From the Queens Chronicle:The Indian Cultural and Community Center has revamped plans for building senior housing on the campus of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. The project has been embroiled in controversy since it was first proposed. Now that the group wants to add an extra 17 apartments to the mix has civic leaders and at least one elected official furious.
“The ICCC continues to amaze me,” state Sen Tony Avella (D-Bayside) told the Chronicle Wednesday. “There are two open investigations. The community and elected officials are dead set against this plan, so why the ICCC continues to pursue this is beyond me.”
The ICCC owns approximately 4.5 acres at Creedmoor, located at 79-25 Winchester Blvd., in Queens Village and wants to build a community center and senior housing. Originally they were seeking to construct two nine-story buildings, with 126 apartments. Now it’s asking to place 143 apartments into the same size towers.
Jordan Most, the zoning lawyer for the ICCC, said the new plan “fits the mode of senior affordable housing better.”
Both the state attorney general and inspector general are investigating the deal to determine if there was any inappropriate or criminal behavior on the part of the group and both current and former elected officials.
“Even if the investigation doesn’t find anything, the ICCC has been unethical throughout this process,” Avella said. They’ve lied to the community several times. They’ve changed their plan three or four times. Now, they’ve changed it again. ... The project will move ahead over my dead body.”
The ICCC has also recently petitioned the Board of Standards and Appeals for a waiver because the project does not have frontage on a mapped city street.
23 comments:
This video is old and a little misleading. If you were at the Community Board 1 meeting you would understand what had happened, you would have heard the developer’s lawyer and engineer explain the process to resolve the complaints. They did explain that a mistake was made by both the Buildings Department and developer. They also explained that all the contractors involved are insured and that they would work with the homeowners to resolve this problem. I understand what the homeowners are complaining about and I hope this never happens to my home.
It was also explained at the meeting that if the building owners were to take this building down because of the 10 feet difference in the rear. They could rebuild and extend the height of the building a couple more floors.
I don’t know the owner of the building and I don’t know any of the homeowners involved. But I was at the meeting and understand what happened.
Laws need to be changed and until our elected officials do that were screwed
Changing building plans makes the ICC unethical?
Yes, since they lied about what they were building. And they also apparently are under investigation for bribery.
Did the great senator Padavan accept those bribes? What was and is is role in all this? The Queens GOP knight in shining armor about to be unmasked? Did and or does his protege Dan the man Halloran have anything to so with this? Looks like yet another politician is about to be led away. Shame too he was a good senator THIRTY YEARS AGO!
According to the Leader/Observer earlier this year:
http://www.leaderobserver.com/view/full_story/18059719/article-Avella-calls-on-feds-to-investigate-redistricting
ICCC manages to purchase land in a no-bid contract at a fraction of its value (Bought at 1.8 mil, assessed at 7.8 mil), the land is redistricted away from the politician blocking this sale. According to the NYPost article, the 2 state pols who pushed for it received donations from ICCC.
According to voicesofny, (http://voicesofny.org/2012/07/more-investigation-of-indian-non-profits-land-deal/)
The ICCC has taken this all the way to the state supreme court.
Hey anonymous 1&2: changing the building plans is almost a red herring. Why is the ICCC complaining about the Inspector General getting involved when it donated to the very state pols who supported the deal? Creedmoor is a NY state facility.
Former Senator Padavan, SOLD OUT the community on this one! Frank bites the one eyed worm!
It's a good thing that he got bounced from office!
This smiling, long time charlatan, has put $$$$$ in his pockets screwing his constituents.
It hasn't surfaced until recently with this Indian project.
Taking a building down?? I thought this was a new building.
"The project will move ahead over my dead body."
If I were Tony I wouldn't patronize any Indian restaurants in the near future.
what about that car you paid for with your camapign funds Frank ? In Decemeber of 2010 ?????? how would you explain your campaign fund paying for a car AFTER you lost ???? They are coming for you Frank. You messed with the wrong people. They are coming. No one cares, less than Frank !
The surrounding Communities welcomed the sale of this property originally.
It was only after everyone realized the real deal. We were all lied to. Originally ICC was building a ball field and community center. Once they stole the property there real plans were disclosed.
It's not about hating the GOP it's about dating it how it is. Padavan was a big part of this deal and lied to his constituents. The GOP treats padavan as if he were a god for whatever reason some even demonize avella for attacking padavan. Halloran is padavan a protege padavan said so himself when Halloran came on the scene.
So if padavan had a major role in this deal which appears to have been backhanded and possibly illegal, should not padavan pay? And if he pays what about the others? The GOP should renounce this immediatelynoy play partisan politics. Show the democratic Stavisky crew in Queens that they are not like them. Show the Democratic Party that what is right is right no matter what party the crook belongs to.
Both political parties stink...but the Democratic dictatorship that runs Queens is far worse...because they rule, without any opposition.
This lack of competition makes for bad government.
As much as some people on this blog hate our Politicians and I do agree most times it's warranted. The original plans that were presented had support from almost everyone.
We were All lied and misled by the ICC.
here they go again ...the G.O.P. HATERS ANON.
it was reported previously that two Queens Dem politicians were also mentioned to have been primary supporters and donor takers in this project.Golly ,no one remembers?
cat got your tongue,dem commenters ?
as the C.P.B. said: wait till the investigation ends. then you MAY have to eat your words of demonization.
Anon No. 14:
Frank Padavan is a Democrat?
You talking about someone else hating, Gramps?
He's talking about Barbara Clark and Mark Weprin. Did we forget already?
As the 30 plus year state senator, what was padavans role in all this?
Franky "hanky-panky" Padavan screwed his constituents on this one.
That egotistical little squirt won't sit anywhere in a room near Tony Avella.
I've seen him plant his butt as far away as possible from Tony at BFHA's meetings.
Forget about Frank he's history.
Lets hope the investigations are legit and the BSA dosn't give this project a green light.
The ICC lied to all and should not be allowed to proceed with this project
The claim that these apartments are for senior citizen housing is a joke.
Torodash and the second anon after him:
Anon 1 simply posted his comment on the wrong story. He was writing about the project in Astoria.
is there space for mentally ill queens subway platform killers in those Creedmore buildings ?
Frank ain't history.
Didn't he sit on the redistricting committee?
Don't ever bend over in front of that career butt f----r!
Well it looks like the chickens are coming home to roost. Senator Malcolm Smith (who got Creedmoor redistricted to him so that he could assist the ICCC after they bribed him) and Halloran, Padavan's protege, were arrested today for....anyone? Bribery!
Hopefully the arrest of these dirty politicians will be the death kneel of this project.
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