Area civic leaders remain concerned about the future of the Klein farm property in Fresh Meadows following its recent sale to a convicted felon who illegally tore down trees on the protected site.
Ziming Shen of Manhattan, who runs a preschool on the historic Klein property at 194-15 73 Ave., remains under house arrest for stealing funds designated for poor children’s lunches from his chain of Red Apple preschools.
Although Shen was hauled into court in May for not meeting his obligation of paying the $5.2 million judgment against him, he bought the Klein property a month later for $5.6 million and got a $1.45 million mortgage, according to the city’s Department of Finance records.
Shen had been renting the property under a six-year lease for the preschool from another convicted felon, Thomas Huang, who bought it in 2003 for $4.3 million as part of his now-defunct Audrey Realty.
Huang had wanted to build 22 two-family houses or 18 dwellings, but both plans failed since the site is located in a special planned community preservation district.
Last year, Shen illegally destroyed several mature trees on the property and illegally constructed a driveway. He was fined $1,600. Since then, the trees have not been replaced and the front yard on the 2.5-acre site has been neglected.
Preschool classes are now held in an adjacent house on the property. In the past, the large brick farmhouse was used for the school.
Area civic activists, who for years have wanted the property converted to public use as a farm museum or similar institution, are puzzled by the recent high-priced purchase since Shen will be unable to develop the property.
8 comments:
Why do we let these third worlders ruin our neighborhoods? All of NYC is a third world country filled with third world trash walking around our streets who don't respect any of our laws. But I can't blame them, however, because the real culprits are the politicians who allowed these third worlders to do whatever they want and face no consequences for their actions. NYC is not NYC anymore (especially in queens)- it's a third world country.
Where are your elected officials on this - they are publicity hogs for everything so for them to ignore this tells you - yes - someone made a campaign donation to shut them up.
And as its Queens, its most likely only a few grand. They come cheap and stupid out here.
Confiscate the property and kick these people out of the country!
Let China have her criminals back! We don't need them! We don't want them!
They've destroyed Queens and are now encroaching on Brooklyn and Nassau County!
Ban them from doing business here!
If Shen keeps destroying trees, there won't be any left for a Huanging!!!
A couple of years ago I had to travel for my job with Brewster Jennings and I ran into someone who grew up in Queens and he asked me about Klein Farm. I had to tell him this sad story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_Jennings_%26_Associates
Really?
Everything's great in Amer-i-ka!
To the poster who said "where are your elected officials on this?". I can answer in one word: Weprin! When the farm was first being sold, we expressed concern to then Councilman David Weprin. All the useless idiot did was have a press conference The Queens County Farm Museum had already agreed to run it as a farm and educational center if someone would purchase it. David Weprin did not have the legislative will to have the city purchase it - at that time it was less expensive and there was more none. But the idiot did nothing. Then he and brother Mark Weprin (then assemblyman) played switcheroo with their seats and Mark became the councilman for the area. In true Weprin fashion, he has also done nothing, absolutely nothing. After this last sale of the property he wrote a weak namby pamby letter to Shen. That's all he did. So there's the answer. As long as the uniformed moronic voters keep voting useless idiots like the Weprins into office, the situation will get worse and worse.
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