State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) was joined last Friday afternoon by concerned area residents across the street from the College Point Corporate Park, where he announced that the Department of Sanitation had issued summonses to several businesses that he said have taken over streets and sidewalks. He called on the city to take further action against them unless the situation is rectified.
Avella said he first noticed the unlawful activity during the Memorial Day Parade.
“All these businesses just decided, ‘We’re taking over this property,’” he said. “Clearly illegal.”
He said he “immediately wrote to the city. The only agency that took action was the Department of Sanitation. It’s interesting that they’re here today.”
Surveying the tons of supplies that almost completely concealed the sidewalk on one side of 124th Street, he added, “All of this has got to be cleaned up. If they don’t clean it up, the city should come and just seize it all. You cannot take over a city street. This is absurd.”
Avella also suggested that the situation posed “a health hazard, a traffic hazard, a pedestrian hazard,” and asked, “If something should happen, who’s going to get sued? The city. And the taxpayer is going to have to pay the lawsuit. This is the worst example I’ve ever seen of private businesses taking over city sidewalks.”
As far back as late 2011, Community Board 7 filed complaints with the departments of Transportation, Buildings and Sanitation as well as the 109th Precinct over materials that were being stored on the sidewalk, according to a letter provided by one area resident, Jim Singletary, acting president of the 28th Avenue Block Association.
11 comments:
Go after the cops blocking sidewalk access to precincts all over the city next.
Apna Bazar
260-04 Hillside Ave, Floral Park
This Store has also taken over the sidewalk adjacent to the store 24 Hours a day.
The City need to be clean.
Only Tony Avella is working and helping the people.
God bless him.
"Go after the cops blocking sidewalk access to precincts all over the city next."
Most Precincts don't have adequate parking lots. So they have to park like that. If they start parking the cars 6 blocks away in legal spots, that means that it will take that much longer to respond to critical emergencies.
just look closer to home, look at the beer place on 69th st they block the whole sidewalk everyday with empty beer bottles and all kinds of crap
“All these businesses just decided, ‘We’re taking over this property,’” he said. “Clearly illegal.”
it's good to hear blunt honesty,even if its only T.A.
His district is very fortunate to have him
This guy has a bright future in this city,I don't know if I can wait that long for him to run for mayor,or even for affordable apts.(certainly for affordable apts.),I'm moving to bayside.
Why do we need to have enough parking lots for police? Maybe more of them should live in the city instead of Rockland County, and take the subway...... We would have more familiarity with the people of the city and less attitude that the city is a foreign country. Do all municipal workers get to abuse the parking regulations that you and I get tickets for?
They abuse parking rules by parking all over bridges and streets in Astoria---hydrants, double parking, curbs, safety zones.
Sorry--it's arrogant and wrong.
Move the cops personal cars five blocks away, take a travel lane, make the road one way, block off parking to non emergency vehicles around the corner etc...there are options. They chose to take sidewalk space. Because pedestrians don't exist in their world. Same reason they have no interest in doing anything about anyone blocking the sidewalk, like this business.
On a lot of these dead end streets even ones with people who have houses on them there is this mentality that they own it and can do whatever they want.
Think this is bad? Check out PANY/NJ projects!!!
Most Precincts don't have adequate parking lots. So they have to park like that. If they start parking the cars 6 blocks away in legal spots, that means that it will take that much longer to respond to critical emergencies.
They can park their personal cars a few blocks away - that doesn't affect their ability to respond to emergencies. If their personal cars were not taking up street spots (and often sidewalk "spots") next to the precinct, then the official vehicles would have room to park.
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