Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
NYC parks dept. put an ampitheater on a sidewalk that has expectedly led to noise complaints
Their homes are shake, rattle and rolling.
Rockaways residents living near the $3.7 million Beach 94th Street Amphitheater say live music at the venue has made life a living hell since it opened last year.
“We’re in our homes with our doors shut, our AC on and our TV on, and it’s insufferable,” said Joe O’Sullivan, 59, a retired FDNY firefighter who lives less than 300 feet from the amphitheater with his wife, Helena.
The couple captured video of their home’s interior shaking from the thumping of dance music blaring from the Soulful House Brothers festival on July 28.
“It was my medicine cabinet shaking, and all the stuff in it. It was weird. I couldn’t believe,” Helena said. “We’ve had construction done over the years since [Hurricane] Sandy, and we’ve never had that.
“You can only call 311 so many times,” she added.
Since opening in May 2023, there have been at least one hundred music-related 311 calls near the amphitheater, which is run by the Parks Department and can hold at least 300 people, although residents said they have not done any decibel readings of the noise.
The venue has been a popular stage for local musicians such as French-language rockers Les San Culottes and the Rambones, a Ramones tribute band
Locals said just a quarter of the dozens of events held at the amphitheater are “beautiful, outstanding, tear-jerking [performances] . . . that do bring people together.”
“The other 75% keep people away because it’s so loud, you can’t exist in the vicinity of the space and have any conversation,” said Erin Silvers, 45, who lives three houses away.
“My dog goes into hiding for days at a time. It’s like the Fourth of July at all hours of the day. It’ll start at 10 in the morning and go til 10 at night,” she said, noting “it’s much louder this year than it was last year.”
Neighbors cried that the city has ignored the noise they’ve been making — but giving the performers carte blanche with their performances.
“The Parks Department isn’t regulating the performers, they are letting them go wild,” Joe O’Sullivan said.
When Parks’ Rockaway Administrator Eric Peterson was asked one night by frustrated residents to shut off huge speakers being powered by generators, in violation of the event permit rules, he allegedly told fed-up residents, “‘It’s a dance party, come join the party,'” according to Joe O’Sullivan
“I said, ‘I’ve got it in my living room and I’m not enjoying it and want it to stop,'” the frustrated resident recalled. “He refuses to enforce the laws of the permits, the rules.”
Who thought it was a good idea to put an amphitheater on the sidewalk??? Also, who is this dickhead Peterson and how did he get his job? But I forget the Mayor Adams kakistocracy is filled with crony dickheads like him.
Monday, August 26, 2024
Zero tolerance for cesspool scooter pilot
Dozens of southeast Queens residents voiced their opposition at a town hall meeting last week against the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) recent expansion of its e-scooter program into their area.
Homeowners from an array of southeast Queens neighborhoods, including Addisleigh Park, Cambria Heights, Laurelton and Springfield Gardens, were vocal in their opposition to the program, which they say has led to bikes being strewn all over the area since its launch on June 27. The program, which was initially introduced in the Bronx, covers 20 square miles—from Flushing in the north to Springfield Gardens in the south—and is part of a long-term contract between the city and participating e-scooter companies.
The residents gathered for the meeting on Aug. 17 at Archie Spigner Park for a conversation facilitated by Sen. Leroy Comrie’s office. They got to speak to Comrie, as well as DOT Queensborough Commissioner Nicole Garcia and representatives from participating e-scooter companies. Representatives from the Queens Borough President’s office and Council Member Nantasha Williams’ office were also present.
Since the program’s expansion into southeast Queens, many residents say that the riders are thoughtlessly dumping the bikes on the street when they are done using them, blocking sidewalks, driveways and bike lanes. Additionally, they expressed concern about rider safety and asked about the regulations.
“There are things that the agency is looking into, to adapt it to address some of these concerns. This is a really important transportation option for a lot of folks. We’ve seen some pretty incredible numbers in the first four weeks that it’s launched,” she said to the crowd.
Within the first two months of the program, around 30,000 unique rider accounts have taken nearly 190,000 trips, according to the DOT. Additionally, the agency said that it has installed designated parking corrals in downtown Flushing and Jamaica, with plans underway for more parking areas to service eastern Queens. No riding and no parking zone installations were also included based on community input.
Representatives from the three participating e-scooter companies— Lime, Bird and Veo— manned info stalls at the town hall, where they discussed bike safety, ridership and e-scooter usage.
The DOT told QNS that it decided to expand the e-bike program into southeast Queens based on what it claimed was its successful launch in the East Bronx.
“This expansion delivers a popular, safe and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation to underserved neighborhoods in Queens—and we’ve already recorded nearly 200,000 trips,” a DOT spokesperson said.
Bird Partnerships representative Austin Spademan, who was present at the meeting, addressed concerns about improper parking practices. He explained that users must provide an end-ride photo to show that they parked properly, with a penalty system that can see a rider banned from the service if company policies are not met.
Some residents expressed concern about minors using the bikes. Spademan said that riders must upload their identification for age verification before they can use them. Some attendees at the town hall also claimed the bikes were not being used.
Spademan told QNS that although there is vocal opposition, the data shows that riders are utilizing the scooters.
“The fact of the matter is that our riders are also equally a part of this community, and there are 6,500 active riders every single day across the city. Queens has the most active users out of all the neighborhoods,” he said. He added that well over 25% of rides within southeast Queens are ending or beginning around transit, with large amounts of daily ridership.
Spademan said there is work to do in the neighborhood, including enforcing ridership rules in order to improve the relationship between Bird and the community.
“Complaints are going down each week in Queens because the rider behavior is getting better and our enforcement policies are going into effect,” he told QNS. Spademan added that Bird is happy to work directly with residents facing issues with e-scooters being parked on their premises.
Residents were straightforward with their pushback against the representatives’ statements.
“The complaints that have been reported to you are that [e-scooters] are strung around all over the place willy nilly, and we don’t want them in the community,” said Michael Scotland, an Addisleigh Park homeowner.
Carl Cunningham, a St. Albans resident, told QNS he is not completely opposed to the program, but more needs to be done to stop the e-scooters from being abandoned on the street and out of the hands of underaged riders. “They can’t be dropped off on any street, anywhere at any time,” he said. “A lot of the teenagers I’ve seen riding them don’t look 18 to me. They’re using an older brother or parent’s or somebody’s [ID] and they’re leaving them on driveways and the sidewalks.”
Albert Silvestri, Queens Deputy Borough DOT Commissioner, told the attendees that whoever’s information or ID was used to sign up for the e-scooter would be liable for any rider under 18 using the service. Riders must be 18 or older to use the e-scooters.
Many residents seemed perplexed as to why the expansion moved forward after it was voted down by community boards 12 and 13.
“I’m a property owner in Cambria Heights. We never wanted this. We voted against it in Community Board 13 and Community Board 12,” said James Johnson at the town hall meeting.
Queens is burning again: Lithium-ion is more lit than ever
Firefighters in Queens battled a two-alarm fire at a pair of commercial buildings early on Sunday morning where more than a dozen drums of highly flammable chemicals had been stored.
FDNY sources said the blaze broke out at about 12:56 a.m. on Aug. 25 inside 133-02 101st Ave. in South Richmond Hill, the location of an auto body shop, a tattoo parlor and a barber shop.
Members of Engine Company 302 and Ladder Company 126 first arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke and fire emanating from the basement. Firefighters worked quickly to break a hole through a floor to enter the basement and fight the flames
More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene. They deployed four hose lines to knock down the main body of fire. Both buildings were searched for possible victims, but none were found. One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated.
Exploding lithium-ion batteries are suspected to be the cause of a two-alarm fire that tore through a Richmond Hill bike shop Monday, March 13.
The fire broke out at the rear of The Kings Electric Scooter shop at 102-44 Jamaica Ave. just after 2:30 p.m., and firefighters quickly removed one electric scooter that had caught fire.
The flames spread to a second-story apartment but all occupants had been evacuated, according to the FDNY. The fire went to a second alarm at 2:49 p.m. bringing 108 firefighters and 25 units to the scene.
Between 85 to 100 e-bikes, scooters, and motorcycles were removed from the shop that had signs of fire damage. Firefighters were still trying to remove 20 or more e-bikes and scooters from the cellar.
A Hazmat unit arrived on the scene and was removing lithium-ion batteries from the vehicles. The fire was brought under control just at 3:29 p.m. and fire marshals will determine the cause of the blaze.
Correction: It was a garage unit around the corner of the shop on 87th avenue that they owned. I left a photo of former FDNY commissioner Laura Kavanagh there since she's responsible for undermining the threat of lithium ion battery cartridges during her 2 year reign of error and DEI influenced malfeasance.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
DOT will build new bike lanes for friends of Transportation Alternatives in Ridgewood
Protected bike lanes and built-out sidewalks are coming to Cypress Avenue to provide a safe connection to Highland Park on the Brooklyn-Queens border, where traffic going to and from the Jackie Robinson Parkway currently reigns.
The Department of Transportation plans to set up a two-way cycle path protected from traffic by jersey barriers along with new sidewalks between Cooper Avenue and Cypress Hills Street, according to a design presented to the local community board in June. The upgrades mean people on foot or bike won't need to dodge traffic coming off and on the Jackie Robinson Parkway to get to the park and nearby cemeteries, said one local advocate.
"This is like a win-win," said Bree Mobley, a volunteer organizer with Ridgewood Riders, a cycling group that has pushed for the upgrades for years. "Let’s make it happen, let’s get park access in the neighborhood."
Cypress Avenue is a steep, wide and busy thoroughfare sandwiched between cemeteries and full of heavy traffic from the nearby highway. Those dangerous conditions make it hard for people to get to Highland Park from Ridgewood and Bushwick, even though it's only a mile away, Mobley said.
"It’s not for the faint of heart," the safe streets advocate said. "People are zooming by you, 30-40 miles per hour. They don’t care, they’re just trying to get to the highway and get there as fast as they can."
The intersection of Cypress and Cooper avenues in particular is a well-known danger zone with a history of crashes.
Ridgewood Rides and advocates with Transportation Alternatives have gathered nearly 1,000 online signatures in support of safer access to the park.
They are crowing about a non story that they dropped the ball on 2 months ago. And they’re too dumb to notice that the map DOT provided is wrong. Also enjoyed the comment by Transportation Alternatives ally H2O that they think they’re going to get both a bus stop and Citibike station there.
And that map from the proposal is completely incorrect. There is NO protected bike lane along the Jackie. It's a shared sidewalk for cyclists and pedestrians. Internal park paths should not be portrayed as protected bike lanes as there are no vehicles to mix with.
There's also no sidewalk north of the Jackie, the cemeteries are not required to install them. So DOT is installing one, but most people who walk to Highland approach from the other way.Vermont Place sidewalk improvements would be welcome, but there still are like 4 on/off ramps for peds to cross to get to the reservoir entrance where these jerks want to divert the bus.
As for the H20 ally who posted this comment that got the traffic light wrong (de facto stewards in the area?), his name is Peter Frishauf, an Upper West Side millionaire donor to transportation alternatives and streetspac who practically ordered the DOT to reimagine a street with planters, paint and rocks that usurped parking spaces and mocked and 84-year-old woman who got arrested for protesting against it.
— Streetsblog New York (@StreetsblogNYC) October 16, 2023
One more thing
The department of transportation alternatives own data shows protected bike lanes don't really protect anyone. Especially cyclists.
Saturday, August 17, 2024
The 104 and the battle against real traffic violence
The NYPD 104th Precinct has towed 463 vehicles this year and expects to surpass that soon, according to Commanding Officer Captain Karam Chowdhury. Last year, they towed 553 vehicles, leaving them just 90 cars shy of last year’s total, making this year even more productive.
The NYPD’s 104th Precinct has towed 463 vehicles so far this year and expects to surpass last year’s total within the next few months, according to Commanding Officer Captain Karam Chowdhury.
Last year, the 104th Precinct, which serves Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village, towed 553 vehicles in total, Chowdhury shared exclusively with QNS.
Now just 90 vehicles shy of last year’s total, the precinct is on track to surpass that number, marking an even more productive year.
Notably, between Sunday, July 14, and Wednesday, Aug. 14, the precinct towed exactly 90 vehicles, Chowdhury noted.
Ongoing efforts to address residents’ quality-of-life concerns regarding illegally parked and derelict vehicles are what Chowdhury says keep the existing issues at bay.
“We want to make sure that people can park their vehicles instead of derelict vehicles or unregistered vehicles parking in the street,” Chowdhury said. “We just make sure that we do as much as we can to elevate [resident’s] parking issues. Especially in this neighborhood.”
Residents and elected officials’ attempts to have the 104 thwart the problem with derelict vehicles and illegally parked cars have also led to e-scooter confiscations.
As a whole, the precinct is up 110% in summonses directly co-related to e-scooters, Chowdhury added.
One example, shared early on Wednesday, Aug. 14, shows the precinct taking to social media to share at least six confiscations of more e-scooters in the area. Additional posts throughout the year also show officers with confiscated e-scooters, loading them into a larger truck to be hauled away.
Chowdhury, who took over command of the 104th Precinct towards the end of January this year, continues to grapple with the logistics of tackling 311 parking complaints with a limited amount of resources.
Regardless of the challenges and the thousands of 311 complaints overall, the CO says the issues will continue to be addressed.
“We take complaints, we try to gather information and try to see where our most complaints coming from,” Chowdhury said, “Then we target those locations, making sure that these cars are no longer in the street if it’s derelict, or not registered.”
DOT held pop-ups to pass Paseo Park funding
Want to be a part of planning the future of Paseo Park, the 26-block stretch of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights that has been transformed into a combination of limited-access roadway and car-free pedestrian plaza?
You’ve got your chance, at pop-up events being held by the Alliance for Paseo Park, which advocates for turning the hybrid corridor into a permanent linear park.
The next event is set for tonight, Aug. 15, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the corner of 34th Avenue and 86th Street. Following that is one on Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at the corner with 79th Street, next to the farmer’s market. Then there will be one Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the corner with 89th Street — that event will be held in Spanish.
More outreach is planned, including workshops that will be held by the city Department of Transportation, which led the first event on June 18. The DOT retains jurisdiction over 34th Avenue, though it coordinates with the Parks Department in places where programming and operations might overlap.
The transformation of the corridor began as an Open Streets project in the spring of 2020. Running 1.3 miles from 69th Street to Junction Boulevard, Paseo Park is the largest and most successful open street in the city, according to the Alliance. The city has allocated $88 million to transforming it.
“We are working on improvements to the existing design that will further enhance the quality of this public open space and the overall Open Street,” the DOT told the Chronicle via email. “We will monitor such upgrades and use them to inform the capital design.”
The Alliance uses more enthusiastic language.
“I grew up in this neighborhood without access to green space,” Luz Maria Mercado, the group’s board chair, said in a statement accompanying the announcement of the public engagement series. “I could only peek through the gates of the private co-op gardens. Green spaces should be for everyone. It’s crucial that we, as a community, lead this, by gathering as much feedback as possible from our neighbors, reaching every corner of our diverse community with a multi-lingual, multi-level approach.”
Jackson Heights has very little park space, and further transforming 34th Avenue would give it up to 7.5 acres, the group says.
The Alliance also recognizes that not everyone is on board with its dreams.
“We are committed to working together and building consensus with our neighbors, including those who may not share our vision,” Executive Director Dawn Siff said in her statement accompanying the announcement. “We believe good design can solve many people’s legitimate concerns and together we can create a space that prioritizes the safety, health and enjoyment of our community.”
Siff says turnout has been great at the Alliance’s events, as people are drawn in by the group’s bright green tent and large, interactive map — as well as coloring pages set out for the children.
“Most importantly, we are having more in-depth conversations with our neighbors and giving space to hear people’s ideas, hopes, questions and concerns,” she said in an email to the Chronicle.
Siff said that overwhelmingly, people are excited, with many wanting the avenue to be a park with green space and shade. Some are concerned that the existing layout is confusing and causes conflict among different users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists and kids on scooters. She noted that the design is temporary. There also are safety concerns because cars, mopeds and motorcycles still speed through even though the space is not supposed to be used as a through street anymore.
Usually at the DOT fake workshops with the public, they would have a half dozen interpreters to translate for them, so will this Spanish one have an English interpreter so locals who can make this one can know what's going on and what's being said?
They really want this 88 million dollars, which I think a chunk of it is going to Dawn's buddies WXY.
“The conversations are overwhelmingly positive, reflecting what we see each day, with the constant use of Paseo Park/34th Avenue for recreation, exercise, gathering, safe commuting and more,” Siff said, reiterating her belief that good design can address valid concerns people have. “This is why we’ve engaged WXY, to help surface these concerns and make recommendations about how they can be addressed.”
WXY Architecture + Urban Design is a firm dedicated to community-driven processes for planning public spaces.
Friday, August 16, 2024
Judge brings the noise back
A Queens Supreme Court judge officially dismissed one of several lawsuits brought against the operators of Forest Hills Stadium on Wednesday in a win for concertgoers.
At the end of 2023, Concerned Citizens of Forest Hills Inc. et al. vs. The West Side Tennis Club, which leases out the stadium, was filed in the Queens Supreme Court. Less than a year later, the judge found that the plaintiffs “failed to indicate that the harm is isolated to only them” and not the wider community.
Three named plaintiffs outlined significant and “unbearably loud” noise that travels from the stadium on concert nights into their homes on behalf of hundreds of residents. They say that for the last decade, they have struggled to relax at home due to the noise that exceeds the city’s noise code and continues past the 10 p.m. curfew.
Some residents supported the lawsuit’s call to cease concerts at the historic stadium in hopes of bringing back quiet to the residential neighborhood. However, in recent weeks, over 25,000 people signed a Change.org petition in support of the stadium and its benefits to the community.
In their request for the community’s support, organizers of the stadium called the lawsuit “frivolous” and defended themselves as good neighbors to local residents. The group responsible for bringing some of the top acts in music to Queens in the warmer months was glad to hear that the judge dismissed the suit.
“The entire Forest Hills Stadium team
is delighted and grateful to the court for today’s decision. We are
also heartened by the outpouring of love from the Forest Hills
community, our neighbors and the more than 25,000 people who have signed
a petition to support the Stadium,” read a statement from Akiva Shapiro
of Gibson Dunn, a law firm retained by the West Side Tennis Club.
Get him
Federal investigators hit Mayor Eric Adams, City Hall and his 2021 campaign with a fresh round of subpoenas in connection with the federal corruption probe into his campaign, according to published reports Thursday evening.
The three subpoenas, which were served in July, requested materials including text messages, other forms of communication and documents, reported New York Times, which broke the story along with the New York Post.
Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications, did not confirm the reports, instead referring an amNewYork Metro reporter to Boyd Johnson and Brendan McGuire, Adams’ legal counsel in the investigation.
McGuire, in a statement that a spokesperson provided, indicated that the Adams campaign is cooperating with the federal probe after conducting “our own investigation of the areas we understand the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been reviewing.”
“Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,” McGuire said. “To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the Mayor. To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the US Attorney. We continue to cooperate with the investigation and are in the process of responding to the recently issued subpoenas.”
Levy, in a statement, reiterated that the mayor is cooperating with federal investigators.
“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has been clear over the last nine months that he will cooperate with any investigation underway. Nothing has changed. He expects everyone to cooperate to swiftly bring this investigation to a close.”
The federal probe into Adams’ 2021 campaign first bursted into public view nine months ago when FBI agents raided the home of his former chief fundraiser: Brianna Suggs.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
The Fast And The Socialist
A far-left NYC councilwoman who ran for office on an anti-car-agenda and pushed a crackdown on dangerous driving is a road menace who’s racked up four speeding tickets in a little more than a year, The Post has learned.
Queens Democratic Socialist Tiffany Cabán was slapped with seven traffic tickets totaling $490 in fines and late fees since November 2022 — including four in the past 13 months for being caught on camera speeding in school zones, a review of city records shows.
The remaining summonses on the pol’s black Chevy Cruze include two for blocking fire hydrants, and another for parking in a “No Standing” zone.
New Yorkers are tired of the self-righteous, sanctimonious, anti-public safety elected officials who push their ‘do as I say, not as I do’ agendas, demanding we abandon our cars while they drive everywhere, and flout the very laws they impose on us,” said Councilman Robert Holden, a moderate Queens Dem.
“The hypocrisy and double standards of the left is truly astounding,” he added.
While campaigning for Council in 2021, Cabán advocated converting at least 25% of all city roadways “into space for people” as part of her New York-version of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stalled Green New Deal plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nationwide.
Cabán, who represents Astoria and nearby neighborhoods, called on the city during the campaign to create “1,000-lane miles” of permanent car-free “Open Streets,” 500 miles of dedicated bus-only lanes and 500 miles of new bike lanes.
“We can improve living conditions for [District 22] residents by improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, encouraging social and physical activity, and increasing accessibility through transit and biking upgrades,” said Cabán in campaign literature pushing the pie-in-the-sky plan.
It's really delish seeing Tiff get caught like this (check out those rims on her Cruze!). But what's even better is that only a few months ago she was helping the Department of Transportation Alternatives promote an expensive plan to redesign 31st ave in Astoria to ban vehicle traffic on some streets and make the entire stretch a freeway for ebikes.
Mayor Adams appoints another person with no firefighting experience to be FDNY commissioner
Security firm CEO Robert Tucker will be named the next commissioner of the FDNY on Monday, sources told The Post Sunday night.
Tucker, who leads security giant T&M as CEO and chairman, is expected to get the nod from Mayor Eric Adams to replace Laura Kavanagh after she stepped down earlier this month amid multiple controversies and tension with the department over her leadership.
Tucker, who was widely seen as a top contender for the job, also sits on the board of the FDNY Foundation and has long circled the FDNY during his career dating back decades, though he has never served as a firefighter.
He once described himself as a “fire buff” dating back to his childhood.
“When I was a young boy growing up in Manhattan, I was a fire buff,” Tucker said, according to a FDNY Foundation spotlight. “I used to chase fire engines on my bicycle. I had the opportunity to meet Commissioner [Joseph] Spinnato and I told him about my interest in the Department.”
Spinnato served as commissioner for the department for some of the 1980s.
As a teenager, he worked in the FDNY’s Manhattan Communications Office, which he called the “best job offer I would ever receive.”
A graduate of George Washington University and Pace University School of Law, Tucker worked as a special assistant to the Queens District Attorney’s Office for years before he joined T&M in 1999, according to the member spotlight.
The security firm has been in business since 1981 and focuses on providing integrated security, cyber, intelligence and investigative solutions, according to its website.
No one will ever be worse than Lithium-ion Laura but appointing a guy who's basically an FDNY groupie doesn't bode well for this town either. Tucker is the second guy who ran a security corporation Mayor Adams hired to lead a department. The other one being Phil Banks, although Adams made up a deputy mayor position and an office of public safety for him that which makes him a defacto police commissioner of the NYPD
Friday, August 9, 2024
Donnie and the City Of Yes gets fed their brunch
Donnie Rich made sure an elected official would not be seen making a case against the most dangerous housing plan ever concocted in New York City. But the woman here made the most of her opportunity to describe what a obligatory ruse this hearing was and what these officials are.Today, I testified before the Queens Borough President to make it clear that I am totally opposed to the City of Yes Housing Opportunity proposal. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/2WMeFNnwb2
— Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) August 8, 2024
I listened to the @QnsBPRichards’ public hearing today for the City of Yes. A solid 80%+ speakers are opposed to this plan. I hope @NYCMayor @NYCCouncil @NYCPlanning are taking note and reading the room.#NoToCityOfYes pic.twitter.com/rrwZprVvU4
— Jean (@queens_parents) August 8, 2024
Thursday, August 8, 2024
The City Of Yes always existed, it just needed a brand
Years before the City of Yes became a thing and an annoying catch phrase, the city already approved rezoning to build higher and denser in Jamaica. Like this block here on Waltham St between 97th and 95th avenues. One block away from the behemoth tower hyperdevelopment on Suthphin Blvd.
This is the little bit of housing NYC Planning, Mayor Adams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards wants in your neighborhoods and think this make rents trickle down all over the city.
Unfortunately for the rent-burdened and homeless, those trickle down rents will have to wait for this one since it's in a state of suspension.
Everything about the City Of Yes is a lie that's been told before for the last decade.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
City Of Yes time again
That process is running through Queens this week, as my office will be hosting a public hearing on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity on Thursday at 10am at Borough Hall — all are welcome to come testify.
— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) August 5, 2024
You can also testify via Zoom by clicking here: https://t.co/UQaGWeFruj https://t.co/ehfQ1BvSF7
QBP Donnie Richards (and all the yimby moles in his staff) decided to have his City of Yes public hearing at 10 a.m. when most of his constituents who are homeonwers like him will be at work. But you can make it on zoom via this link. Hope it gets lit up like the last one with NYC Planing Dirty Dan Garodnick. Maybe Don will allow clapping at this one.
Monday, August 5, 2024
Goth Barbie Dream House
This dreary little abode is located in hip Rockaway Beach and it is the most blackest house and pinkest scaffolding I've ever seen. It's also a year behind schedule.
It seems inspired partly by Spinal Tap's infamous "Smell The Glove" album and partly by The Hart Foundation. It would be cool if Bret had a vacation home here.
Sunday, August 4, 2024
The cops call it criminal mischief in Ozone Park too
Sam Esposito, the former president of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, has been arrested for allegedly ripping off out-of-state license plates from multiple cars, according to authorities.
Police from the 102nd Precinct arrested Esposito on Saturday, July 20, following a reported incident earlier in the week on Sunday, July 14, New York Court records show.
The complainant, Prakash Raghunauth, is one of the owners of the family-owned auto repair shop Ramesh and Son, located at 86-09 101st Ave. in Ozone Park. The repair shop has been criticized for having cars parked on the street outside, taking up parking spaces.
Raghunath said he reported the incident to the police after obtaining video footage from two nearby businesses of Esposito stealing the plates. The video appears to show Esposito ripping off license plates from the front of his shop and in front of a nearby gas station on Rockaway Boulevard this month.
Video footage obtained by QNS from the auto shop owner shows what appears to be Esposito in a silver van pulling up to cars parked near the shop and ripping off their license plates on multiple occasions.
Esposito has a long history of trying to get parked vehicles that are in derelict condition or unregistered off the streets of Ozone Park. He has been outspoken on the issue at both civic group meetings and on social media.
The OZPK civic leader, who admitted to QNS that he ripped off the plates, said he was only doing his civic duty and will continue to have cars towed from the area, regardless of any setbacks. He took the plates since vehicles without them are more likely to be towed.
Overall, he said he is not worried about the situation.
“People aren’t going to bully me
to stop doing the work that I do,” Esposito said, adding earlier that
thousands of illegal, derelict and unregistered cars are in Ozone Park
alone.
Queens is Burning: Seven homes destroyed from a massive fire in Queens Village
A massive fire ripped through Queens Saturday afternoon, injuring 14 people — including 11 firefighters — and damaging multiple buildings, leaving dozens of residents displaced, officials said.
The blaze began just after 4 p.m., at a two-story residence at 88-21 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens Village, before quickly soaring to five alarms and spreading to seven buildings, according to FDNY officials.
Over 200 firefighters, EMTs and paramedics responded to the fire, which was brought under control in about two hours, officials said.
This was a very fierce fire, and it spread to seven buildings and into the rear and garage area,” FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer said.
The majority suffered heat-related injuries and were taken to local area hospitals to be treated.
Dozens of people were estimated to have been displaced, said Frederic Klein, a spokesman with the Red Cross, which was on the scene aiding victims.
The organization said it had registered seven households — consisting of 22 adults and 10 children — for emergency assistance, including temporary lodging and financial assistance.
In an alley behind Francis Lewis Boulevard where residents parked their cars, at least three vehicles had been charred to a crisp.
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Minimal Transparency Agency
The group Passengers United has been making itself heard throughout the Queens bus redesign process, and the public hearing on July 24 was no exception.
Several members addressed officials of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the Borough Hall meeting, and they were clear about wanting plenty of changes to the amended proposal released last December [see separate story in some editions or at qchron.com].
The group also held a small protest at Borough Hall prior to the hearing, both calling on the MTA to reschedule the event and denouncing the bus plan as drawn up.
Queens Village resident Charlton D’souza, founder and president of the group, said during the hearing that there has been a lack of public input and transparency on the part of the MTA; and that the agency has reneged on promises to emphasize equity with necessary changes tailored to low-income communities and communities of color.
“The way this agency has treated us is disgraceful,” D’souza said. “If all of us right now, tomorrow, next week, we start protesting outside our elected officials’ offices saying we do not want the Queens bus redesign because equity was not even considered ...
“The whole plan, the way it’s been put out, you guys promised us a final plan before you implemented changes. But then you changed the game on us at the last minute and now you’re saying, ‘We’re going to release the plan after this public hearing.’ That is ridiculous. This is absurd.” He promised a civil suit.
As to the group’s preferences, a 21-page presentation of recommendations released on July 24 appeared to be a detailed extension of a letter Passengers United sent to Gov. Hochul dated July 9.
The report, online at passengersunited.org, calls for “serious revisions” to the bus plan.
Friday, August 2, 2024
MTA makes pregnant woman stand to guide commuters
@newyorkrealm MTA makes pregnant transit worker stand all day guiding commuters #NYC #Subway #MTA ♬ original sound - New York Realm
Congestion pricing will fix this.
The MTA sucks.
After the floods
The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) announced Wednesday, July 31, that they have started their planned $51.8 million infrastructure project in Rosedale.
The project, which the DDC is managing, will address reoccurring flooding in the flood-prone neighborhood, among other plans. Project highlights will include improved tap water distribution, reconstructed streets and new transportation improvements in the area. The projected completion date is scheduled for winter 2026.
The project will add 92 catch basins and upgrade or install nearly 1.5 miles of local storm sewers and over half a mile of sanitary sewers. The new catch basins will help to drain precipitation from the roadways, while 13 underground storm chambers will further boost water holding capacity.
About 2 miles of water mains will be upgraded from 6-8-inch cast iron pipes to more durable 8-12-inch ductile iron pipes. Additionally, 14 new fire hydrants will be added and 21 existing fire hydrants will be upgraded to guarantee firefighters’ access to the city’s water supply during emergencies.
Rosedale roadways and sidewalks will also receive a major fix. The project calls for the reconstruction of 36 blocks with new roadways and the replacement of over 4.5 miles of damaged and/or broken curbs. The city also plans to fix 4.5 acres of sidewalks. Additionally, 130 ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps will be constructed in the are
City Of No Vouchers
A Manhattan judge handed the Adams administration a major win on Thursday in its bitter feud with the City Council over controversial changes to a housing voucher program.
Mayor Eric Adams had vetoed the council’s expansion of the city’s rental-assistance program called CityFHEPS that would’ve fast tracked vouchers for tenants facing eviction — but lawmakers overrode the veto, then took him to court in an effort to force him to comply with the expansion.
But Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle E. Frank ruled only the state government has the authority to expand the voucher program in a ruling that Adams celebrated.
“While we are glad that the court agrees with our administration that these laws went beyond the City Council’s legislative authority, we are hopeful that our partners in the Council will join us in remaining committed to working to connect New Yorkers in need with safe, affordable, permanent housing,” Adams said in a written statement.
The City Council members disagree with the ruling and are planning an immediate appeal, a spokesperson said in a statement.
“It’s unfortunate that Mayor Adams’ administration has fought to delay help to New Yorkers that can prevent them from evictions and homelessness amidst a housing crisis,” the spokesperson said.
Lawmakers joined a class action lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Society and four other plaintiffs back in February that would have forced Adams to comply with the expanded CityFHEPS.
The new law would have made housing vouchers available for people facing eviction without having to enter the shelter system for at least 90 days, and it would have increased the income-level cutoffs to qualify for aid while barring landlords from deducting the cost of utility bills from a voucher.
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