorating any further, and you still complain.
I don't think this accurately represents what went on (surprise, surprise).
Article mentions Brian but not the fact that he was part of a large, organized group of Astoria residents/homeowners, who identified themselves as members of LICA,
who made at least 8 statements expressing concern about overdevelopment, population increase, strain on infrastructure etc.
and that these concerns were echoed by several others not affiliated with LICA as well.
Astoria is going from 2 zones to 11. Most of which are being downzoned.
they can make it 36 zones, the fact of the matter is the community cannot handle the population that lives here, and when you are looking at 6 stories where there are 2, and get squirrally when you dont have the foggiest notion how many people live here now, and how may will move in, you are looking at a substantial increase of people at the same time as a decrease in their quality of life.
Ackermans Queens Tribune:
myth
Community board oks tougher builing rules.
reality
oh, is astoria an exception in a city where rules are a joke?
myth
new plan caps heigths
reality
so did old plan - as a matter of fact, all zoning plans cap heights
myth
city planning held meetings to tweek community imput
reality
operative word: 'tweek'
myth
areas infrastructure may not be able to accommodate a massive influx of residents
reality
why the concern? doesnt the plan curb this? oh it doesnt? well, ok. anyone stop by the school trailers and get opinions? astoria general ER and get opinions?
myth
a local developer feels resent growth 'healthy'
reality
this is news? this is the community's imput?
myth
some feel that it will cause their property values to drop...
reality
yup, doubling the population with do that as well as 9 story buidling in your backyard.
Willow, your reporting is a joke.
correction - THAT was the Queens Chronicle
THIS is Silver Slipper Ackermans view (whore ads in back for those that want something useful)
myth
aims to preserve areas character
reality
yes, the tiny pocket where vallone lives and golden girl gloria is not getting development (odd, since they think its good for everyone else)
myth
community board representatives mentioned that impozing a moritorium is a lenghty process
realty
vallone did not support avella's efforts to do this - it is impossible to stop developers from swaming in like locusts pressuring the community to go along with a deeply flawed plan and starting over with something that will actually benefit the community.
myth
developers cry 'too many people benefit from development'
reality
yes, concrete pourers, bricklayers, day laborers, developers who live outside of the community,
but the rest of us with faltering services, a dying shopping area, abesentee landlords, closed hospitals, a disengaged leadership, new powerplants, a shaky electric grid, ringed by 30 story towers on the waterfront and in Dutch Kills and LIC bringing in 1000s of people, pepetual sewage smells, clogged streets,
this will be hell.
Long Island City Alliance
Tuesday, March 9
Public Community Board Hearing
Time and location to be announced.
"The battle is lost. The war has begun."
Development is good for Astoria, it helps the community. The neighborhood is run down and everyone knows it.
Any of you that resist this will be squashed like a bug. Nobody cares what you will say, what will happen to your block, what your infrastructure looks like.
They will yes you to death, bullshit you that your block will be exempt, then go ahead a look the other way when a developer shows up and does will he damn well pleases.
If you hold up the process, the developers, and believe me, we were tipped off about this long before your heard about it, will be all over you like a school of piranhas.
I can get on the phone and call up anyone in your community and go to the top. You have a problem, call 311 and see how far you get.
Everyone, from the politicians, to the newspapers, to just about everyone is going to benefit big time so those of you who don't like it have two choices:
go along or move.
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