Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Conflicting asbestos controversy at upcoming homeless shelter in Glendale.



QNS


The city Department of Buildings (DOB) has confirmed that work on a defunct Glendale factory was not outside the bounds of the existing permit on the site, but Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) confirmation is still pending that no asbestos was disturbed during work on the building to convert it into an office building after a Tuesday morning inspection.

Multiple city agencies were investigating allegations that workers illegally removed asbestos material from 78-16 Cooper Ave., which was long rumored to be a potential homeless shelter.

That plan may be a step closer toward becoming a reality. In August, the owners of the building submitted an amendment to their application to include a “transient lodging house” which has not yet been approved, according to a DOB spokesman.

The DOB said they have not received specific floor plans for review on the amendment yet, but that the owners hoped to build a facility to accommodate about 100 beds.

Holden’s office, however, has said the DOB informed him of an issue with their records and this amendment goes back to August instead of January which the DOB confirmed.

Video surfaced on the Glendale Civic Association Facebook page on Monday night that depicted two individuals who claimed to be “from the community” confronting a worker who had been supposedly removing floor tile from the site.

 Last night, Glendale residents noticed workers at the property and expressed their concerns by contacting my staff and I, and submitting 311 complaints,” Holden said on Jan. 15. “One of my staff members went to the scene last night, and I stopped by the site this morning when NYC Environmental Protection was responding to the situation. After placing several calls to the commissioner’s office, the DEP has informed me that a stop-work order was issued until test results confirm whether or not asbestos was disturbed by the workers.”

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about the schools? Most NYC schools were built in the 50's & 60's when certain construction materials were still legal to use. The media is focused on NYCHA with its endless issues but the school system needs some attention as well.

TommyR said...

Maybe all the transient lodging can be consolidated next to BdB's Brooklyn home? Or better yet, Central Manhattan? Every crime traceable back to this development will be directly the City's fault, and local home-owners and residents better remember it. Kudos to Bob H for following up properly.

Anonymous said...

Nice photo opp. Shelter still coming.

Anonymous said...

Prisons, welfare offices, hospitals, schools, police stations, fire houses , government buildings-many of these places were built on brownfields- land made toxic by industrial waste.
They were sold at low prices to municipalities & as far as I know there is no mandatory reporting of brownfields. Why should you care about brownfields? People get cancer & terminal maladies from living or working onbrown fields

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile, here are the violations for the College Point Shelter
https://www.mediafire.com/file/efiyedokmb93ume/cphsviolations.pdf

Anonymous said...

Do you know the real Love Canal story? Hooker refused to sell the site because it was toxic. City forced them Hooker made them promise never to puncture the seal. They said it was only for parking, but those lovely bullocraps built a school there. Guess who paid? Hooker. Shudda changed their name before dealing.