Tuesday, August 9, 2011

City short $70K for St. Saviour's acquisition


From the Times Ledger:

The city is less than $100,000 away from beginning to acquire the land for a park at the site of the old St. Saviour’s church in Maspeth.

The city Parks Department said that between $50,000 to $70,000 is needed to begin the legal process by which the city purchases land, called the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. If the city gets the money, it will begin the process, a spokeswoman said.

The funds to actually buy the land, at 57-40 58th St., are still incomplete, but since the ULURP process can take months or in some cases over a year to run its course, Maspeth activists have repeatedly asked Parks to begin the process now while the other funds trickle in.

Activists estimate that between Borough President Helen Marshall and City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) there is $5.25 million allocated for the park.

In her discretionary spending for this year, Crowley allocated $1.1 million to build a new free-standing building onto the Ridgewood public library, but according to Lydon Sleeper, Crowley’s chief of staff, if some of the library money is needed to supplement the park, then it can be transferred.

Crowley’s office told TimesLedger Newspapers in early July that the entire $1.1 million sum would go toward the acquisition of the park.


So Crowley lied to a newspaper and, by extension, to her constituents? And the purpose of that was?

And yep, they're still building despite multiple stop work orders...

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't understand...this article does not explain-- the city is about to buy the property, but some developer is building on it? Well, clearly there is going to be no park. Why would the developer sell at this point, unless the price offered was immense?

Anonymous said...

Because if he doesn't sell, the city will condemn it.

Anonymous said...

Yet they can't buy the old CYO in Whitestone for the community? Come on Councilman Halloran stop screaming and talking about sanitation conspiracies! Do something for the community and not the developers for once!

Jerry Rotondi said...

Please correct me
if I'm seeing things incorrectly.

The assessed value of the property without "improvements" (structures on it) has been established at approximately 1.1 million dollars, but the owner is putting in "improvements" as we watch (foundations, etc.).

Exactly what is transpiring here?

As the owner continues building upon the site---won't he then claim that his property is now worth more than before---and continue jacking up his asking price to well beyond the land's original value?

This all sounds like a pretty transparent "catch 22" scenario that the Bloomberg administration is setting up here.

Thus, under this scheme, will the city "never" be able to afford to buy this site?

#1.
Enforce all of those stop work orders immediately!

#2.
Put the owner in jail if he continues on breaking the law!

#3.
Begin the ULURP process now and stop your stalling, you corrupt pack of liars!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of liars:
Liz Crowley speak with forked tongue.

Maybe that's why she's known for her great BJs.

Just ask Brian Mc Laughlin.
Wasn't she one of his squeezes?

Aw....he's far too busy fending off Bubba in prison these days to offer any comment.

Christina Wilkinson said...

Not exactly Jerry. The property was appraised by the City at $5.1M. The electeds have supposedly raised $5.25M (including this library money). But since it's not all in the Parks budget, they can't use it for ULURP. Therefore an additional amount of money has to either be found or raised. This is my understanding of it. At the end of ULURP, the City will either buy the property or condemn it. They don't walk away from pieces of land they really want. See Willets Point, Maspeth High School, etc.

Anonymous said...

It's apparent that the City's guidelines for acquiring land for public use are designed to do just the opposite, unless its for use by developers like the college point land. Condemn this property for the public benefit and lets get on with it. And by the way get a new councilperson.

Anonymous said...

Yet they can't buy the old CYO in Whitestone for the community? Come on Councilman Halloran stop screaming and talking about sanitation conspiracies! Do something for the community and not the developers for once!

...................................

Why not?

Joe said...

Put the owner in jail if he continues on breaking the law!

Already happening HE HAS been continually breaking the law and wiping his ass with the violations and stop work orders.
The cops arrest, taze regular citizens for not complying with "no smoking" yet developers special interest are exempt from obeying the law ?
What a corrupt precedent is the mayor & DOB setting ?

I'm wondering how much more abuse those Maspeth people can take before the city and owner have an angry flash-mob of citizens with pitch forks and news media to deal with.

The shit recently hit the fan in England--flashmobs organized via the internet and text messaging.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a perfect case for eminent domain. So why isn't it being used?

Oh right, it is not going to help the deveopers it may actually benefit the community so we can't do that.

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering how much more abuse those Maspeth people can take before the city and owner have an angry flash-mob of citizens with pitch forks and news media to deal with.

The shit recently hit the fan in England--flashmobs organized via the internet and text messaging.
----
This is Queens, Joe.

Get real.

If they tried that the next week the media and politicians would be touting a new group that would be 'reasonable' and 'ready to work with the developer' and comprised of people no one heard before.

There would be plenty of funding (until of course the moment the original activists disappear), big smiles, the pols has our all thinking heroes while the original activists made to look like stupid jerks.

As I said, this is Queens Joe, where the politicians sit secure that our neighbors will slit our throat for a smile and some ice cream money.

Anonymous said...

70K short.

How much is the mayor worth?

He spends more on jet fuel for his private plane.

Typical politician.

Anonymous said...

According to Drudge the Mayor just gave out MILLIONS to start some educational program that attempts to teach illegal immigrants how to be better parents, birth control etc.

Yes Bloomberg DOES spend more then 70,000 jet fuel for his private Cessna, jet and helicopter.
Not including maintenance and hanger. space in NJ and NYC.
We are talking MILLIONS a year !!

Anonymous said...

He puts parks where people don't want them .....like Staten Island; and he doesn't put parks where people do want them.
I can't figure it out!

Anonymous said...

Do these middle class people really think these people are going to get that park ?

Its just a Dream, because these people must to be asleep to believe it !
The Mayor and the local pols are going to screw them royally !

I have yet to hear ONE local pol pound a fist, grow some balls and call out the mayor out.
They are all chicken shits with hands in each others laps!

Mayor Mike said...

I can't figure it out!

.............................................

Here. Let me help you out. I steal from the poor and give to the rich. It's called the reverse Robin Hood as in I'm robbin' your 'hood.

Jerry Rotondi said...

Thanks for the corrective information.

It was getting too Byzantine for even me to follow.

Keep on plugging and I wish you all good luck as always!