Losing their religion in Astoria
From the
Queens Gazette:
The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island has filed plans to develop a five-story apartment building at 46-09 31st Avenue in Astoria, the former home of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
The new building will feature a ground floor community room and lobby, 6 apartments on each of the second through fourth floors, and three apartments on the fifth floor, according to the plans.
The Diocese has not announced plans for demolition of the existing building, which is no longer used for Episcopal services, a spokesperson said.
15 comments:
Why use a place like this as a community center instead of dumping community groups in a basement on some concrete floor with cheep drywall - and giving a developer a fat break for their effort.
Yet another church property in Astoria bites the dust. Better if they make is a mosque.
If these relic's to ancient superstition aren't serving their purpose any more, at least getting them back on the tax rolls will do the city some good. If your audience is gone the space mas as well be redeveloped. Problem here is that the "developer" will probably be able to claim exemption status so...
The Catholic's alone own well over two billion dollars in R.E. in the five boroughs and that figure is probably out-of-date given recent advances.
RobNYC
This has been in the works for several years across Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island. The number of Episcopalians is going down fast, and the church cannot pay for these empty churches anymore, so expect it will come to your neighborhood. Most of these are 19th century or 1920s-30s at latest. Ornate and expensive to maintain. There is no solution other than to sell them or convert them to housing or commercial.
"a ground floor community room"
Hahaha yeah right.
Translation: Romper Room that will also serve as a safe-house meeting room for illegal immigrants to talk lawyers & activists on "how too" get free stuff and stay in this country.
Never trust churches !!
Other Episcopal churches are surviving by renting space to Korean congregations, which seem to multiply by the month - those that are in store-front space are very happy to get into (and share space in) a beautiful sanctuary.
All former church properties should be strictly 100 % affordable, not this 20 or even 30 inadequate bullshit.
Like churches these complexes should be sanctuaries from the zone sanctioned forced gentrification that will ensue from the mayor's (well, it's mostly deputy mayor Glen's) demented city plotting.
It's "UNDERUTILIZED" land!
That's why it's worth more to build high on rather than turn it into a community center.
NO DEVEPER SUPPORTED politician will support a community center. Look at who you've got "representing" you in the area....REBNY puppets!
City Lights church was conducting services as recent as 2 years ago or so...I attended one.
The fact is that even the churches can't say no to the money. The property is too expensive to be put to work.
This is right on the corner from where I live...this church has not had Episcopalian services in a very long time, it was home to a Romanian Orthodox congregation for a while, and then sat empty, and now has one of those non-denominational churches. Anyway, it will be sad to see this go, but we have to make room for the hipsters and trust funders.
What is affordable and how would you convince a developer to take a loss to develop it?
>> JQ LLC said...
>> All former church properties should be strictly 100 % affordable, not this 20 or even 30 ??>> inadequate bullshit
everyone better pray it does not become a homeless shelter wait and see
Developers won't lose shit. They just have to take less vacations to their slush fund account p.o. box islands and learn to live in one mansion.
If no one comes to a church any more, and it's not used for any community centered activities, what's the point?
A lot of dead parishes in Manhattan survive by renting out. Also by selling air rites. Sorry, rights, pun.
"and it's not used for any community centered activities"
True, I always hated what goes with illegal use and intent until a recent jam happened where the people abusing the system were the only ones who knew what they were doing to allow us to use the services WE ALREADY PAID FOR when WE needed it.
Let me s'plain-- When my girlfriends health insurance was cancelled by her workplace we had to go to this "how to get over" class in this Bushwick church. Nobody else knew what to do or even wanted to help her do the complex maze of paperwork, in Manhasset it was the worst. The public assistants looked at her skirt & tattoo and staired her down with a "what do you do for a living why cant you get a professional job that provides insurance" etc. That was their answer to the problem after we just told them SHE HAD A JOB and could not even buy NYS marketplace Obamacare till Jan 1st. They were all stupid conservative schooled discriminating jackasses so this "how to" class was the last and only option left.
Half the "how too class" was illegals and we were the ones who needed a translator. Anyway the Spanish woman doing the paperwork said "no worry, no problem is easy we going to help you" I was amazed at how that woman knew everything, what to put down, how much to put down as income, register as a democrat checkbox. Get this--We were told because girlfriend said she was a US Citizen who worked & paid taxes all her life, was not pregnant or caring for a child nor undocumented she was required by law to show prove citizenship with a recent government certified birth certificate. (a whole day of paperwork at Worth street in Manhattan. Also go onlne banking and print a 6 month look-back of bank statements and her income tax 1040. Miles of additional tricky paperwork only these activists teaching this "how to getover" class in Spanish understood. Last we were sent to a "navigator" at North Shore LIJ with the paperwork who created a NYS ID, one quick phone 5 minute phone call where she was pre-approved, made up a user ID and password.
In 1 week she received 3 nice shiny cards.
A NYS card, a Dentaquest card and a Medicaid Managed Health-First insurance plan.
All zero pay. and $1 co-pay for prescriptions-- YES ONE DOLLAR.
In Long Island, especially N Shore Long Island you can get an appointment but can not meet tier 2 and actually see the doctor or dentist without filling out 4+ pages of paperwork including full insurance or a VISA black card, high credit score or mortgage as backup payment.
Nobody likes the services these churches and library's provide until till they are in a jam and told to go to the ER when a cut or minor $75 toot cavity fill becomes an emergency room visit.
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