Paul's warped logic is this:
The Hawthorne Apartments deserved to be landmarked because they are architecturally significant, however, the Douglaston project has to go because the majority of homeowners in the proposed district are opposed to it. After all, "property rights" (aka selling your houses as teardowns) are paramount!
“There are times when land marking is improper as it imposes undue restrictions on the rights of homeowners to renovate, modify or even sell their properties as they wish,” said Council Member Vallone.There are a few problems here, though:
1) No one has seen the supposed petition by the affected homeowners cited in the release except Vallone, and these houses were included in the original 620 building Douglaston Historic District designated in 1997, but were arbitrarily removed by Mary Beth Betts at the LPC. However, they were promised to go forward at a later date without bias, meaning no property owner support was necessary whatsoever.
2) The owner of the Hawthorne Apartments was also opposed to landmarking, but Vallone supports its designation anyway:
In a common scenario, the principal owner of the property, Esther Levenbrown of Teaneck, N.J., is opposed to the designation. A letter sent to Community Board 11 from her attorney states that many of the units in the apartment complex are either rent-controlled or stabilized and that a designation by the Landmark Preservation Commission could cause costs related to the maintenance of the exterior to double. Marvin Mitzner, the attorney representing Levenbrown, wrote that Hawthorne Court is not particularly distinct among Braunstein’s other projects, many of which still exist in neighborhoods like Forest Hills.3) Vallone has totally ignored the Ahles House in Bayside and the First Reformed Church in College Point in his release, which are also on the decalendaring list and in his district.
Here is the complete release so you can sort through the many layers of B.S. for yourself.
Since most of the weeklies will just print segments of this press release without further analysis, I thought you might want to know the truth. This is what happens when your council member is backed by REBNY money.
Vallone's release was a bit premature (as well as immature), as the Landmarks Commission did an about face and has withdrawn its proposed decalendaring.
13 comments:
Great news about the LPC changing its mind about the decalendaring! I guess Paul has revealed his hand with regard to Douglaston. I suppose he'll testify against that, the Ahles House and the College Point Church when the time comes.
They don't call him Valloney Baloney for nothing.
I wonder why they call him stinky?
In one part of Vallone's press release it says he "wrote a letter to LPC" but then later in the press release it says he "consulted with the LPC at length".
Which is it??
Well I guess it doesn't really matter.
Baloney is baloney no matter how you slice it.
Is Paul the dim-witted Vallone or are they all like that?
Paul has a very glazed-over affect. It seems as though it takes him a second or so to process simple questions.
Could his brain be muddled from too much Whitestone/Bayside industrial Italian food?
The Vallones are behind the destruction of Old Astoria and the Steinway Mansion donnybrook.
Now they are trying the same garbage in other communities but they do not have the support of Provo-Ramo and her merry pranksters, nor CB 1's Vinny "I'm in Front of a Big Mike so Shuddiy Up Yo Mouth" Donato so its it misfiring badly.
The world is moving on and leaving that clan behind. Everyone now has their number.
Stick a fork in them Queens. The Vallones are done.
Why singling out Vallone for self-serving press releases? which Councilmember does not? Don't they all do it?
Stinky strikes again.
Vallone is the only council member to put out a release about the proposed decalendaring and the only one to declare that decalendaring is a victory.
I hope that Councilman Paulie enjoys seeing my cartoon resurface as by much as I do. Without patting myself on the back, I think this is one of my humbe best depictions of this son of a...uh...real estate lobbyist. Look up the Vallone law firm's client list. They represent developers not their constituents. I urge you voters to make wiser choices at the polls... to be sure and select the candidate who will truly represent you. The NYC real estate vested interests have Paul Vallone in their vest pockets. I look forward to our next meeting and your cold glare of disapproval. Chiao, chiao bambino.
In Astoria the Vallones were and continue to be responsible for a host of ills inflicted on what was once a model community: hoodwinking them on rezoning, the Astoria peninsula fiasco, appointing that community board from hell, turning over loft space and smallish community buildings that would have been perfect for non-profits and artists to the like of no-taste no-talent Pistillis and their types, scrimping on services for waterfront devlepment causing that Con Ed mess a few years back (they and their neighbors never lost power), taking donations from the restaurant-bar set making Astoria a honky-tonk College town that is driving out long term residences, and their ties to probate court that brings their law firm in the public eye about once a decade.
Not a nice group of people. Certainly a family that has done a lot to fray the trust the community once had in its elected representatives.
Constantinople and Vallone.
Check them out from time to time.
I wonder why they call him stinky?
Paulie bears a strong resemblance, both in appearance and personality, to Stinky, "the spoiled impish bratty overgrown man-child" portrayed by Joe Besser in the old Abbott and Costello TV show.
As long as people keep voting on name recognition alone, we might as well have a monarchy.
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