Sunday, October 30, 2011

CB13 votes down Creedmoor variance

From the Queens Chronicle:

At its Monday meeting Community Board 13 voted against a plan by a nonprofit group to construct two large apartment towers on the campus of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, stating that the project was out of character with the neighborhood and was not what the organization originally told residents it had intended to build.

CB 13 denied the group’s application for a variance by a vote of 22-1 with 16 absent. First Vice Chairwoman Tanya Cruz abstained from the vote and board member V. M. Chacko was the only one in favor.

In 2008, the Indian Cultural and Community Center purchased two parcels of land at Creedmoor, which is located at 79-25 Winchester Blvd. in Queens Village, near the Bellerose border. The approximately 4.5 acres are adjacent to the homes on the west side of 242nd Street, from Union Turnpike to 82nd Avenue.

The ICCC told community leaders the land would be used to build a community center, a multi-use athletic field and an above-ground parking lot, but the plan was changed to include two nine-story apartment buildings that would contain 126 units of affordable housing for seniors.

The project is not in compliance with the master plan created for the campus by former Borough President Claire Shulman, and the towers would be located 30 feet from its low-rise neighbors with no buffer for privacy or noise, according to Richard Hellenbrecht, the chairman of CB 13’s Land Use Committee. The apartment buildings would also completely obstruct the sunlight and vistas of neighboring homes, and could set a precedent for other similar high-density projects.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what? either the BP or BSA will approve the variance. $$ talks

Anonymous said...

The BSA is going to grant the approval anyway just like the others.

Anonymous said...

I fully agree with poster #1 & #2.

Example:
All the heavy duty political "guns" were against the Bonfillio project in Bayside Hills.

It got approved by the BSA anyway.

The late Donald Manes:
"....Queens has nothing but land....and I intend to develop every bit of it...."!

This is a builder's borough....fughettaboutit!

Case closed no matter how many press appearances Tony Avella makes.

Anonymous said...

A federal investigation is desparatly needed in this situation!

Anonymous said...

The BSA is "allegedly" corrupt. You have to say allegedly. Tommy Huang should never have gotten his permits back in Bayside, after the downzoning. The inital permits were not valid and lawfully issued. Did that matter? No! The DOB told the Board that they were valid and lawfully issued. Not so! The DOB said that they had the "required" liability insurance. Did they? They did not.

Allegedly, his documentation proving his financial measure was totally bogus. Totally obvious. Certainly, needed to be looked into further. Did the BSA have the power? Yes. Did they exert it? Definitely not.

Made complaint to DOI about the BSA and its Board. Did anything happen? Seemingly not.

What is the point? Say no more.