Queens Crap

32nd Avenue floods because of bad paving

2012-01-28T00:54:00.000-05:00

"So - as predicted, we got flooded today on 32nd Avenue because of the poor paving job. This was just a light rain...imagine what's going to happen when we get some serious downpours."

Bedbugs found at high school

2012-01-28T00:50:00.000-05:00

Squatters causing a big problem on Park Lane South

2012-01-28T00:41:00.000-05:00

From the Queens Chronicle:

Drunk and noisy squatters residing in a house on Park Lane South in Richmond Hill have got to go, residents told police at the 102nd Precinct Community Council meeting last week.

Residents living near the problem house flocked to the meeting at Moose Hall in Richmond Hill to ask the police for help.

Resident Dan Seaman said squatters have illegally staked a claim on the house after it was foreclosed by HSBC Bank in 2009.

Seaman said he found out about the squatters last month, when he saw two police cars in front of the home.

He said police officers told him that a fight broke out when the squatters on the first floor tried to evict the squatters on the top floor.

Seaman said the squatters frequently yell, scream and have loud arguments in the middle of the night, disturbing the neighbors’ sleep. The resident alleged that some of the occupants are intoxicated and use drugs.

He contacted the city Buildings Department and called 311 about the squatters.

Receiving no response from the agencies, Seaman brought several of his neighbors with him to express their frustrations at the council meeting.

“It’s a very serious issue,” Seaman said.

Other neighbors said there were days when they could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the house.

Capt. Martin Briffa, the precinct’s executive officer, told Seaman that he would refer his drug complaint to the precinct’s narcotics unit for investigation. However, he said that he could take no police action on the trespass complaint since he would need the property owner to press charges against the squatters for the violation. Neither the owner of the property nor any representative has come forward, Briffa said.

Owner wants to demolish landmarked buildings

2012-01-28T00:31:00.000-05:00

From NY1:

The battle is raging over the landmark status of two buildings on the Upper East Side.

The buildings, both located on York Avenue between 64th and 65th streets, are part of the First Avenue Estates complex.

The owner, Stahl York Avenue, is trying to have that designation removed so they can be demolished.

The owner has filed a "hardship application" with the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, hoping to prove the buildings don't turn enough of a profit to merit landmark status.

Longtime residents are urging the commission to deny the owner's application.

Innocent mistake or intentional screwjob?

2012-01-28T00:26:00.000-05:00

From Bayside Patch:

When tax assessments of some Queens co-ops jumped as much as 147 percent last year, there was at first sticker shock.

The tax increases were so staggering that many hoped the figures were simple mistakes which could be corrected.

But no mistake was admitted by the Dept. of Finance until lawsuits were threatened against them, Freedom of Information disclosures were filed, and co-op presidents and local politicians went on a protest and press conference circuit that the press called a “tax revolt.”

A reason for the crushing overvaluations was finally given in April: a computer glitch. The Dept. of Finance offered to cap valuation increases at 50 percent, to be fazed into individual tax rates over five years.

But many found that reason to be outlandish. After reportedly dropping the excuse in media reports, and in an open hearing before the City Council, the DOF disavowed the explanation last week.

“Nothing failed,” said DOF Spokesman Owen Stone.

Illegal Bronx firetrap vacated

2012-01-27T00:50:00.000-05:00

From Eyewitness News:

"Tomorrow we can meet again, here again," said Manny Collado, the landlord.

And here was the landlord on Monday before the city carried out it's vacate order.

He was trying to get one of the tenants to work with him in a scheme to keep the city from shutting down his money-making fire trap.

What he didn't know is the tenant is working with Eyewitness News and wearing an undercover camera.

"If these people come by on Wednesday you show them, 'Listen I got a lease here bro, I don't know what you're talking about. This is my apartment I got a two year lease here,'" Collado said.

The landlord then instructs the tenant to lie to city officials by telling them the building is rented by one family and not illegally rented out as single rooms.

"Everybody there is family member. Everybody in that apartment is going to be family. They're my cousins, they live with me," Collado said.

Long abandoned lot in Corona

2012-01-27T00:40:00.000-05:00

Continuing in Corona...

This is 108-52 54th Avenue. What to say about this site? The project, whatever it was, has been abandoned for years. How many? Not sure. There were never any permits.

I checked aerial shots going back to 1996 and the site looked this way back then as well.

You'd think the DOB would do something more than just issue "failure to maintain" summonses to an owner that probably doesn't even exist anymore.

Northeastern Queens races may become free-for-alls

2012-01-27T00:34:00.001-05:00

From City and State:

Former Queens Sen. Frank Padavan is mulling a comeback in the northeast Queens district he narrowly lost to Sen. Tony Avella two years ago, sources said, but Queens Republicans are concerned the newly-redrawn district will not be favorable to a bid. Padavan’s name has risen as Republican City Councilman Dan Halloran has downplayed the idea of challenging Avella. Sources said Republicans are unlikely to do much through redistricting to make the district more conservative, and are largely focused on convincing another Republican councilman, Eric Ulrich, to run against Democratic Sen. Joe Addabbo in eastern Queens.

From City and State:

One race I’ve been following closely is the Democratic primary shaping up to take on colorful northeast Queens Councilman Dan Halloran. He may run for state Senate in 2012 against State Sen. Tony Avella if the redrawn district breaks the right way, though he’s recently thrown cold water on the idea. But assuming that Halloran isn’t a member of the state Senate by 2013, the Democratic primary to take him on could again get pretty messy, in what is a relatively conservative district by New York City standards.

In 2009, the Queens Democratic machine backed community board chair Jerry Iannece, and tried to force Paul Vallone, the brother of Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr., to drop out of the race, fearing Iannece and Vallone would split the Italian-American vote – and pave the way for a weaker general election candidate to emerge. Vallone refused to drop out, and that’s exactly what happened: Kevin Kim, a bright, young Korean-American lawyer, won the primary behind a huge turnout by Korean-American community in Flushing, but narrowly lost an extremely ethnically and religiously divisive general election contest to Halloran.

Fast forward to 2013. Kim has moved out of the district. Vallone wants to run again. Iannece is very interested. Matt Silverstein, a young state committeeman who is the former president of the New York State and Queens Young Democrats is already raising money. All of this threatens to again split the vote — and make anointing the strongest general election candidate a difficult task for the Queens Democrats.

Robert Tierney insults Broadway-Flushing

2012-01-27T00:23:00.000-05:00

Tierney letter to Avella re: B'Way-Flushing
"Based on the staff's review, the Commissioners' responses and my own review, considering the merits, staffing and priorities, I as the Chair, make the ultimate decision whether to bring a matter forward for formal consideration. In this case, and based on the review I described, I determined that it was unnecessary to further consider the proposal."

Allow me to translate. Bob basically just said that Mary Beth Betts nixed it off the bat, her biased analysis swayed the commissioners, and he only has staff available to push for "priorities" (i.e. anything in Manhattan and rowhouses in the outer boroughs).

As for Broadway-Flushing having been too altered to retain a "sense of place," there are SO many districts that have been adopted that have much less integrity than Broadway-Flushing, even after the last decade where they've had about 40 buildings demolished or altered (out of 1300).

Well, at least the great Democrat, Peter Koo, is happy.

You've most likely been gerrymandered

2012-01-27T00:19:00.001-05:00

Here are the proposed 2012 redistricting maps for the state offices. Notice how the lines were drawn so that Toby and Tony would have to compete against each other in a primary as well as Peralta and Gianaris.

Fun times.

Crazy Corona Crapitecture

2012-01-26T00:53:00.004-05:00

So I was walking down Roosevelt Avenue, going about my business, when this "house" caught my eye.

If you're saying to yourself, "That thing CAN'T be legal, rest assured, it's not!

I looked through all the info on DOB's site, and connected the following dots:
The owner of 108-41 Roosevelt Avenue applied for an alteration permit back in 2002. It was reissued in 2006. The permit was revoked in 2007 and a stop work order remains in effect.

So now you're saying, "But that house looks lived in." Why yes, it is - with no C of O because the SWO was never rescinded and the revoked permits were never reissued.

Basically, what we have here is an illegally built house with illegally rented units.

And when complaints about an illegal nightclub being run out of the basement were called in to DOB, they passed it off on the NYPD.

One of the more recent complaints from September 2011 still has not been addressed:

"THIS HOME HAS GUTTED OUT THE BASEMENT AND IS RENTED OUT FOR PARTIES. THIS IS USED AS AN ILLEGAL CLUB AND ABOUT 100 PEOPLE INCLUDING CHILDREN UNDER 12 ARE IN ATTENDANCE. THEY ALSO BRING ALCOHOL & MUSIC."

A similar complaint from earlier this month apparently means shady activity is still going on here.

Hey DOB: Call FDNY and have the place vacated and sealed already.

All this crap going on and I didn't even touch on the top floor of the house hanging over the driveway and the column of balconies in the shadow of the el...

Welcome to Queens!
(Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor; Helen Marshall, Borough President)

Public comment sought on City's wetlands policy

2012-01-26T00:44:00.000-05:00

From A Walk In the Park:

This draft wetlands strategy is written in accordance with Local Law 31 of 2009 (see Appendix C). Signed by Mayor Bloomberg on May 26, 2009, this law requires the City to create a strategy with the overall goals to conserve, protect, enhance, stabilize, restore, and expand wetlands and associated buffer areas in the city. The law also calls for a strategy to avoid and minimize wetlands losses and achieve no net loss of wetlands in the city; standardize and improve the management of wetlands and associated buffer areas; and balance the needs for wetlands protection with other, competing land uses that are in the public interest.

In particular, Local Law 31 and this draft wetlands strategy focus on the question of how to better protect small vulnerable wetlands parcels. New York City Wetlands: Regulatory Gaps and Other Threats found that existing Federal and State regulations protect New York City’s tidal wetlands and its large freshwater wetlands from threats related to land use and development. However, freshwater wetlands smaller than 12.4 acres are not protected by State law and are vulnerable to determinations that they are outside of the scope of Federal protection. This draft strategy advances the City’s understanding of the quantity and ownership of these vulnerable wetlands and proposes strategies that will enhance protection.

This draft wetlands strategy has been released to the public on January 18, 2012. The City will accept public comments on this draft strategy through February 18, 2012 at planyc@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Read More:

NEW YORK CITY WETLANDS STRATEGY DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Rockaway courthouse redevelopment

2012-01-26T00:34:00.000-05:00

From The Real Deal:

The New York City Economic Development Corporation issued a request for expressions of interest for the long-vacant Rockaway Courthouse in Queens, in the Hammels section of the Rockaways, according to a statement from the agency today.

The 24,000 square-foot limestone building is close to public transportation and was weather-proofed by the city in 2007, the statement said. The EDC is seeking innovative ideas for the reuse of the structure that are “compatible with the existing neighborhood,” and can “ultimately improve the overall quality of life for the community.”

The site is currently zoned R4-1, which allows for small residential and community uses. Any zoning changes, and the associated costs, would be the responsibility of the user, the statement said. The building is located at 90-01 Beach Channel Drive.

Missing girl returns home

2012-01-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

From Bayside Patch:

A nightmare scenario has come to an end for one Oakland Gardens family, as police say their 16-year-old daughter has turned up unharmed.

The NYPD issued an alert on Jan. 10, calling out for information about the wherabouts of the girl, Angela Zheng.

Zheng had left her home on 59th Avenue at 6:40 a.m. on Jan. 6, but did not go to school. Instead she headed to Astoria, where she stayed with a friend, according to a police source, who did not provide further information.

Helen confused about convention center

2012-01-26T00:16:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

Queens is the perfect place for not one but two convention centers, Borough President Helen Marshall said Tuesday.

At her annual State of the Borough speech, Marshall backed Gov. Cuomo’s proposal to build the nation’s largest convention center near the Aqueduct racino.

But she said the city should also continue an earlier plan to create a convention center as part of the Willets Point redevelopment.

“Let me be clear about the convention center at Willets Point,” said Marshall, to a crowd of more than 450 elected officials and community leaders at Queens College. “It is meant to complement the Javits Convention Center. And now it can complement the convention center at Aqueduct.”

Actually, the governor said the Aqueduct convention center would replace the Javits Center so the state could sell the Manhattan site to developers.

7 train tunnel to west side delayed

2012-01-25T00:42:00.000-05:00

From AM-NY:

The extension of the No. 7 train to the Far West Side of Manhattan could be months behind schedule, the MTA official overseeing the project said Monday.

Problems have slowed down the project to extend the line to 34th Street and 11th Avenue from its current endpoint of Times Square, MTA capital construction president Michael Horodniceanu said during the agency’s transit committee meeting yesterday.

Although the MTA had previously promised that straphangers could ride to the new stop by December 2013, Horodniceanu said “there is a risk” riders won’t be able to use it for an extra “two or three months.”

The unspecified problems, Horodniceanu said, “pushed us a bit behind… We are working to try to resolve them.” He said he wouldn’t know the extent of the delays until next month.

The city is paying for the $2.1 billion subway extension, as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s effort to improve business on the West Side. A spokesman for the mayor did not comment Monday night on the delay.

Addabbo wants to raise gambling age

2012-01-25T00:38:00.000-05:00

From AM-NY:

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. said Monday he's promoting a push to raise the gambling age to 21 from 18 as part of any legislative effort to legalize full casino gaming in the state.

Resorts World New York, a racino at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Addabbo's district, could one day become a Las Vegas-style casino with Albany's consent.

Addabbo said he wants to raise awareness "to avoid youthful gambling addictions."

Exploring Floyd Bennett Field

2012-01-25T00:34:00.000-05:00

From Scouting NY:

Before LaGuardia and JFK, Floyd Bennett Field was New York City’s first airport, at a time when nearly all air traffic was based out of Newark.

Great photo tour!

3 WTC may not rise that high

2012-01-25T00:30:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

A soaring skyscraper planned for the World Trade Center site may shrink to a measley seven stories.

Developer Larry Silverstein’s 3 World Trade Center office tower was supposed to rise to 80 stories — but he’s planning to turn the tower into a teeny low-rise if he can’t find a big-time tenant, Crain’s New York reported.

The building is under construction and was supposed to be done by 2015, but Silverstein has had no luck landing a major company to fill the office space — and tweaks have already been made to allow the tower to be capped by the end of the year at less than a tenth of its intended size.

The stunted tower would be filled up with retail stores, according to Crain’s.

New Yorkers around the site Sunday said it would be an embarrassment if the site couldn’t support a building of suitable stature.

Hard to make a connection

2012-01-25T00:09:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

The city could be building a bridge to nowhere, thanks to a muddled South Bronx land deal.

The Randalls Island Connector, a planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge, will eventually span the Bronx Kill, a narrow waterway separating the South Bronx from public ball fields and green space on Randalls Island.

But land between the bridge and the South Bronx street grid is controlled by a private company, Harlem River Yards Ventures. The New York City Economic Development Corp. needs an easement so it can build a path from the bridge to E. 132nd St.

The EDC and HRYV have worked together on the project for years and now that the city is ready to start bridge construction, it has made the company an easement offer. But no deal has been struck and now the project is in doubt, sources said.

The Connector will link the South Bronx to a greenway network that stretches from Randalls Island to Astoria, Queens and East Harlem.

Terrorism vs. suicide vs. insanity in Ozone Park explosion

2012-01-24T00:54:00.002-05:00

From DNA Info:

A man apparently making low-grade pipe bombs with powder from fireworks blew himself up inside his Queens home Monday morning, sources said.

Theodore Ellinghaus, 50, ignited the blast on 111th Avenue in Ozone Park just before 9:30 a.m. and the explosion blew him apart, a source said. He was dead by the time paramedics arrived.

Investigators are looking into whether he was building bombs as part of a dispute with a former employer, a construction company. A police source described Ellinghaus as an "emotionally disturbed person."

From the NY Post:

A Queens man was killed after a powerful firecracker exploded in his home this morning, and law-enforcement sources said cops are looking into whether he may have committed suicide with it.

The 50-year-old man was clutching the M80 near his waist in the hallway of his Ozone Park home when it went off at 9:28 a.m., police said.

The explosion ripped off two fingers from his hand and tore a hole through his stomach, leaving his organs exposed, sources said.

Horrified relatives, who were at the 111th Avenue house at the time of the incident, made the grisly discovery.

Police are investigating whether the victim, who recently told neighbors he was suffering from depression, had decided to kill himself with the firecracker.

Crime up in casino precinct

2012-01-24T00:46:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

Crime has gone up in the Queens precinct that covers the glittering new racino at Aqueduct, The Post has learned.

It’s unclear to what, if any, extent the gambling operation can be tied to the spurt of petit larcenies and misdemeanor assaults in the 106th Precinct, which covers South Ozone Park.

In November, the first month since the casino opened, petit larcenies in the precinct rose 53.3 percent to 92, from 60 in the same month in 2010.

There were 41 misdemeanor assaults, compared with 26 in November 2010, a 57.7 percent increase.

In December, petit larcenies went up 8.2 percent compared with December 2010, and misdemeanor assaults were up 31 percent.

During the months immediately before the casino opened, the two quality-of-life crimes had been trending downward.

It’s not clear how many crimes occurred on casino property — but there were at least three: a car was stolen from a parking lot; a dropped wallet was snatched in the racino by a patron; and one gambler tried to use a counterfeit bill in a slot machine.

Van Bramer wants to spend $250K on yuppie shuttle

2012-01-24T00:34:00.001-05:00

From CBS New York:

The MTA is facing some backlash for rejecting a plan that might have eased weekend disruptions on the 7 line.

Plenty of commuters have voiced their complaints regarding the fact that the 7 Train will be screeching to a halt every week through April.

“Most of my friends live in Manhattan, so it’s making me spend more in cab fare to get in and out of the city. The next 11 weekends I have plans almost every weekend in Manhattan, so it’s going to cost me a lot more money, or a lot more time to get in,” Catherine Hart, of Long Island City, told CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider.

Queens City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer decided to take action and said he got approval to use $250,000 in city funds to pay for a shuttle bus from Vernon Boulevard Station to Grand Central.

“I said let’s talk about alternatives. Let’s think out of the box. The community has been asking for a shuttle bus service,” he told Schneider.

However, the MTA said no thanks and came up with its own plan.

Some people, however, do agree with the MTA. They wonder if it’s worth it to spend $250,000 in tax payer dollars for a non-essential shuttle bus to Grand Central.

Central Library gets upgraded

2012-01-24T00:18:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

When it opened more than 45 years ago, the Queens Central Library in Jamaica was touted as a state-of-the art facility, offering the latest in customer convenience and library research.

But the traditional stacks of books and rows of tables and chairs are now being replaced with plush seating and computers as the library embarks on its largest and most ambitious renovation to date.

“Libraries are no longer just places to sit and do research, they are places to go,” said Queens Library CEO Thomas Galante.

Galante and City Councilman Leroy Comrie celebrated the latest phase of the library’s transformation on Thursday when they officially opened its expanded and revamped Cyber Center.

The center has 72 computer workstations, printers and a scanner.

A long line of customers waiting to use the computers grew during the short ceremony - an example of the vital role they now serve in libraries.

Use of the computers is free for anyone with a Queens Library Card.

What exactly does GJDC do anyway?

2012-01-24T00:12:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

It rakes in millions in taxpayer money, pays its executives handsomely, and likes to tout its grand visions.

But critics and business owners say that in the 45 years the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. has existed, it’s done little to further its single mission: Make Jamaica, Queens, a better place to work and live.

The nonprofit’s latest plan is a $25 million project to widen a road and create a public plaza. To do it, GJDC asked the city’s help to evict more than a dozen small businesses and several apartment dwellers — the exact groups the organization is supposed to help.

Carol Radin is fuming over the impending loss of her property at Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue, which includes three apartments, retail shops and office space. She has operated businesses at the corner since 1960.

Greater Jamaica, formed in 1967 to revitalize the struggling Queens business district, has reaped a windfall of public money from its allies, including embattled Rep. Gregory Meeks, but its track record is disputed.

Graffiti victim has the perps on tape

2012-01-23T00:49:00.001-05:00

From the Times Ledger:

A Whitestone business owner has surveillance footage of two graffiti vandals damaging his property, but instead of calling police he is hoping the young men turn themselves in — or someone does it for them.

Anthony Cammarata, whose family runs a Venezia Tile store, has footage of two young men spray painting his truck, the outer wall of his business and the security gate of a neighboring business at around 4:40 a.m. New Year’s Day. He is offering $100 to anyone who can bring in the vandals responsible and make them clean off the paint.

“These guys forgot to look up,” he said, referring to the multiple security cameras he installed on the top of his building.

“Eventually we will go to the police, but we are giving them a chance to make this right,” Cammarata said. “I just want them to come clean this up and hopefully learn not to damage someone else’s property.”

The family tile business has operated in Whitestone since 1990. And since Cammarata grew up and now works in the neighborhood, he has made a lot of friends and knows a lot of the neighborhood kids.

“I know all the kids around here,” he said. “I will find them. It’s just a matter of time.”

Millions in fines owed for illegal billboards

2012-01-23T00:47:00.000-05:00

From Eyewitness News:

It's been a week since a giant illegal billboard collapsed on the BQE.

Since then, an Eyewitness News investigation has discovered illegal billboards are everywhere and the companies that own them owe the city millions in unpaid fines.

When the illegal billboard came crashing down in strong winds on the BQE, Brooklyn City Council woman Letitia James got caught in the ensuing gridlock.

It gave her time to think about the years she spent trying to rid the city of these illegal signs.

"Some of these are major businesses and they've been put on notice time and time again," James said.

Mogul Media owned the collapsed billboard.

Eyewitness News checked Department of Building records and found Mogul has at least three other illegal signs for which it still owes the city $40,000.

But that's nothing compared to other billboard companies.

Vallone has raised the most money

2012-01-23T00:36:00.002-05:00

From the Daily News:

When it comes to campaign war chests, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. is the king of Queens.

Vallone has more than $850,000 on hand, more than any other member of the Council’s Queens delegation, according to recent filings with the city Campaign Finance Board.

“I’m humbled to have so much support that I’m already fully funded for a Queens-wide primary,” Vallone said on Wednesday.

Vallone, whose father was the first City Council Speaker, said he has been “seriously considering” running for Queens Borough President in 2013.

So Vallone wants to be Borough President. Or does he?

Expect a very Astoria-centric presidency if this dude becomes BP. And take a look at what that nabe looks like after decades of Vallones...

EDC & Parks officials accepted bribes; bribemaker in the clear

2012-01-23T00:11:00.002-05:00

From the NY World:

Free dinners, free luncheons and barbecues, even a free $4,000 honeymoon in Istanbul – three city officials overseeing construction of Manhattan’s High Line received these and more from the chief contractor on the project. The company, Kiska Construction Corporation, had more than $60 million in contracts with the city’s Economic Development Corporation to “pretty much build 75 percent of the High Line,” Kiska vice president Alp Baysal told The New York World, “from the structure holding it all up to the finishing touches on the rails.”

In 2008, the officials who took those goodies from Kiska received something else in addition to full stomachs and a hotel room: thousands of dollars in fines from the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB).

City employees are barred from receiving gifts in excess of $50. Yet the arm of the city’s ethics law does not reach to private citizens, developers, contractors and companies, like Kiska, which repeatedly induce city officials to commit ethics violations. Kiska continues to be eligible to serve as a contractor on city projects, including the future third phase of the High Line, to be built north of 30th Street. Planning for that final section of the elevated park is now underway.

Journalism school students 1, Mainstream Media 0. (Too busy rewriting Bloomberg administration press releases.) But next time, name names. Allow me to assist this time:

Michael Bradley

Leonard Greco

Nazir Mir

Info comes from New York Law School

Kelly tells cops to take reports

2012-01-23T00:04:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly laid down the law to the NYPD: Make it easier for New Yorkers to report crimes and make each one of them count.

In a memo issued last week and obtained by the Daily News, Kelly provided a veritable ‘Policing 101’ refresher.

The operational order spells out in painstaking detail the steps cops are supposed to take when someone wants to report a crime. It also warns cops to eliminate excuses for not taking complaints from victims.

Police officers were told to take reports even if:

- The victim can’t identify the suspect.

- Someone can’t provide a receipt for stolen items.

- The victim refuses to view photographs.

- The complainant won’t speak with detectives.

- The victim doesn’t want to prosecute an offender.

The memo urges police officers not to refer crime victims to another precinct if the crimes didn’t happen in their command. And Kelly reminds cops not to tell people to return to crime scenes and call 911 after they’ve come to a police station to report a crime.

The operations order issued on Tuesday comes, as the NYPD and others are investigating claims that police officers — under pressure to make the city appear safer — are fudging stats or making it difficult for people to report crimes.

Jackson Heights merchants to rally against plaza

2012-01-22T00:59:00.001-05:00

From the Daily News:

South Asian merchants in Jackson Heights are riled up over an award-winning pedestrian plaza that they claim is undermining their struggling businesses.

They plan to rally on Sunday for the removal of the square on 37th Rd., between 73rd and 74th Sts., in the heart of Queens’ once-bustling Little India. The area is famous for its South Asian grocery, jewelry and clothing shops.

“Customers come from tri-state [area]... to Jackson Heights to shop,” said rally organizer Rashid Mohammad. But “the traffic has been made so complicated and so many traffic tickets have been issued that people do not like to come [anymore].”

The plaza was created last fall following a three-year Jackson Heights transportation study conducted by the city. The project received strong support from the community, prominent local organizations and was backed by City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights).

But Razi Ahmed, who plans to open a South Asian supermarket and food court in the former Eagle Theater, said local merchants were unaware of the plan.

“I’m really scared now,” said Ahmed, who plans to open the grocery within two months. “All the businesses are dying.”

“It used to be hustle and bustle,” he said. “Now it’s nothing.”

Shiv Dass, president of the Jackson Heights Indian Merchants Association, said the pedestrian zone led to the loss of about 20 parking spaces — another headache for out-of-state drivers coming into a neighborhood known for its lack of spots.

Dass voted in favor of creating the plaza at a Community Board 3 meeting last year but has since changed his mind.

“The place looks like a graveyard. There’s nobody sitting there,” he said. “Garbage is piling up. ... The homeless people are there.”

Avella OK with College Point spa

2012-01-22T00:44:00.000-05:00

From the Times Ledger:

The man who wants to open a new spa in the College Point Corporate Park got the backing of state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) last week, and the lawmaker questioned why the proposal was ever denied by both Community Board 7 and the borough president in the first place.

“I thought it was a good idea to begin with, and now having met with you and seeing the plans I still think it’s a good idea,” Avella said, speaking at a sit-down with property owner Kwang Nam Park and representatives from the Korean community. “I do not agree with the community board’s report nor do I agree with the borough president’s report.”

The meeting took place last Thursday at 131-23 31st Ave., currently a two-story warehouse and office space the owner would like to see turned into New York Spa of College Point.

Last month, Borough President Helen Marshall also recommended that the application should be denied, citing parking issues.

But Avella said recommending to deny the spa’s application after approving another gigantic development nearby makes no sense.

In 2009, the borough president and community board voted to approve plans for a $1 billion NYPD cadet training facility, which will sit on 35 acres of land and house 2,000 parking spaces when complete.

“I don’t see how the borough president could approve something like that and not approve a small business like you,” he said to the group. “I think BSA will approve this.”

Community board member resigns over pledge

2012-01-22T00:39:00.001-05:00

From the Times Ledger:

Right after Community Board 4 said the Pledge of Allegiance before its monthly meeting in Corona last week, a longtime member announced he would be stepping down because two other members would not salute the flag.

Nicolas Pennachio, who said he had been on the board for 24 years, prefaced his announcement by describing watching U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head by a would-be assassin Jan. 8 last year and has since undergone extensive speech therapy, lead the Pledge of Allegiance with the help of her husband Mark Kelly.

After that he said he was resigning due to other members declining to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

“How can they in fairness vote for the issues brought before our democratic, American board if they feel uncomfortable and doubt whether the pledge is warranted?” Pennachio asked.

The decision took some of Pennachio’s fellow board members by surprise. Many wished him well at the end of the meeting and a man who was planning to join the board ended up withdrawing his application due to Pennachio’s resignation.

Andrew still thinks convention center will fly

2012-01-22T00:28:00.001-05:00

From the NY Times:

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, stung by widespread doubts about his support for the privately financed construction of the country’s largest convention center at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens, offered a full-throated defense of the proposal on Thursday, saying the only cost to the state if the project failed would be “an empty building.”

Dismissing concerns about the weak economic health of the convention business, Mr. Cuomo promised that the Queens project would “cost the State of New York bubkes,” while freeing up for development the valuable land underneath the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

In an interview with editors and writers for The New York Times, Mr. Cuomo sounded frustrated about the skeptical reaction to the convention center idea, which he proposed during his State of the State address on Jan. 4. He said the proposed development — which would include hotels, restaurants and expanded gambling, as well as the convention center — combined with the redevelopment of Manhattan’s Far West Side, would generate jobs and significant tax revenues. And he voiced confidence in Genting, the Malaysian company that runs a gambling hall at Aqueduct and proposes to spend $4 billion on the convention center.

Mr. Cuomo dismissed concerns about its distance from Manhattan attractions. He said the complex would attract “more of a mass, blue-collar clientele that probably wouldn’t be going to the Broadway shows anyway,” and said many of those who patronized the convention center would be arriving by plane.

At times, Mr. Cuomo seemed to distance himself from the entire matter, saying that if he had been governor in an earlier time, he would not have supported allowing gambling parlors at racetracks, or casinos on Indian reservations, but noting that those forms of gambling already exist in New York. And insisting that taxpayers have no risk in the project, he said, “If we were investing money that we could lose, this could be a problem.”

Property taxes increased again

2012-01-22T00:11:00.001-05:00

From the NY Post:

Here we go again! Big Apple property owners will be hit with higher tax bills on July 1, after the city raised the assessment rolls yesterday.

In what is almost an annual event, the Finance Department reported that the total market value for property — from one-family homes to office towers — rose an average 3.8 percent to $845.4 billion.

But the bad news is that rising property values means higher tax bills.

Even though tax rates haven’t changed, a single-family homeowner will have to cough up another 2.9 percent in property taxes, bringing the average bill to $4,084.

For co-op owners, the average bill will increase 4.8 percent to $5,840.

Tax bills to condo owners will inch up 1.9 percent to an average of $7,289.

But some property owners will see their bills skyrocket far beyond the average hikes because city assessors determined that changes ranging from renovations to rising rents affected the property value.

No booze for you!

2012-01-21T00:55:00.000-05:00

From CBS New York:

The New York State Liquor Authority has confirmed to 1010 WINS that it has denied a controversial liquor license to a proposed Long Island City strip club.

Last week, local politicians and community activists mounted an effort to block a request by the Gypsy Rose on 21st Street to have its liquor license renewed.

Had the license been approved, the Gypsy Rose — which is located near the southern side of the Queensboro Bridge — would have opened its doors to the public.

New parking regulations adopted by Council

2012-01-21T00:46:00.000-05:00

From NY1:

The City Council on Wednesday approved three bills aimed at making parking in the city a little easier.

The Fair Parking Legislative package curbs excessive ticketing and regulates parking enforcement.

Under the new legislation, drivers who get tickets while paying at Muni-Meter machines will have their tickets cancelled on the spot.

Traffic enforcement agents will be equipped with electronic devices and be required to wipe the tickets immediately.

There's also a late fee freeze on tickets until at least 30 days after a driver is found guilty of a violation, or after their appeal is decided.

Under the current law, late fees begin to pile up 30 days after the ticket is given.

The package also puts an end to stickers posted on cars allegedly violating alternate side parking rules.

The City Council argued the stickers are excessive when tickets are also issued.

Dirty pols use campaign funds for defense

2012-01-21T00:41:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

When some New York politicians find themselves facing corruption charges, they don’t have to worry about how to pay for a high-priced defense attorney — because they know they can just open up their campaign checkbooks.

Just ask Carl Kruger.

The admitted crook nearly drained his entire campaign war chest trying to save his hide — dropping $1.42 million in campaign funds on big shot criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman, according to the latest state campaign finance filings.

State elected officials by law are not supposed to use campaign cash for purposes “unrelated to a political campaign or the holding of a public office or party position.”

But the state has allowed them to spend it on criminal defense lawyers — a legal interpretation that perverts a donor’s intent when they write a check for campaign dough, argued Susan Lerner, director of the nonpartisan watchdog group, Common Cause/New York.

“When contributors give to a candidate, they want to support the candidate in his election campaign — not pay for his defense against fraud charges,” she charged.

Other states require candidates to form defense committees, making clear to donors where their money will end up.

Tweeding pays off for Vito's pal

2012-01-21T00:22:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

The departing director of the politically connected Ridgewood Bushwick social-services empire founded by Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez will be collecting up to $135,000 in unused sick time and vacation pay, The Post has learned.

The city ordered Christiana Fisher booted after the Department of Investigation found she had collected questionable “retroactive” pay that boosted her compensation to $782,000 in fiscal year 2009. Her 2008 salary was $336,000.

As part of the deal, Fisher was allowed to serve as an unpaid consultant to new CEO James Cameron and cash in sick and vacation time accumulated over a 38-year career up to a maximum of $135,000.

Cameron had been serving as the chief operating officer of Ridgewood Bushwick for the last 18 months.

Celebrating Rickert-Finlay

2012-01-21T00:18:00.000-05:00

From Douglaston Patch:

Those who live in Douglas Manor have likely heard the names Rickert-Finlay many times before.

But anyone who doesn't call the peninsula formerly know as Little Neck home will likely be unfamiliar with the work of the Manhattan-based real estate developer that forever changed the landscape of northeast Queens.

Still, just driving around the meandering country roads of Douglaston, which trace the natural contours of the area, it's hard not to appreciate the forethought of Rickert Finlay and Company, the oft-overlooked planners of the Manor.

That's because in an era long before New York City zoning laws, the forward thinking Manhattan-based real estate development company had the foresight to purchase the 175-acre peninsula from William Douglas's estate and develop it in such a way to ensure that each plot sold would carry with it a set of restrictive covenants in perpetuity.

And in doing so, they ultimately preserved the architectural aesthetic of Douglaston's suburban transition in the early 1900s. Today it is a vital study of early 20th century architecture.

DOT contractors do sloppy street paving job

2012-01-20T00:54:00.001-05:00

Freshly paved 32nd Avenue in Flushing...

LPC a day late and a dollar short

2012-01-20T00:48:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday took emergency action to block a landlord from adding a rooftop pad to a 165-year-old building on a classic row-house block off Tompkins Square Park.

Too bad the move came several hours after the city Buildings Department had already approved a permit for the East Village project.

"[The LPC] dropped the ball," lamented Andrew Berman, of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

At issue was a well-kept, $3 million-plus, four-story town home at 315 E. 10th St.

When landlord Ben Shaoul filed for a fifth-floor addition last month, preservationists sought historic status for the block to prevent it.

The LPC had 40 days to act before a permit could be issued. That deadline ended Friday.

The LPC had said yesterday’s hearing date was the earliest it could squeeze into its schedule.

A little asbestos never hurt anyone...

2012-01-20T00:42:00.001-05:00

From the Forum:

Residents around an abandoned factory in Glendale say unsafe, un-permitted demolition is spilling over their fences and terrorizing them through nights, weekends and holidays.

For years, the industrial building at 70-20 67th Place sat fallow, but since November, it’s a hive of illicit construction activity, said Gary Jannazzo,who lives adjacent to the property.

Workers have already ripped off the building’s roof and are moving on to windows, all the while dumping debris straight off the roof and over fences and allowing dust, noise and particles to swirl, Jannazzo said.

On Jan. 11, Jannazzo and his next-door neighbor were at Community Board 5, making an open cry for assistance.

“We need help,” he said. “For weeks I can’t open my windows; my kids can’t play in the yard. I’m afraid that they’re going to be breathing in all this junk that they’re throwing off these buildings.”

Jannazzo works in the building industry in Manhattan,and his immediate concern was asbestoscoming out of this decade-sold building without proper abatement.

CB 5 has been aware of the building since 2003,when the board protested an application for constructionon the site, Vincent Arcuri, CB 5 chair,said. But in late November, Arcuri and the board got involved again.

CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano and Arcuri observed workers violate a stop-work order from the Department of EnvironmentalProtection when CB 5 brought up concerns about asbestos.

When confronted by a DEP representative,workers harassed the inspector to the pointpolice had to be called and force work to stop,Arcuri said. But it didn’t last.

Koo flying the GOP coop!

2012-01-20T00:13:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times:

Peter Koo, one of only five Republicans on the 51-member City Council, is set to announce early next week that he will switch parties to become a Democrat, according to people briefed on the decision.

Mr. Koo was elected in 2009 from the Queens district previously represented by John C. Liu, a Democrat who is now the New York City comptroller. His election came as a bit of a surprise — at least to people who live outside Flushing — because the district is strongly Democratic. But Mr. Koo, who spent more than $277,000 of his own money and received the endorsement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, is a well-known community leader and has been called “mayor of Flushing” by some.

Mr. Koo has also been a strong supporter of Mr. Liu, who is considering a run for mayor, and was listed as a bundler of donations in Mr. Liu’s recent campaign finance filing — though for a relatively small amount: $7,200.

There were differing accounts, from people familiar with his decision, about his motivation. Some said that he did not feel appreciated by the Queens Republican party and that infighting in the county organization had made him increasingly uncomfortable. One person who had been briefed on his decision said Mr. Koo believed that as a Democrat, he could get more city money for his district, could increase his odds of becoming a Council committee chairman and could do more to support aspiring Asian-American politicians in the city.

No, it's because there's no competition if he runs as a Democrat. You need that spelled out for you?

Vallone trashes garbage slob

2012-01-20T00:02:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

A fed-up councilman from Astoria dug through a city trash can yesterday to find out who illegally dumped personal garbage into a municipal receptacle — and vowed the “pig” would get fined.

“What kind of pig does this? Stuffs up the small opening of a public trash can with a bag of your personal home trash?” Councilman Peter Vallone fumed on his Facebook page.

After digging through the trash in a can near the Astoria Boulevard stop on the N and Q lines, Vallone ID’d its source — as Konstantinos Sidiroglou, who lives on 24th Street.

“Hey Konstantinos,” Vallone wrote. “You left your Victoria’s Secret catalogue in there ... Expect a visit from Sanitation to your pigsty.”

Sidiroglou said he knew nothing of Vallone’s discovery — and couldn’t care less.

“I was out this morning, I had some garbage in my car and I thought I’d throw it out,” he said. “And that’s it. I don’t care. It’s fine. It’s fine. This is all fine!”

And it will be a fine. Dumping household trash in a city garbage can is punishable by a $100 ticket.

Illegal Queens restaurants profiled on TV

2012-01-19T00:24:00.000-05:00

From JamieOliver.com

This episode of Jamie's American Roadtrip takes Jamie to New York City, only this time he's trading the upscale restaurants and neighbourhoods he's used to for an apartment in one of the world's most ethnically diverse areas: Queens. From his new home Jamie explores some of the food being cooked by New York's immigrant communities: Egyptian, Peruvian and Chinese.

Jamie uncovers things he's never imagined like an illegal restaurant run in a family's living room and an anti-restaurant scene. The people who run these "supper clubs" open their homes to strangers and feed them restaurant-quality meals, without the inflated prices and hurried service. After discovering this new side to the city he's known for years, Jamie is inspired to hold his own supper club.

And there's a bonus...a guy who feeds illegal aliens out of the goodness of his heart!

Liu's fundraising way down

2012-01-19T00:20:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times:

The New York City comptroller, John C. Liu, reported a sharp drop in his campaign donations on Tuesday, providing the clearest indication yet that his aspirations for the mayor’s office have been hurt by a federal investigation into his fund-raising practices.

After raising $1 million in the first half of 2011 and outpacing his leading rivals for the Democratic nomination, Mr. Liu collected $517,000 in the second half, trailing everyone except Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, who has already amassed the maximum for candidates accepting public money.

Mr. Liu also spent $325,000 in the second half of 2011 — more than six times what he spent in the first — with roughly two-thirds devoted to legal and other expenses related to the investigation.

Mr. Liu’s cash on hand — $1.6 million — remains significant. But in a reminder of just how much has changed since the filings in July, Mr. Liu also ended months of resistance on Tuesday and released the names of 59 bundlers who had solicited contributions for his campaign from friends, relatives, co-workers and others.

OWS occupies owned house

2012-01-19T00:16:00.000-05:00

From WPIX:

Wise Ahadzi said he tried to negotiate with the bank to salvage the house he bought in 2007 for $424, 500, but he was forced to foreclose on the home in 2009, the year he lost his job and stopped making timely, mortgage payments. "I have everything still in there," Ahahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifdzi told PIX, "my bed, my dressers."

Last month, on December 6th, activist, Alfredo Carrasquillo, his wife, and two young children were greeted with great fanfare, as they announced they were moving into the house at 702 Vermont, with signs outside saying, "Foreclose on banks, not people." Ahadzi said he ran over to the home during the rally, asking for help to regain the house, and organizers said they would try to work with him. Carrasquillo, who works for a non-profit called VOCAL-NY, told PIX "We had no idea of the prior owner's history." Carrasquillo said the East New York community was happy to see him arrive, because the Ahadzi house had been vacant for several years, and "people were complaining of illegal activity in the house. We thought we were helping the community." Ahadzi, it turned out, had been forced to move to his brother's basement about a mile away, before he found a two-bedroom apartment in Brownsville for himself and his two daughters, ages 3 and 10.

Ahadzi said he was shocked when he toured the house. "When I went inside, I saw all the walls had been taken down!" The group told him this was because there was dangerous mold on the walls. And now, it turns out, the homeless family that was applauded last month, for finally finding "a place to call home", is not living at 702 Vermont! The father, Alfredo Carrasquillo, told PIX he stays there most nights, but there was a problem with renovations, "so due to that, I didn't feel it was a save environment for my children to live there permanently."

On Monday night, Wise Ahadzi was returning from a trip upstate with his daughters, wishing the Occupy movement would put its energies behind him. The bank acknowledges he still, technically, owns the house. "Why give this to a homeless person?" Ahadzi asked. "Why not the owner of the house?" Monday evening, Alfredo Carrasquillo told PIX, "We have tried to reach out to Mr. Wise. We're more than happy to help out in any way we can."

New NYPD spying technology raises questions

2012-01-19T00:12:00.000-05:00

From Metro:

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced that the NYPD is pursuing a controversial new technology in the war against illegal guns: body-scanning devices.

Kelly said the NYPD, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, is working to develop a tool capable of detecting concealed firearms.

The device can read radiation, or heat, emitted from a person’s body. The radiation does not travel through metal, allowing officers to “see” the outline of hidden weapons.

The NYPD is testing the new scanners, which currently only work from three to four feet away. Kelly said he’s hoping they will soon operate at a distance of more than 80 feet. Police will install the scanners onto NYPD vans to direct at suspects.

But some are concerned that the NYPD will abuse its new power. Donna Lieberman, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, sees the new technology as a double-edged sword.

“On the one hand, if technology like this worked as it was billed, New York City should see its stop-and-frisk rate drop by a half-million people a year,” said Lieberman. “On the other hand, the ability to walk down the street free from a virtual police pat-down is a matter of privacy.”

Using taxpayer dollars to promote themselves

2012-01-19T00:08:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

The state's budget crisis hasn't stopped lawmakers from spending big bucks to promote themselves.

Members of the Senate and Assembly have spent nearly $9 million in taxpayer money this year on constituent mailings, the Daily News has learned.

The spending comes as the state faces a $9 billion budget deficit and is preparing to lay off hundreds of government workers on Dec. 31.

"It's an extraordinary amount of money when the state is broke," said Dick Dadey, executive director of the good government group Citizens Union.

"And the timing of the newsletters is geared to inform voters just before an election, which is doubly inappropriate."

Senators spent $5.3 million on postage, while Assembly members spent $3.6 million. The Senate and Assembly spent a combined $12 million last year, records show.

Vacant lot in Whitestone an eyesore

2012-01-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

Too bad they didn't swing the camera around to show that Halloran's office is across the street...

Prostitution sting very successful

2012-01-18T00:22:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

Police arrested nearly 200 people in a 4-day citywide prostitution sting.

The weekend long raid, that started on Thursday and ended Sunday, had cops hitting 27 precincts which resulted in the arrest of 10 prostitutes, 186 johns.

Cops also seized 56 vehicles.

Undercover cops pose as hookers and collar those johns looking for a prostitute, sources said.

The sting was part of an initiative run by the NYPD’s civil enforcement unit, dubbed “Operation Losing Proposition” which deters street prostitution by seizing the cars of prostitute’s customers.

The Brownsville section of Brooklyn saw the most arrests with 3 prostitutes and 16 johns, followed by Jackson Heights Queens where police nabbed another 14 johns.

All 186 were charged with patronizing a prostitute, police said.

Photo from NY Times

City turning toward biofuel

2012-01-18T00:19:00.000-05:00

From Eyewitness News:

Thousands of restaurants throughout New York City are recycling their used cooking oil, keeping it out of landfills and providing a cleaner fuel source.

Local gas stations then sell diesel fuel from Tri-State Biodiesel, which can be used by any vehicle that uses diesel. It costs the same, but is much better for the environment.

And Tri-State Biodiesel is busy, making weekly pick ups of used cooking oil from more than 3,000 restaurants throughout the five boroughs.

Exploring the Forest Park Carousel

2012-01-18T00:11:00.000-05:00

From the Forum:

Forest Park Carousel might get a reboot from the company that revamped Coney Island.

Possible bidders including Central Amusement International LLC, which runs Luna Park at Coney Island, toured Forest Park Carousel last week where the Department of Parks and Recreation is asking for operators once again.

The carousel hasn’t run since the city’s contract with the last concessionaire expired in 2008, but on Jan. 12, officials switched the historic ride on to give bidders and residents a rare look at the hand-carved animals in motion.

Apple Store may come to Forest Hills

2012-01-18T00:03:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

Queens might be on the verge of getting a bite of the Apple.

A real estate developer is in preliminary talks with Apple about opening one of the brand’s iconic stores on bustling Austin St. in Forest Hills.

Heskel Group Chairman Yeheskel Elias said if a deal is reached, the sleek store could open in as little as a year.

It would be only the second Apple location in the city outside Manhattan. A Staten Island store opened in 2005.

MLK crowds not fond of Bloomberg

2012-01-17T10:38:00.002-05:00

From the NY Post:

Mayor Bloomberg drew jeers from Brooklyn to Harlem during Martin Luther King Jr. Day events yesterday.

At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where he was one of a dozen city elected leaders and politicians on hand, Bloomberg was greeted with cackles, groans and boos the moment he stepped on stage.

“Come on, time out,” an exasperated Bloomberg said as he tried to talk about his education policy.

“For those of you who want to express yourself, there’s a time and a place for everything. We’re here to honor a man who valued education,” he implored.

Bloomberg’s attempt to compare his record on education — boasting of higher graduation rates for minorities — to the priorities of the slain civil-rights leader only escalated the booing.

“Thank you, that’s very genteel,” he said, looking toward hecklers in the audience. “You probably belong in — never mind.”

That remark brought a stunned silence to the audience, before Bloomberg quickly wrapped up.

Steinway Mansion now under $3M

2012-01-17T00:43:00.000-05:00

From Curbed:

Location: Queens, N.Y.
Price: $2,995,000
The Skinny: When this elaborate stone estate home was built in 1855, it sat atop 440 bucolic acres of summertime bliss. Today, it sits on a single acre next to a power station and a waste treatment plant. While time has had its effects on this section of Queens, the Steinway Mansion seems like an oasis of historic preservation in an otherwise overtly industrial section of the neighborhood.

Hevesi questions convention center deal

2012-01-17T00:35:00.000-05:00

From the Queens Chronicle:

Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Rego Park), like others, is waiting to see how Gov. Cuomo’s proposal to build the nation’s largest convention center in Queens will play out.

But speaking at a meeting of Community Board 5 on Jan. 11, Hevesi said he is troubled by the process Cuomo chose, limiting the development to Genting America, which operates the recently opened casino nearby at Aqueduct Race Track.

“The city doesn’t give out sole-bid contracts and the state doesn’t either, usually,” he said. “Why did we do it here? Why Genting? Did the governor get a deal?”

He also questions whether or not the governor did his homework before throwing the weight of his office behind a convention center as a panacea for state’s economic ills.

“Convention centers nationally are not making the money that they did a few years ago,” he said. “There’s been a drop-off.”

Cuomo’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

And a poll says NYers don't want the thing, anyway.

CB2 suggests limiting film permits

2012-01-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

From Crain's:

In the current television season, New York is serving as home base for 23 prime-time series. Not only that, but 188 full-length feature movies were shot here in 2011. Thrilled city officials would like to see more, pointing out that such productions pump nearly $5 billion into the city's economy each year and support roughly 100,000 jobs.

In Long Island City, Queens, though, many people have a decidedly different take on all this. There, in the epicenter of much of the action, many residents are saying enough already, and some are even begging the city to yell, “Cut.”

In addition to noise and light pollution, Long Island City residents complain about the loss of big blocks of parking spaces, a situation made worse, they say, by production crews illegally parking personal cars in spaces reserved for production trucks.

"It's just not fair because businesses are temporarily being shut down to accommodate filming," said Joseph Conley, chairman of Community Board 2 in Queens, which represents Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and a portion of Maspeth. Contrary to what City Hall says, Mr. Conley sees little evidence of an upside.

“Production crews don't localize, so there's no benefit to the community,” he said, pointing out that when it comes to meals, for example, the crews bring in their own outside catering companies.

With complaints from residents and businesses rising, Mr. Conley is asking the Bloomberg administration to work together with production companies to make filming less disruptive for the community. He and others suggest setting a limit on the number of productions in a given period.

Mr. Greenberg sees another way for Hollywood to endear itself to Long Island City residents. He suggests that production companies could score major points by helping out with local projects like street repairs or park cleaning.

We're paying for shoddy development

2012-01-17T00:25:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

A developer with a long history of construction and safety lapses tapped by the city to build dozens of new homes in Ocean Hill stuck buyers with problem-plagued, leaking buildings, homeowners say.

First time homebuyers sunk their savings into the 42 homes at the Ocean Hill South development built by Transcorp Construction for a city Department of Housing Preservation and Development program - only to find water leaks pouring through windows, walls, and basements and leading to mold, cracks in walls, no insulation, and electric outlets and plumbing not working.

City officials acknowledged the problems last March and told homeowners they would clean up the developer’s mess - but the repairs haven’t happened.

Hudson Yards to be built by California developer

2012-01-17T00:18:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

THE DEVELOPER of the Hudson Yards project is bringing in an out-of-town construction giant to build the massive development.

Related Companies hired California-based firm Tutor Perini for the $4 billion West Side project, Crain’s New York reported.

Related officials wanted to slash costs and were unhappy with the terms of deals worked out this summer between city contractors and construction unions, according to Crain’s.

The move is a blow to the city’s big construction companies, which had hoped to score the contract for the sprawling 15-year project.

Signs of anti-Semitism at Floyd Bennett Field

2012-01-16T00:46:00.000-05:00

"Please excuse the informal introduction, my name is Pat Cotillo, Jr. and I am a freelance photographer. While out on a personal assignment at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn I was approached by a Jill Weingarten who works at the Floyd Bennett Field Gardens Association Inc. She asked if I would be willing to take some pictures of the recent Anti-Semitic vandalism that has occurred on their grounds. Due to all the rash of Anti-Semitic attacks I thought you may be interested in the following photos."

Billboard that collapsed was illegal

2012-01-16T00:42:00.000-05:00

From NY1:

The slogan for the New York Lottery is "Hey, You Never Know," and only part of it remained early Saturday morning as crews worked to remove a collapsed billboard in Brooklyn.

The sign was atop 421 Meeker Avenue. It came crashing down Friday afternoon on the westbound side of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, sending debris flying through the neighborhood and onto the BQE.

A car and nearby buildings were damaged. Officials at the Department of Buildings say advertisements at the location are illegal.

DOB officials say the city has been cracking down on illegal billboards since 2009, but it hasn't been easy since many are old enough to be exempt from new restrictions.

So the State was advertising on an illegal billboard? How appropriate.

Gallagher consulting for Queens GOP

2012-01-16T00:35:00.002-05:00

From the NY Post:

Disgraced ex-Councilman Dennis Gallagher now works with a Queens consultant who’s under attack for trying to strong-arm GOP candidates into hiring him, The Post has learned.

Gallagher, who stepped down in 2008 after pleading guilty to sexual-abuse charges stemming from accusations that he raped a woman in his Middle Village office, is listed on a city government database as an “additional lobbyist” with GSP Consulting, a Sunnyside-based firm run by Jay Golub, a dentist.

Gallagher, a Republican, confirmed that he does consulting work with Golub and that he’s done consulting for Councilman Peter Koo (R-Queens) but said he hasn’t done any work for Republicans in Queens “on a paid basis.”

Robert Hornak, executive director of the Queens GOP, said Gallagher “has never been a hired consultant for the Queens GOP.”

This is kind of old news. Wonder why this is just coming out now?

City to unveil its latest scheme to mess up the marsh

2012-01-16T00:22:00.000-05:00

***IMPORTANT MEETING - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE! Wednesday January 18 @ 8 PM***

Community Board 18 will present the NEW PLANS for the Four Sparrow Marsh area -
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 @ 8 PM, Kings Plaza Community Room (enter near the garage on Flatbush Ave., the community room is to your right)

Hi folks,

Four Sparrow Marsh is located on southbound Flatbush Ave, just past Toys R Us but before Floyd Bennet Field. It bears the NYC Parks Dept's "Forever Wild" logo. The NYC Parks Dept. website says:

"Named by naturalists Ron and Jean Bourque, Four Sparrow Marsh Preserve is home to four native species which require undisturbed marshland for nesting: Sharptailed, Seaside, Swamp, and Song Sparrows. Because of its relative isolation from residential areas in Brooklyn, Four Sparrow Marsh Preserve has been allowed to remain in a fairly natural condition. This makes it ideal for many permanently nesting species, including several types of ducks, gulls, and wading and woodland birds, as well as for the common seashore mollusks and crustaceans which feed those birds. It is an important part of the Jamaica Bay estuary system. "

Note the final sentence: "It is an important part of the Jamaica Bay estuary system".

Last winter, the NYC Economic Development Corp. announced plans to turn a sizable portion of the marsh into a shopping mall. Although the site was marked by Parks Dept. signs, it turned out that the land had never been officially turned over to the Parks Dept.!!!

A number of us went to the Feb. 2011 Scoping Meeting. We've been to a lot of these meetings, but there was something really off kilter about this one. I remember turning to my colleagues & saying "something isn't right here". Several weeks later, we learned that State Senator Carl Kruger had been indicted, for among other things, being in cahoots with the developer. That was why things didn't feel right.

In the fall of 2011, the plan for the retail center was withdrawn. However, there are still plans in the works which may impact a small portion of the area that everyone thought was pakland. The new plans for development on the Toys R Us site are similar to what was previously announced (a car dealership & renovation/expansion of the existing marina). This will be built on the existing parking lot, etc. of Toys R Us. But there is an additional strip of land south of Toys R Us that is also included in the development. We need to see if this will intrude on the parkland of Four Sparrow Marsh.

We also need to insist that the remaining 60+ acres of land is OFFICIALLY turned over to the Parks Dept. Otherwise, there is a good possibility that sooner or later this site will be turned over to developers.

We lost the Vandalia Dunes to the Gateway Mall. Let's make sure that Four Sparrow Marsh does not suffer the same fate.

Where there's a will, there's a way

2012-01-16T00:01:00.001-05:00

From the Forum:

The fight is still on to get a park at the St. Saviour’s site in Maspeth,but infighting is continuing, too. The Newtown Historical Society is leading the drive to acquire the 1.5 acres at the previous churchsite for parkland, but the group says its councilwoman is only paying lip service to the project.

Community activists including the Queens Civic Congress pushed hard during the last two months of the year to have local politicians reaffirm their support after $4 million from Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Maspeth) and Borough President Helen Marshall was reallocated to pursue a smaller site.

“We were kind of in damage control mode after that decision to move the money,” Christina Wilkinson, president of the Newtown Historical Society said. “What I wanted to get across to parks is that this is still a priority, so I asked the electeds to write letters.”

One politician they could not get to sign onto their push for the city to use eminent domain to forcibly buy the St. Saviour’s site was Crowley.

“My office has worked hard to pursue a park at St. Saviour’s and will continue to support any effort to make that area a green space. However, it is very difficult to acquire property when the owner is not willing to sell. The possibility of acquiring the Martin Luther site, which has a willing seller, is real and it should be pursued,” she said.

[Spokesperson Eric] Yun said Crowley’s work is behind the scenes and because her office is in frequent contact with the Parks Department, she decided not to sign onto Wilkinson’s letter and is in the process of drafting her own.

He would not give more information on the communications with the Parks Department, the contents of the letter, how it differed from Wilkinson’s or when the councilwoman would send it.

From the Queens Chronicle:

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) is asking the city’s Parks Department to consider using eminent domain to acquire some or all of the 1.5-acre property that once was the home of St. Saviour’s Church in Maspeth.

In a letter to Assistant Commissioner Joshua Laird dated Nov. 19, Addabbo said the move could be justified under the historic understanding of a public benefit to create a park at 57th Road and 59th Street.

He also said such a move could free up additional funding for the project, and reduce or eliminate the gap between the $5 million that the city and state have previously pledged to buy the property, and the reported $7 million that the owners, Maspeth Development Corp., has sought.

Addabbo is urging [Parks] to pursue both properties.

“My constituents also expressed to me that a 1/3-acre parcel (the Martin Luther property) should not be considered a ‘replacement’ for a 1.5-acre project which has been worked on for more than five years by elected officials and members of the community,” he wrote.

Not so fast, Andy!

2012-01-15T00:32:00.000-05:00

From CBS 2:

There was more problems Friday for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s controversial Aqueduct convention center project.

It seems the state doesn’t control a large part of the land and might not get it, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

For a politician who tries to never make a mistake, Gov. Cuomo has suffered a major “oops” moment with his grandiose plans to let the owner of the Aqueduct racino build a new convention center there.

When the governor made that sweeping statement that he wanted to “build the largest convention center in the nation” during his state of the state address, he apparently thought the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey controlled 22 acres of the land at Aqueduct, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to get the bi-state agency to sign it over.

But he was wrong. The land belongs to New York City and Mayor Michael Bloomberg might not want to sell it to him because, oops, he has plans to build a convention center of his own near Citi Field.

And here’s another problem: a change in the city lease could trigger an extensive land use review and City Council sign off. Just imagine how many lobbyists it would take to get that done.

CBS 2 reported last week that the casino project also faces another hurdle. Competitors were not allowed to bid on it, as required by state law.

Richmond Hill scammers sent up the river

2012-01-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

A seething Queens judge walloped three members of a crooked Richmond Hill family yesterday, sending them upstate to serve a combined 418 years for a brazen immigration and real-estate scam.

The mom, dad and daughter — dubbed “The Ramsundar Gang” by Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder — paid a shocking price for defrauding 19 families of $1.8 million over six years.

Holder said his harsh sentences are nothing compared to the street justice the Ramsundar family would have faced back in their native Trinidad.

“You and I know, that if you did this fraud and paraded and strutted it in your own country, you would have probably been hacked to death,” Holder told the family, which immigrated from Trinidad in the ’90s.

Shane Ramsundar, 53, wife Gomatee, 47, and their oldest daughter, Shantel, 24, were found guilty of grand larceny, money laundering, criminal impersonation and other charges during a three-month trial.

Holder had no sympathy for any of the grifters. The tough judge even had one victim, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, stand up in court, so Shane could see him. Holder said the family’s crimes nearly killed this victim, who lost so much money he couldn’t afford medication.

Upgrades coming to A line stations

2012-01-15T00:15:00.000-05:00

From the Queens Chronicle:

Joseph Raskin and Linda Tonn, both of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, presented the city’s plans to revamp a number of subway stations along the A line at last Thursday’s [CB10] meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall in South Ozone Park.

Raskin and Tonn said the city will install an elevator that complies with federal disability regulations at the Lefferts Boulevard Station.

Additional repairs will be made at the Lefferts Boulevard station, including to the mezzanine’s walls, and additional lighting will be installed.

The city plans to make repairs to a number of stops along the Liberty Avenue line, including to the 111th, 104th, 88th and 80th Street stops. Work will also be conducted at the Rockaway Boulevard stop.

Photo by jag9889 on Flickr

LIE is the "Heroin Highway"

2012-01-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

From the Times Ledger:

District Attorney Richard Brown coined yet another unflattering nickname for a Queens thoroughfare Friday morning when he announced the results of a massive drug bust involving suspected dealers in the borough and well-to-do customers in Suffolk and Nassau counties.

Queens Boulevard’s is already known as the “Boulevard of Death,” but the DA’s office and the NYPD charged 12 individuals with selling hard drugs to hundreds of Long Islanders who used the “Heroin Highway,” or the Long Island Expressway, to get their fix in the borough.

“The main defendants are accused of operating as a tightly knit ring that catered almost exclusively to drug buyers from the eastern end of Long Island, virtually turning the Long Island Expressway into the ‘Heroin Highway,’” Brown said at his office in Kew Gardens.

The users in upper-middle-class towns like Kings Park and Smithtown would drive the hour into the Ridgewood area to buy heroin at nearly half of what they would pay in Long Island.

A sleeve of heroin containing 100 individual packets could run from $1,000 or $1,500 on the island, but the young suburbanites would meet in hotels, diners, fast food restaurants or even 99 cent stores in Queens to get the same product for $400 to $800.

The alleged ringleader, Jermel Broadhurst, 30, of 31-31 29th St. in Astoria was slapped with a slew of charges, including operating as a major trafficker. If convicted he could face up to life in prison.

Other Queens residents who were collared by the NYPD included Marcos Feliciano, 47, of 169 Beach 60th St. in Far Rockaway and Chelene Nelson, 24, of 31-31 29th St. in Astoria.

Doctor asks for zoning change to build "family homes"

2012-01-15T00:12:00.000-05:00

From SI Live:

A world-famous surgeon’s sweeping vision of a family compound on his wooded, 3.8-acre property on Circle Road — seven homes, each with swimming pools, patios and two-car garages — has startled residents of prestigious Todt Hill.

As word of the project recently spread, the proposed new construction also triggered alarm bells from environmentalists and homeowners in Dongan Hills Colony, concerned about its impact on the fragile ecology of adjoining Chapin Woods, one of the newest additions to the Island’s protected Greenbelt. A magnificent bald eagle was famously sighted and repeatedly photographed there in treetops this past autumn.

Dr. Joseph McGinn, the pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon and medical director of The Heart Institute at Staten Island University Hospital, envisions building seven “modest-sized” homes on the 99-by-639-foot lot at 101 Circle Road, each with 4,500 to 5,500 square feet of living space, according to his architect, Joseph Morace.

The property is located in an area that includes Greenbelt tracts such as Reeds Basket Willow Swamp Park and Chapin Woods, and falls within the boundaries of the Island’s Special Natural Area District. Any alteration and development in the natural areas requires City Planning Commission review and authorization.

The proposed construction will require destruction of 140 of the 300 trees on the large site. The architect submitted a request to the Commission last October, asking permission to change the topography, reduce the required size of front and rear yards, and modify parking location regulations.

Dr. McGinn’s long driveway, now leading to the only house on the property, will be extended and widened into a road, said Morace, who noted that this residence will be demolished as part of the plan. The seven new homes will be clustered together as much as possible, to preserve open space, he told the Land Use Committee of Community Board 2 last week.

The once-bucolic beauty of Circle Road and other hideaway streets on Todt Hill has been forever changed by the construction of massive new single-family residences.

Death elevator had a slew of violations

2012-01-14T00:17:00.000-05:00

From NY1:

A newly released report from the city's Department of Buildings shows a litany of elevator problems at the Manhattan high-rise were an ad executive was crushed.

According to the DOB, 285 Madison Avenue received 11 violations against the 13 elevators in the building in the aftermath of the deadly accident.

Over the past 10 years the building was hit with 56 violations.

The elevator that malfunctioned last month did not have a "certificate of compliance."

Other elevators had more serious issues.

Marketing executive Suzanne Hart, 44, was crushed when an elevator suddenly shot up as she was getting on back on December 14.

Burnt out car in Flushing

2012-01-14T00:16:00.000-05:00

Union Turnpike and Vleigh Pl (141st Street)

BURNED CAR AT THE CORNER. WHEN WILL IT GET TOWED? BEEN THERE FOR 10 DAYS NOW.

Mormons want variances to construct church

2012-01-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

From the Times Ledger:

Community Board 7 roundly rejected plans Monday night from the Mormon church to build a two-story chapel on 33rd Avenue that required exemptions from zoning laws.

In an acrimonious meeting that lasted well past 11 p.m., the board unanimously voted to turn down the plans for the 23,097-square-foot chapel, complete with a steeple reaching nearly 100 feet high, which requires at least three variances to allow it to legally exceed local zoning laws.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was also required to submit separate plans for a church it could build according to zoning laws, but parishioners and clergy said it would be too small.

Instead, the proposed building, at 145-13 33rd Ave., would require three variances, although the community board said architects overlooked a few others.

The first variance would allow the chapel to have double the square footage currently allowed by law. In this case, it basically means the church wants to put a second story on its chapel where one would not normally be allowed.

The other two variances involve the steepness of a driveway into the chapel’s underground parking garage for 55 cars, and the fact that the top of the garage would stick out about a foot above normal ground level and create a sort of “deck” slightly above adjoining properties.

7 train disruptions for next 11 weekends

2012-01-14T00:09:00.000-05:00

From the Queens Gazette:

A continuation of upgrade and modernization work to the Flushing Line and its stations will necessitate suspension of 7 train service between Queensboro Plaza and Times Square for eleven weekends beginning January 21, as well as the full closure of the Court Square Station on the 7 line until April 2, 2012.

MTA New York City Transit is currently involved in a long-term project to install state-of-the-art signaling along the line, replacing a system that is between 50 and 90 years old. The new Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system, scheduled to be completed in late 2016, will improve reliability, enhance safety and reduce maintenance requirements while increasing line capacity and operational flexibility.

Additionally, a major station rehabilitation project is underway at the Court Square Station in Long Island City. That works consist of platform and windscreen replacement and the enhancement of accessibility features with the installation of ADA boarding areas, tactile warning strips and signage. This project, combined with work already completed at Court Square, which included the installation of three ADA elevators, will make the station accessible to the disabled at the time of its scheduled completion in June, 2012.

Sanitation regulation doesn't exist?

2012-01-14T00:08:00.001-05:00

From CBS New York:

Six constituents of Queens New York State Senator Tony Avella have complained in the past few weeks of tickets for placing trash curbside outside of the sanitation department policy’s hours.

That policy says you can’t put the trash out any earlier than 4 p.m. on the day before collection between October 1 and April (5 p.m. other dates).

Avella says he can find no evidence that what he calls sanitation department policy was ever made into a formal regulation. That would require public comment, a hearing, and other measures.

“They never went through the proper procedures to change what is just an internal policy within the city to a regulation by which you can enforce a ticket,” Avella told 1010 WINS. “You can well understand why this procedure exists because otherwise every agency could say, ‘Well, today we’re making policy and we’re going to start issuing tickets.’ Well, you can’t do that.”

Furthermore, he says the rules or policies weren’t properly publicized.

Avella said his constituents who have placed their receptacles out for pick up day have received $100 fines.

Illegally converted house goes up in flames on SI

2012-01-13T11:42:00.003-05:00

From SI Live:

The Department of Buildings is expected to join the investigation of a two-alarm fire that ripped through an apartment building in Port Richmond this morning, according to Fire Department radio reports.

Multiple FDNY units responded to the fire at 209 Park Ave. which was reported at 7:19 a.m.

Firefighters just completed going through the entire building in search for victims at 9:25 a.m. Heavy fire and numerous subdivisions prevented them from completing that task earlier.

Six people were being treated for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation, according to an FDNY spokesman.

Red Cross is at the scene of the fire to meet with displaced residents.

And here's more:

In June, 2011, the Buildings Department ordered a tenant in the basement to leave because the property was not illegal, but in August, the tenant was back. In June of 2008, the attic was similarly ordered vacated by the department.

"This is so sad. There were so many people living there in such awful conditions; it’s the same story," said Maria Munoz, the principal of PS 20, which located just down the block.

Three of the children living in the home are students at the school. Ms. Munoz said their mother told her, the hot water and heat had not worked there for nearly a month, and had just been restored Thursday. She was paying $1,500 a month in rent, Ms. Munoz said.

Two other families with children at the school had been living in the basement of the home, before being ordered out a few months ago by the Buildings Department, said Ms. Munoz.

"The owners must have been collecting thousands of dollars a month, and look at how they’re living," she said, explaining how families are often scared to complain, so they quietly endure atrocious living conditions while paying steep rents.

This is the third major fire in the neighborhood since November. A fire on Sharpe Avenue Nov. 14, left a family with 10 children without a place to go. As many as 50 people were left homeless after a Nov. 25 blaze destroyed an illegally subdivided two-family home on Harrison Avenue.

Get ready for some really bad acting

2012-01-13T00:56:00.000-05:00

It may take you all weekend to recover from this...

Furor over LIC strip club

2012-01-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

From CBS New York:

Local politicians and community activists have mounted an effort against a proposed strip club in Long Island City.

Protesters rallied Thursday hoping to block a request by the Gypsy Rose on 21st Street for the state to renew its liquor license.

The State Liquor Authority is scheduled to hold a hearing on the license issue next Wednesday. A decision is likely to be made then.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer has been a staunch opponent of the adult cabaret. He sent letters to the SLA last year denouncing the club’s application.

Key mugging evidence not recorded by DOT camera

2012-01-13T00:26:00.000-05:00

From the Daily News:

Two hooded assailants pummeled Rosario DiMarco, 54, in a municipal parking lot off of 31st St. in Astoria recently in a failed attempt to steal some petty cash.

“They started hitting me with sticks. I was full of blood,” DiMarco recalled of the Dec. 21 incident. “I was yelling for help.”

The two thugs ran by a domed security camera perched on a street light. But hopes that it would offer key evidence to nabbing the culprits were soon dashed it turned out that the camera, maintained by the city Department of Transportation, wasn’t working.

“They’re collecting $8 a day for parking. You’re telling me they can’t have a working camera?” DiMarco griped. “That’s crap.”

Since then, the agency hasn’t made any pledges to reconnect the security feed, prompting [Council Member Peter] Vallone to write a letter to Maura McCarthy, Queens Borough Commissioner for the DOT.

DOT officials said the camera hasn’t worked since Michael Bloomberg’s first term as mayor.

City turns blind eye to squalid apartments

2012-01-13T00:22:00.000-05:00

From Eyewitness News:

Tenants are found living in potentially dangerous apartments repeatedly cited for safety violations.

Why is New York City letting them live in what could turn into a fire trap?

The tenants pay their rent, but what they have to do to stay warm and cook their meals are serious fire threats.

The building in the Bronx Hunts Point section screams out fire trap.

Up to eight or nine rooms are each rented out through Craig's List to people desperate for a roof over their heads.

It's a fire just waiting to happen and the city knows it.

Since 2005, the Buildings Department has repeatedly fined the landlord.

The landlord has more than $70,000 in unpaid fines for illegally renting up to 15 rooms at a time, endangering lives.

RKO Keith's gets thumbs up from FAA

2012-01-13T00:20:00.000-05:00

From the Times Ledger:

The federal government has decided that the proposed renovation of the RKO Keith’s Theatre in downtown Flushing would not pose a hazard to planes landing and taking off from LaGuardia Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration declared the proposed development safe in December, and without any further appeals that declaration will become final at the end of the month.

Developer Patrick Thompson was cleared by the city Board of Standards and Appeals over the summer to build a 162-foot, mixed-use building on Main Street while incorporating the beloved and landmarked RKO Keith’s Theatre lobby into the design.

But on Sept. 23, the FAA issued Thompson’s lawyer, Howard Goldman, a letter saying the structure might interfere with the airport’s safe operation and that an investigation was needed.

That investigation has been concluded by the FAA’s Obstruction Evaluation Group.

On Dec. 13, the group sent a letter to Goldman clearing the proposed development of posing any hazard.

Nanny mayor is at it again

2012-01-12T00:55:00.001-05:00

From the NY Post:

First, Mayor Bloomberg went after smoking in public places. Then trans-fats, salt and sugary drinks.

Now Bloomberg — known for sipping fine wine and downing a cold beer from time to time — wants to crack down on alcohol sales to curb excessive drinking, according to a provocative planning document obtained by The Post.

The city Health Department’s far-reaching Partnership for a Healthier New York City initiatives proposes to slash the number of establishments in the city that sell booze.

Community “transformation” grants provided under President Obama’s health-care law would help bankroll the effort.

Mayor Bloomberg could find it harder to find a nice glass of wine if he gets his way.

One of the goals listed in the “request for proposal” document to community groups is “reducing alcohol retail outlet (e.g. bar, corner store) density and illegal alcohol,” the document states.

Then he changed his mind...

From NY1:

Without a doubt, the amount of food people pile on to their plates at home and in restaurants has grown exponentially throughout the years.

In fact, according to the city's Health Department, popular items like soft drinks and french fries have, for the most part, quadrupled in size within a half-century. Most people's waistlines have also expanded.

So city health officials are launching a new campaign, "Cut Your Portions, Cut Your Risk," to get more New Yorkers to do some crowd control in our meal plans, especially when it comes to eating out.

The campaign shows the consequences of that riskier deal, depicting how the size of burgers, french fries and sugary drinks have gotten bigger, and lists the consequences, such as being overweight or obese, having diabetes and other serious health complications.

DOB forces limo company to remove parking pad

2012-01-12T00:52:00.001-05:00

The situation over at 89-51 Metropolitan Avenue, has improved slightly. The DOB fined the owner of the house where Ecstasy Limo is located and has forced him to remove the illegal parking pad in front of their office. No more parking on the front lawn.

Inside a Bayside McMansion

2012-01-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

Bayside Patch has a bunch of photos of a house for sale that's a little over the top. Check out the rest of the shots here.

Queens kids missing

2012-01-12T00:08:00.001-05:00

From NBC:

Police are looking for a 12-year-old Queens boy who disappeared on his way home from school Tuesday.

Authorities say Gerardo Ramos was last seen at about 2 p.m. Tuesday walking home from I.S. 204 on 28th Street. Police say he has no history of running away.

The Astoria boy is about 5'1" tall and 105 pounds with brown eyes and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a brown coat, grey sweater, blue jeans, and blue and gray sneakers.

Anyone with information about Ramos' whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

UPDATE: The boy was found unharmed.

From the Village Voice:

Angela Zheng, a 16-year-old Queens resident, left her house around 7 a.m. Friday -- and never returned.

Now, cops want your help finding her.

They say the 5-4, 110-pound teenager left her home at 225-14 59th Avenue at 6:40 a.m.

Zheng, who has black hair, was last seen at that address, and was sporting a blue jacket with fur trim, blue jeans, and a black sweatshirt before her disappearance.

Zheng, who is Asian, also wears glasses and braces on her teeth. Zheng, cops say, is in good mental and physical health.

From the Queens Courier:

Police are asking for the public’s help finding a Flushing teen that went missing Tuesday, December 13.

Pascal Chiu, 15, was last seen near Francis Lewis High School at approximately 2 p.m. this past Tuesday. Chiu is 5-feet-4-inches tall, weighs 120 pounds and was last seen wearing a red jacket, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Bad luck for Bay Ridge properties

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

It was nauseating to read on Brownstoner about a bunch of beautiful old homes in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, that were bought up by one person and then neglected and now sitting in foreclosure. They will probably be snatched up by a developer and replaced with shitboxes.

Discovery of a long lost tunnel

2012-01-11T00:54:00.000-05:00

"I am going to take you into a long dormant tunnel in queens n.y. that was built in 1933 and was sealed shut soon after due to safety concerns. Several people told me that the ramp was NOT used by cars, but by horses, as it was a bridle path that was indeed sealed up in the late 1960s."

Liu raises funds but doesn't pay bills

2012-01-11T00:43:00.001-05:00

From the NY Times:

Since his election to the city comptroller position in 2009, Mr. Liu has showered people and groups with official commendations, handing out more than 760 — with nearly one-quarter of the recipients connected to his political campaign, according to an analysis conducted by The New York Times.

A Liu donor who runs a business importing hair from China to make wigs got one. So did a travel agent who has booked busloads of gamblers on trips to the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut and backed Mr. Liu’s campaigns. Then there is the hotel developer in Chinatown, another loyal contributor, who collected three Liu commendations within six months.

The pace with which Mr. Liu is bestowing the awards — more than one a day — and the priority he gives to such ceremonies suggest a political outreach effort as much as an official duty. While other officials might send the commendations along in the mail, he personally delivers most of them, in every borough, posing for photos with recipients and building good will at the events.

Those being honored sometimes have only vague connections to Mr. Liu’s job as the top fiscal watchdog for the city. But they could be crucial constituencies in any citywide campaign: black churches, labor unions and influential political leaders.

One Chinese-American donor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the continuing investigation said that the commendations — printed on high-quality paper with a prominent backdrop of the city seal and italicized lettering — were especially coveted in the Chinese-American community, where they are viewed as evidence of success or access to power.

From NY1:

City Comptroller John Liu's 2013 campaign account may be the subject of a federal investigation, but that does not mean he has stopped fundraising.

For his 45th birthday, Liu hosted a Monday fundraiser at the aptly named City Hall Restaurant in TriBeCa, with the hopes of raising $100,000 during the event.

"I came tonight cause I know John Liu is a good man," said Queens Councilman Daniel Dromm. "He's done a lot of good for the city. I've been friends with him for almost 20 years."

High-profile politicos made a appearance, like former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. and some of the city's major union leaders.

From the NY Post:

Whoa! John Liu is the fellow who oversees billions in tax dollars — and he can’t be trusted to pay a $500 Con Ed bill?

Or to clear up an equally piddling $943 in unpaid state payroll taxes from his 2009 campaign for city comptroller?

This guy’s contempt for the responsibilities of his office — to say nothing of the law itself — borders on breathtaking.

Con Edison has filed two lawsuits against Liu’s deadbeat campaign committee, People for John Liu, and now the state Department of Taxation has gone to court for its cash, as well.

Sure, the sums are tiny compared to the $120 billion in city pension funds that Liu helps steer — but sometimes it’s the little things that shout the loudest.

Not that there’s any lack of evidence as to Liu’s lack of fitness for the office he holds.

Teflon Ratner always finds himself in the middle

2012-01-11T00:43:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times:

The Brooklyn and Yonkers cases are not simply about wayward politicians. The cases share an intriguing tie to the developer Bruce Ratner, who in project after project deploys lobbyists and politicians to change zoning ordinances and chase down rich packets of subsidies.

I should emphasize that Mr. Ratner has walked between the legal raindrops. Federal prosecutors have not implicated him or his company, Forest City Ratner, in either of these corruption cases.

But he figures prominently enough that the indictments identify him as “Developer No. 1” in Brooklyn and “Developer No. 2” in Yonkers. In Brooklyn, he has pushed the 22-acre Atlantic Yards development, including an arena and residential towers. Forest City Ratner was the development partner for the headquarters of The New York Times Company.

Mr. Ratner has a political maestro’s touch. His vice president, Bruce Bender, is a stalwart of the Democratic Party’s powerful Thomas Jefferson Club in south Brooklyn. Its members — Mr. Kruger, Councilman Lewis A. Fidler and State Senator John L. Sampson — quickly championed this project.

Who needs a public review?

2012-01-11T00:37:00.001-05:00

From the NY Post:

Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday called for the “largest convention center in the nation” to be built at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.

Folks learned later that the deck was stacked: Team Cuomo had already inked an agreement for such a project with an Asian-based firm, Genting, whose subsidiary runs the racino there.

And officials had already discussed “casino expansion” at the site and agreed to “work together” on plans — even as Cuomo pushes for a constitutional amendment to allow broader gambling in New York.

Public input? Ha! Even Mayor Bloomberg was left out of the loop.

Competitive bidding?

Cuomo’s never heard of it.

And never mind that Cuomo’s predecessor, David Paterson, and Democratic lawmakers got themselves in gobs of trouble for initially steering the racino itself to a single, politically favored firm — AEG.

The state’s inspector general at the time, Joseph Fisch, called that fetid deal a “betrayal” of the public trust, in which officials “focused on political gain at a cost of millions to New Yorkers.” Et tu, Andrew?

Malcolm Smith's charter school to close

2012-01-11T00:24:00.002-05:00

From the Daily News:

Parents of students at a Rockaway Park charter school are in an uproar after the city announced it plans to close the elementary school in July.

Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter School, which state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) helped found in 2004, scored a “C” on its annual city report card for the last four years.

The city announced on Monday that it won’t renew the grades K-through-5 school’s charter.

Homeowner needs advice

2012-01-10T07:45:00.000-05:00

Hi, Crappy!

I have written to you in the past regarding living next to a stalled (rat infested - garbage ridden) property for over 5 years. Now a new (or old) developer is going to build a large piece of crap next to my house (10+ stories). This developer wants to me to consent to a external and internal inspection of my property to limit his liability. I can't believe this crap). I said no, but this developer is insisting. I think I need to hire a lawyer or my own building inspector. I am fearful because I have read so many stories in the newspapers, tv and on your blog of developers wrecking a small homeowner's property and getting away with it. Any suggestions from you or your readers would be helpful.

Thanks,
A Concerned Homeowner

Marty wants Coney casino

2012-01-10T07:42:00.003-05:00

From The Brooklyn Paper:

Borough President Markowitz wants to see casinos on Coney Island if Gov. Cuomo makes good on his plan to legalize table gaming in the state.

“Casino gambling ... would bring jobs and revenue to potential locations in New York City, especially Coney Island, which is a natural,” Markowitz said in a release.

In the latest lofty vision for a revitalized Coney Island, gambling would help draw visitors to an area that the city hopes to turn into a glitzy, year-round recreation destination boasting amusements, restaurants, arcades and hotels.

But other community leaders say casinos are too much of a gamble to endorse.

“I just want to make sure that people in the community don’t get hurt,” said Councilman Dominic Recchia (D–Coney Island) “People get addicted to gambling; it’s a problem.”

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D–Sheepshead Bay) cited a 1999 study that found areas within 50 miles of casinos have a 50 percent greater instance of gambling addiction and an 18 percent higher bankruptcy rate.

5-year old illegal sent home to mom

2012-01-10T07:37:00.003-05:00

From the Daily News:

Angelica Mota filed suit last year seeking custody of little Elena under the Child Abduction Remedies Act of the Hague Convention.

The child was born in 2006 to Mota and her husband Jose Luis Rivera Castillo who later entered the U.S. illegally and settled in Queens where he works as a custodian at a private school.

The couple hatched a plan for Mota and their daughter to join him in Corona, Queens in 2010 - she handed Elena off to smugglers that he had paid in advance at the border in Nogales, Arizona.

Several days later Mota was nabbed by the feds when she tried to cross with another relative and was deported in August 2010, according to court papers.

Castillo was raising the child with his new girlfriend with whom he recently had a baby boy, and had stopped sending financial support to his wife.

Castillo's lawyer argued that the couple had made a joint decision that Elena should be raised in the U.S. because it would be a better life for her.

But the judge ruled that Mota had proved her case that the child's removal to a new country was conditional upon her mother joining her.

Sweet deal for Donald

2012-01-10T07:35:00.002-05:00

From the Daily News:

Looks like the Donald trumped the city in bidding for a 20-year deal to run a $97 million taxpayer-funded public golf course long considered a Bronx boondoggle.

Under a proposed deal with the Parks Department, the oft-delayed 18-hole course will bear the billionaire developer’s name when it opens in spring 2014: Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Park.

For its first four years of operation, he will have no financial obligation to the city — and in year five, the compensation will only be $300,000, the Daily News found.

In contrast, a hot dog vendor agreed three years ago to pay the city more than $600,000 annually for a lease to peddle tube steaks outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A review of the proposed Trump agreement also shows “The Apprentice” puppet-master received city approval to run the public course as a part-time private playground.

The ex-presidential hopeful would control 20% of the weekday tee times for private use without any Parks Department oversight.

Watchdog suspicious of Meeks' home sale

2012-01-10T07:30:00.002-05:00

From the NY Post:

A watchdog group is asking federal prosecutors to examine a real-estate deal involving Rep. Gregory Meeks.

The Queens Democrat sold his Far Rockaway home in 2006 to a buyer with dubious qualifications who used a lawyer later convicted in a multimillion-dollar mortgage-fraud scheme, according to the National Legal and Policy Center.

The Virginia-based group contends that buyer Cecil Lloyd had an income of just $9,895 the year he bought the house for $402,800.

Lloyd and Evelyn Miller secured two mortgages from IndyMac Bank to buy the home at 660 Grassmere Terrace. They financed 100 percent of the purchase price, city records show.

Ten months later, in July 2007, Alexander Kaplan, the buyers’ lawyer who handled their closing, was arrested in a mortgage-fraud scheme.

Kaplan was convicted of 18 counts of mortgage fraud and sentenced in June to 46 months in federal prison.

The NLPC also alleges that the sale price of the home, at $413 per square foot, was inflated. The average was $326 at the time, a local Realtor said.

Meeks said he was unaware of a complaint about the sale.

GOP members charge extortion

2012-01-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

City Councilman Eric Ulrich is demanding an investigation into claims that Queens GOP leaders milked candidates “for financial gain.”

His call comes amid mounting criticism of the county party from prominent Republicans, including former Rep. Rick Lazio, Rep. Bob Turner and ex-Councilman and party honcho Thomas Ognibene.

“The District Attorney’s Office or the US Attorney’s Office should look into these issues because they’re deeply troubling,” Ulrich said. “These con artists have been playing this game for far too long.”

Several Queens Republican sources said it’s commonly known that if candidates want the party’s nomination, they’ll have to pay — whether it’s in the form of hefty contributions to the party or fees to the party’s consultants.

One high-ranking Republican familiar with the allegations against the Queens GOP leadership said Ragusa is a “decent guy” but has surrounded himself with “operatives who make a living off this.”

Congressman Turner said he was dismayed when the Queens leadership delayed his nomination last year for the special vote arising from the Anthony Weiner sext scandal.

“They were hesitant, and it cost us two weeks of campaigning for what every other political professional thought was a no-brainer,” he said. “Their reasons for doing it were suspect.”

Turner said he was approached by Jay Golub, a consultant for Queens political candidates.

“I think his play was that I could clear up the nomination process by using him,” Turner recalled. “The conversation didn’t last long . . . I didn’t like where it was going.”

Golub said he was “just trying to help Bob.”

“I was never hired by the Turner campaign,” he said.

Auburndale eyesore

2012-01-09T00:25:00.000-05:00

Letter to the editor of the Times Ledger:

As the first vice president of the Auburndale Improvement Association Inc., it is part of my responsibility to address community problems.

We have received many complaints about a group of four new attached, two-family homes that were completed several years back. They are at 47th Avenue and 198th Street in Auburndale, in Flushing. They have been vacant since they were built because the owners were unable to secure certificates of occupancy.

The garages are underneath the homes. Some attempt was made to board up the front and garage doors and some of the windows, but the garage doors on two of the units are open enough so that they are accessible to wanderers, squatters and vandals. This is a situation where public safety is at risk. Anyone could get into these two buildings and cause all types of mayhem. Also, the grounds are covered with garbage and litter and this property is a deplorable blight on this fine neighborhood of one- and two-family homes.

These problems have been reported by my civic many times to 311 and by letters for action, but these problems have not been resolved. State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), state Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) and City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) have all been contacted and have been responsive to the situation.

They have all written letters to the city Department of Buildings and Avella has also contacted the city Departments of Sanitation and Health. With all of this help, practically nothing has been done by city agencies to secure the buildings or clean up the grounds. This has been going on for months. It is unacceptable.

The DOB visited the site in November and issued a violation. It came again in December, according to the DOB website, and, strangely enough, nothing wrong was observed. Our civic demands this site be secured and cleaned.

We understand that in instances such as this the DOB will erect a chain link fence around the open property at owner expense. This must be done to protect adjacent neighbors. Sanitation should also come in to clean up the site, with the bill sent to the owners.

We cannot understand why the owners of this property allow this site to deteriorate in this manner. There have been many other issues with this construction site over the years, including the fact that the front of the four homes have no access to the street.

This is another example in which this type of development is inappropriate and problematic for the surrounding community and city agencies are ineffective.

Henry Euler
Flushing

FDNY inspector arrested for accepting bribes

2012-01-09T00:21:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

A high-ranking FDNY safety inspector ignored safety violations at buildings housing day-care centers in exchange for bribes, the feds said yesterday.

Carlos Montoya — who formerly oversaw inspections of all city day-care centers — was arrested yesterday for the alleged misconduct, which included repeatedly certifying use of a Brooklyn warehouse for the temporary care of infants and children younger than 2.

He allegedly got at least $12,000 in payments from the center’s owner, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and is cooperating with the feds.

But Montoya, 54, failed to fully cover his tracks, and issued the bogus certificates with “basic errors that one would not expect to see,” such as misspelling the word “nursery,” court papers charge.

Montoya — who was bounced from his post after the city Department of Investigation uncovered the scam — also allegedly got paid $250 a pop to sign off on safety inspections at another center.