The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints (LDS), also known as the Mormons, have proposed to build a 23,000 square-foot house of worship in North Flushing, Queens in New York City and are requesting major variances from the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA). Community Board 7 and Borough President Helen Marshall have already voted strongly against the request for variances.
North Flushing, a suburban neighborhood known for its century-old single-family houses, was recently rezoned R2A, the first "anti-MacMansion" zone created in New York City. In 2004, then-Councilman Avella (now Senator) changed the laws governing Community Facilities, which include houses of worship, to limit their size in single-family zones (R1 and R2) in order to make sure that they are more in scale with the low-density detached single-family neighborhoods that they are located in. Should these variances be granted by the BSA, it will set a precedent that will overturn the 2004 zoning reforms, creating an incentive for religious organizations to expand their facilities substantially and altering neighborhoods in the process.
A press conference was held on March 8th, 2012 in front of the proposed LDS site and was attended by about 40 local residents and presidents of a number of civic and homeowner associations, representing thousands of residents, from northeast and central Queens.
23 comments:
People stood by and did nothing when other neighborhoods where ruined.
Now the "Great" North Flushing and Bayside will face the same fate.
It's over and Elvis has left the building. :-0
Thank you for the video coverage.
I unexpectedly had to leave the event and, unfortunately, missed most of it.
Now I'll tell you why.
I was asked to remain out of camera range (away from Senator Avella) with my (controversial?) poster while he would be speaking.
This request was made by one of his aides.
For the sake of discretion I decided to remove myself completely so as not to be caught on camera with my poster.
Let me say that I have the utmost respect for Senator Avella--a true man of the people--and in no way am I displeased with him.
My gripe is with his staff.
Senator Avella's office had received an e-mail copy of my cartoon well in advance of the press conference.
I was informed that it was OK to bring it along.
Somebody surely screwed up and it wasn't me!
Some communication improvement is suggested.
I would not have appeared with my
8 1/2" x 11" cartoon in the first place had I been asked to do so.
I am not a publicity seeker.
I'm only interested in speaking truthfully and art is my vehicle.
Thank you "Crapper" for putting up my drawing.
Let the readers decide if it was offensive or controversial.
Honestly, I bear no hard feelings.
Where is Peter Koo?
Isn't he the area's councilman?
It looks like he's absent, as usual.
I guess he only appears when he has to pimp for a developer friend of his.
Good job, Jerry. The only thing offensive about your artwwork is the censorship by Avella's staff. SHAME ON THEM!!!
This project is out of character for the neighborhood and should be built elsewhere. Enough is enough!
i see absolutely nothing slanderous about Rotondi's poster. Avella's staff should be held in contempt for censoring your right to free speech.
i have attended three TAX ENOUGH ALREADY peaceful assemblies, and the protest of trial for Gitmo jailed muslim terrorists by A/G . ERIC HOLDER, at the federal court house in Manhattan.
no patriot was censored for a slanderous poster, because there weren't any demeaning posters.
Rotondi, and his poster, is always welcome with us .
name these censors of freedom of speech and print them in civic newsletters and Q.C.
did about 40 people show up? the photo only targeted Avella ,with four persons ?
we civic minded people voiced our opinions against the overdevelopment at C.P.B.11 for years ,but the dictator gov. that was elected by the comrades and fools in nyc ,forced it on us.
the dem. pol. led ,rent a crowds ,were just a pretend protest for photo ops. for the queens weaklies.the 60xi00 lots were demolished anyway, for multiple asian fam. brick buildings. THE BIG LIE CONTINUES IN AUBURNDALE TODAY.elect us and you lose again!!!!
Did about 40 people show up? the photo only targeted Avella ,with four persons ?
we civic minded people voiced our opinions against the overdevelopment at C.P.B.11 for years ,but the dictator gov. that was elected by the comrades and fools in nyc ,forced it on us.
the dem. pol. led ,rent a crowds ,were just a pretend protest for photo ops. for the queens weaklies.the 60xi00 lots were demolished anyway, for multiple asian fam. brick buildings. THE BIG LIE CONTINUES IN AUBURNDALE TODAY.elect us and you lose again!!!!
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About 40 people showed up, including the presidents of many civic and homeowners associations, including North Flushing, North East Flushing, Broadway-Flushing, Kissena Park, Auburndale Improvement, Greater Whitestone Taxpayers, Bayside Hills and the Bayside Civic Database.
The film was made by one of the neighbors, who then posted it up on youtube...he chose to focus on the speakers although he certainly took shots of the full crowd. However, only Part 1 of the video was posted on to Queens Crap, for some reason. The other part is on youtube.
As for your rant about Auburndale: literally thousands of houses were rezoned in 2010 from R3-2 (multi-family) to (mostly) R2A - detached one-family - and R3X - detached one and two-family.
There is no consipracy here, Democratic, Republican or otherwise. Just talk to the president and board of the Auburndale Improvement Association - a rather conservative group, all in all - and they will tell you how relieved they are about the rezoning, even if it wasn't perfect. As you know, perfect is the enemy of the good.
Nothing ever is perfect so you need to deal with it like the rest of us.
Paul Graziano
LDS? I'd prefer LSD!!!
As a Latter-day Saint and an artist, I do find Jerry's drawing
"inappropriate" to say the least. First, if Jerry had researched his topic a little more thoroughly he would have found out contemporary LDS Church architecture typically has clean lines with sparse ornamentation. If the religious ediface being constructed on the site were the "Mary, Queen of Heaven Roman Catholic Church", the "All Saints Episcopal Church", or the "Temple Beth Israel" would Jerry have used the same portrayal of those houses of worship?
I think not. Jerry, consciously or unconsciously, (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt), with his use of a sinister face, a laughing face and disembodied eyes, flags and quasi-gothic/baroque finials did so to mock and belittle the LDS Church. Since we are a small Church compared to the denominations mentioned above, one can always get a "pass" on insults, derogatory comments, or rude and inappropriate cartoons. I readily acknowledge that the citizens of the community have a legitimate right to express their concerns, and it speaks well for the citizens to take an interest in preserving what they feel is the historic and architectural heritage of their community. But if the dialogue with the LDS community is to begin with a poster which mocks and demeans their house of worship I believe that will only serve to alienate and antagonize; not to mention portraying the local citizens as prejudiced and intolerant. Jerry's message could have just as easily been porrayed by drawing a series of flying buttresses dramatically overshadowing the small, single family homes without the cartoon doodle embellishments. The point would have been made without the insult and innuendo.
#1...Bayside was the first section to undergo home demolishing and MacMansion replacement. when the builders/politician/ complex" almost" got their fill , the rezoning took place. Many blocks lost their 1/2 family ,tree and schrub filled property look, to the multiple occupancy,absentee landlord,rental,cement yard for many vehicles "IMPROVEMENT".
presently, the AUBURNDALE/ N.FLUSHING section west of F.L.Blvd.is being destroyed by the builder/politician complex. shame,shame shame.
you can determine who the vultures really are ,if you can find their hidden off shore accounts.many are probably disguised as anti-builders to reach higher pol. office ?
#3...driving to the Mormon Church site,at 33rd avenue/145 street ,from union st. to parsons blvd,i observed about 10 non taxpaying religious buildings
previously built. all were about TWO floors in height.they were Muslim,Protestant,Catholic ,Medical care (TEN floors), Acupuncture ctr. Jehovah
Witness, and Salvation Army.
as long as the city government/politicians legislate (AS OF RIGHT) status,civic groups are SHOVELING SAND WITH A PITCH FORK!!!!!!
all this is pretend protesting for photo opts for the next election.
past history should clue citizens to this fact.
As a Latter-day Saint and an artist, I do find Jerry's drawing
"inappropriate" to say the least. First, if Jerry had researched his topic a little more thoroughly he would have found out contemporary LDS Church architecture typically has clean lines with sparse ornamentation.
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I hope that the project gets turned down immediately!!! Your criticism has nothing to do with the issue at hand and you're also trying to deny Mr. Rotondi of his right to free speech. Why can't this artist take poetic license to make his point?
I view your critique as a means to deflect criticism of the project, a huge structure out of character with its surroundings. Mr. Rotondi's artistry demonstrates that point quite well. Do you really think that the people protesting this are trying to disrespect your religious point of view? I don't think they are.
Your thin-skinned attack on a poster illustrates a sense of desperation on your part. If you don't get your way, are you going to cry to the media that a single protest poster (which I enjoyed) was the cause of the denial? Probably. Your babbling rant may have been well-meaning but I saw it as pointless. I don't care about the type of architecture but the SIZE of the proposed building!!! Get it now???
"As a Latter-day Saint and an artist, I do find Jerry's drawing
"inappropriate" to say the least."
Well, the proposed LDS structure in North Flushing is inappropriate, to say the LEAST! So, where does that leave us?
Insinuate anything you wish
"LDS artist".
Call me anything you want.
My conscience is clear.
I've taken artistic license and invoked my 1st amendment rights to convey a message which has obviously hit the bull's eye.
The impact on the neighborhood that my drawing conveys stands and speaks for itself.
FYI:
I happen to be a baptized Catholic.
If it happened to be a Catholic church that intended to build to that extreme bulk and height in a low rise residential neighborhood, I would have been equally frank and direct with my imagery.
Your argument, as you've presented it, is most likely a sham.
Pulling the "anti-religion" card from the bottom of the deck--for lack of anything substantial to offer--simply won't work here.
By the way, how do we know that you are a really a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints or even an artist for that matter?
You didn't sign your name to your post as I have.
Perhaps you are actually a political operative.
And if you do not possess a degree in psychology, whatever, do not profess to know my unconscious mind.
That sounds more like the "Parkside Group" posting not a Mormon artist.
Where is Peter Koo?
Isn't he the area's councilman?
Not sure where the border is between the districts of Peter Koo and Dan Halloran - but the developers and builders don't stop at the borders, so both of them should have been there.
"First they came for Bayside, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not from Bayside."
North Flushing, a suburban neighborhood known for its century-old single-family houses
HAHAHA they forgot the WAS known...
remember that the ten plus (As Of RIGHT) religion based buildings surrounding the Mormon site, do not pay nyc property taxes.
the home owners of these properties that were demolished, did pay property taxes. they shared the burden of the rest of us property owners.
can new yorkers sustain all of these legal free loaders from the tax rolls ?
Tax Enough Already.....BE THERE......
can new yorkers sustain all of these legal free loaders from the tax rolls ?
Excellent point!
presently ,the nyc homeowner is paying a 20.8% increase in property tax ,since 2002.
it is reported that an additional 2-3 %
increase is due soon.
most of the lib/prog city council voted for these increases,including John Liu.
locally Avella voted against these increases,and i thank him.
in the past,the dem. machine has allowed the Bayside/Auburndale dem. pols. to vote opposite their will, because of the conservative bent of the voters.
you will pay more as the non-tax paying AS OF RIGHT/RELIGIOUS occupants increase in your community.
The edge of that low density residential neighborhood is too close to the downtown chasm to be guaranteed remaining as such in the future.
Zoning changes can be altered.
They are not carved in granite.
which nyc builders have donated to these pols.previous campaigns?
will the censor allow this ponder?
http://basicmormonbeliefs.com/blog/focus-on-families-at-church/ has a picture of a typical LDS Chapels.
If anyone wants to draw a picture that captures an LDS Chapel, that is a good model for it.
They are usually built in residential neighborhoods near to the local congregants.
Rotondi -- to note that you are being crude has nothing to do with denying your first amendment rights -- and your rights have nothing to do with answering a criticism that you are being crude and hostile.
Appreciate that Avella objects to standard LDS practices of putting chapels near where people live, in a pretty uniform design.
Appreciate also that the community has allowed ten houses of worship like the LDS would like to build.
But, of course, the goal is to exclude the LDS from having a comparable building to what others have. Ah well.
And, of course, Avella is certain that he knows what is best for the LDS. Appreciated his follow-up spokesman's patronizing comments.
So, they going to tear down the other ten houses of worship that don't fit in the neighborhood?
Or does the fact that this one is an LDS building make it so that moving from 10 to 11 of these means that suddenly the neighborhood is destroyed?
/Sigh
Jerry,
You said "I've taken artistic license and invoked my 1st amendment rights..."
The first amendment is meant to protect you from the government shutting you up. It has no power to prevent another person for calling you out as a bigot.
Oh---
so now I've been judged to be "crude", "hostile" and even a "bigot"?
"Judge not lest ye be judged".
My, my, my---such wonderful "compliments"---further proof that my humble drawing REALLY hit the nail on the head!
You may continue calling me anything you wish, but please do not call me late for breakfast.
Thank you.
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