Couple buys house with bankrupt squatter occupying it and renting rooms for temporary lodging

The great Mizumi zoning controversy

Queens Chronicle 

The City Council voted 50-0 to approve a C2-2 commercial overlay last Thursday that will allow Douglaston’s Mizumi restaurant to expand significantly, which Councilmember Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) supported despite overwhelming opposition from area civic leaders.

The original plan, which Community Board 11 voted unanimously against in May, extended the commercial overlay from the western end of the Mizumi property to 234th Street. Though Borough President Donovan Richards recommended that the overlay be approved — if it only included the Mizumi property — the original plan went before the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises last month, at which point modifications were recommended.

At the time, civic leaders believed that modification to be the same as Richards’ plan; following last Thursday’s vote, however, they were informed that is not the case. Though smaller than the original overlay, it will extend to 233rd Street, and therefore includes two additional properties: the carwash two doors down and the adjacent abandoned church.

Sean Walsh, president of the Douglaston Civic Association, said the move once again calls Paladino’s transparency into question.

“I feel double-betrayed,” he told the Chronicle. Referring to the councilmember, he continued, “I feel insulted that you can lie to me so bald-faced ... now I’m going to have to go full tilt against you.”

And that he did. At Monday’s Community Board 11 meeting, he and several others made their discontent with Paladino clear. Flushing land-use expert Paul Graziano even went through each point in Paladino’s subsequent press release on the matter, detailing his objections to each. Both Third Vice Chair Henry Euler and board member Doug Montgomery noted that they were not informed of the additions to the overlay. Montgomery said Monday that a City Planning Commission employee told him the added properties were incorporated after the vote; the Chronicle did not receive confirmation of that by press time.

Paladino has stood by her decision, which she has touted as a compromise, and says she did not flip-flop on the issue. “I did what was best to serve the community, the small business owner and the environment,” Paladino said. “This was a homerun.”

 

Douglaston shelter suspended for now

  

Queens Chronicle

The Douglaston Civic Association secured a temporary restraining order against the city last week in an effort to stop a planned homeless shelter from opening in the neighborhood.

The building at 243-02 Northern Blvd., the former Pride of Judea, is in the process of being converted to house 75 single women over the age of 49. The civic group has long complained that the plans do not outline acceptable living conditions.

“That’s completely overcrowding,” civic President Sean Walsh told the Chronicle. “That’s less room than they’d have in a jail site. If you’re trying to help the homeless, this isn’t the way to do it.”

The TRO was filed Oct. 14 and will prevent the city, Department of Homeless Services and the developers from progressing on the project, which was set to open before the end of 2021.

The Douglaston Civic has advocated against the shelter since it was announced in December 2020, but not, it says, because it is wary of homeless individuals living in its neighborhood. Walsh wants to be clear that the group is concerned with the conditions of the dormitory-stye “barracks” and lack of bathrooms planned, but would welcome the women if they were given appropriate living quarters.

“If they want to build a permanent residence for women who are down on their luck, they can build small apartments at this site. We’d have no objection to that,” said Walsh, saying those wouldn’t accommodate as many individuals but would provide each with appropriate space.

The civic has another issue with the former Pride of Judea site: The building would not conform to city zoning laws. Walsh said the building, which previously served as a mental health clinic with offices, would need a variance to be used for housing.

“Whatever they want to put there has to conform to laws. The building as they proposed does not,” Walsh said.

The DHS told the Chronicle that the allegations against the shelter are inaccurate. A spokesperson asserted that it will fall in line with all health and safety codes.

“The health and safety of the New Yorkers who we serve is our number one priority. Whenever [Department of Social Services] approves a proposal for shelter, we expect a finished product that is ready for occupancy and complies with relevant laws, rules, and regulations, including City safety requirements,” the spokesperson said in an email, adding that the agency is confident the courts will agree and recognize that the shelter is a necessary resource for the neighborhood.

City throwing $$$ at Trump cronies through homeless shelter non-profits

From Patch:

The 75-bed shelter at 243-02 Northern Blvd. will be run by the nonprofit Samaritan Village. It is slated to open in late 2021.

It would be the first homeless shelter in the Northeast Queens district overseen by Community Board 11, according to the NYC Department of Social Services, the umbrella agency for the Department of Homeless Services.

Oh? Well, Samaritan Village has a stellar reputation! (J/K. We know all about them.)

Hey, has anyone looked into who owns this building now? Let's take a look.

Hmmm...that address...that phone number...those initials... Why, this is LLC is part of the Bayrock Group! And we all know who Bayrock was deeply involved with, yes?

But that's not all! They also own a shelter in Hollis AND the controversial Manhattan shelter. We could keep going (and we will later)...but suffice it to say that they have entered the homeless shelter business head on. Years ago they were eyeballs deep in a development nightmare in Whitestone which got foreclosed on during the financial crisis.

So we're taking Trump's name off buildings and canceling his contracts with the city with righteous indignation while simultaneously enriching his checkered-past pals via multi million dollar social service contracts? Sounds very de Blasio-esque!

Does ANYONE in the media or government look into this shit or are they too busy navel gazing on Twitter and reflexively painting the people who question these things as bigots?

Douglaston is getting a homeless shelter for senior women?

 

  

Patch 

  A homeless shelter for senior women will open late next year in Douglaston, according to city officials.

The 75-bed shelter will be located at 243-02 Northern Blvd., previously occupied by Pride of Judea Community Services, and will be run by the nonprofit Samaritan Village.

It is the first homeless shelter in the Northeast Queens district overseen by Community Board 11, according to the NYC Department of Social Services, which oversees the Department of Homeless Services.

"New Yorkers from every community across the five boroughs have experienced and continue to experience homelessness, so we need every community to come together to address homelessness – now more than ever, in the midst of this unprecedented crisis," Associate Press Secretary Neha Sharma wrote in an emailed statement.

"This new high-quality facility will be the first traditional shelter in this Community District, offering 75 senior women experiencing homelessness the opportunity to get back on their feet safely and closer to their anchors of life, like jobs, healthcare, family, and houses of worship."

QC:  First shelter I’ve heard of for senior women. But then again this CB is special.

It’s ok, SV will F it up anyway.

 

JQ:  They made 76 million dollars this year in city contracts. Pandemic has been quite lucrative for these non-profits. City would save probably 3/4 of that if they made this supportive housing instead.

Wheels are coming off in Northeast Queens crime wave

Bayside Patch

  A borough-wide spike in tire and rim thefts is hitting northeast Queens hard, according to the police.
The NYPD's 111th precinct, which covers a region of northeast Queens that includes Bayside and 

Douglaston, has gotten reports of 37 such thefts so far this year, up from 16 last year.
In 2017, there were 43 thefts by this time of the year, precinct officers say.

 
The spike prompted the precinct to add staff to its midnight shift, police wrote in a Facebook post

The 18th hole needs protection!

From CBS 2:

Cracked windows, shattered windshields and dented cars … again and again.

The culprits? Golf balls.

Dozens were scattered all over Raymond Hublall’s home on Commonwealth Boulevard in Little Neck, because right across the street is Douglaston Golf Course.

“From 2010 to now I’ve spent approximately $5,000,” Hublall said.

His neighbors have seen similar damage. The situation is not just proving to be expensive, it’s also dangerous. Hublall said one errant shot injured his niece.

“She was walking in from roadway walking into my front door and she got hit by the golf ball,” Hublall said.

Just to give you an idea of how many golf balls end up on some of these properties, Hublall produced a box filled with them. He said he collected all of them in just a couple of months.

Back in 2014, neighbors complained to local leaders and got netting installed. The only problem is it doesn’t protect the 18th hole.

This is what democracy looks like

Photo is of CB11 meeting last night regarding the plan to upzone the corner of Northern Blvd and Douglaston Pkwy. CB11 voted unanimously to reject the proposal. The applicant's attorney fled the room before he was scheduled to speak.

Lawsuit to be filed over Northern Blvd bike lanes

From the Queens Chronicle:

Douglaston Civic Association President Sean Walsh announced on Monday that his group plans on filing a lawsuit against the city over the Northern Boulevard bike lane.

“Our civic, at its annual meeting, decided to sue the city,” he told members of Community Board 11 at the advisory council’s meeting on Monday.

The suit will be against city Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Mayor de Blasio and the City of New York and will seek the path’s removal.

Queens College president paid to not live in school's mansion

From the NY Post:

Queens College has let a historic $2.5 million waterfront mansion with sweeping views of Little Neck Bay stand empty for three years after its current president chose to live in his Westchester home while getting a $5,000 monthly housing allowance.

While Felix Matos Rodriguez collects $60,000 a year to live in his own house, the CUNY-owned Douglaston manse collects dust, used only sporadically for college functions.

Suspension-busting pothole on Northern Blvd next to new bike lane

Bike lane casualties continue to pile up

From CBS 2:

Drivers in Queens say new bike lanes continue to cause crashes.

CBS2 first covered the problem last month, but no changes have been made the crashes keep happening, Dave Carlin reports.

On Friday night, one driver was left hanging on a concrete barrier to protect the city’s newest bike lanes.

Douglaston residents request park space

From the Queens Tribune:

The grassy lot next to the St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church on 234th Street has been vacant for years. Currently owned by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the lot has withstood several proposals from both the city and the church over the years—including plans for a street, nursery and parking lot. But for the past 10 years, local civic associations have opposed each attempt, calling on HPD to transfer the property to the city Parks Department to create a new public green space.

“The community remains solidly in favor of this as a park,” said state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) during a Tuesday press conference adjacent to the property, alongside representatives from several civic associations.

Cuomo once lived like a king in a Queens mansion

From Curbed:

For the price of a Manhattan one-bedroom apartment, you could rent an entire Queens mansion that was once owned by Governor Andrew Cuomo—for a little while, anyway. The governor’s former home in Douglaston, Queens sold last year for $2.4 million, but it’s back on the market as a short-term rental, available from July to December. The price: $5,500.

Cuomo lived in the home with his former wife, Kerry Kennedy, for a few years in the 1990s before selling it in 1993 to join Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. It has the distinction of being the last place that Cuomo lived in Queens, his home borough—though it’s a far less humble place than the Holliswood home that his father, Mario, called home for many years.

The Cuomo house is part of the tony Douglas Manor enclave, a close-knit community where families tend to hunker down and stay a while. It has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, plenty of outdoor space, and close proximity to the waterfront.

Its current owners are Elias Roman, once the CEO of the now-defunct music-sharing app Songza, and his wife Sarah Jane. Fun fact: It may also be the “sister home” to a now-demolished Long Island mansion that served as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for The Great Gatsby.

Historic Van Wyck house is up for sale

From Curbed:

It’s not every day that an 18th-century Dutch Colonial house in New York City hits the market, but lucky for history buffs, today is one of those few.

Dating to 1735, the Cornelius Van Wyck House in Douglaston, Queens has come to market for what appears to be the first time in nearly 40 years. Seeking $3.25 million, the house is both a New York City landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places—and for good reason.

“The history of this house is intimately connected with that of the Dutch settlers,” the property’s 1966 NYC landmark designation report reads. The report goes on to explain that Cornelius Van Wyck, the eldest son of Stephen Van Wyck who emigrated from Holland in 1660, made his home here, eventually handing it over to his son Stephen, a delegate in the Continental Congress.

Stephen added to the house—the original footprint includes the dining room, master bedroom, and living hall—before selling it in 1819 to Winant Van Zandt, who would go on to add 120 acres to the property. While those 120 acres are no longer appended, the house still maintains an impressive swath of land along Little Neck Bay, making it one of the largest waterfront properties in Queens.

Some great Alley Creek photography

There's a great photo essay about Alley Creek over at Curbed today.

About the landmark backlog

Sorry to be late with this. The LPC decided to designate 3 of the 8 items on the backlog list for Queens:

Bowne Street Community Church
Lydia Ann Bell and William Ahles House
Pepsi Cola Sign

However, the following were removed from their calendar:

Old Calvary Cemetery Gatehouse - Van Bramer
First Reformed Church and Sunday School of College Point - Vallone
Proposed Douglaston Historic District Extension - Vallone
Spanish Towers - Dromm
Fairway Apartments - Dromm

Included are the names of the council members who did not support the designations of the dropped items.

Taking too long to fix Douglaston streets

From the Queens Chronicle:

The mean streets of the Douglaston Manor Historic District, where much of the pavement is little more than rubble, sidewalks are collapsing and Belgian blocks separating stately homes from the roadways are in disarray, don’t look likely to see the needed repairs anytime soon.

The problems are that the damage is so extensive, the streets need complete reconstruction and the money has not been allocated to do it, according to the city Department of Transportation.

Now two of the area’s elected officials, Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) are pressing the city to add the funding — $260 million — to its mid-fiscal year capital plan.

The $260 million does not include an unknown amount of money that would be necessary for the Department of Environmental Protection to upgrade underground infrastructure that also would likely need to be done, according to a letter Vallone received from Department of Transportation Queens Commissioner Nicole Garcia.

Well, at least they did something about Shore Road.

Vallone to block Douglaston historic district extension

From the NY Times:

On Thursday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold a hearing, the first of four, to clear a backlog of 95 items that have been on the agency’s to-do list for up to four decades. Among them is the Douglaston extension, which in addition to 17 homes includes a Tudor-style apartment building, a church and an elementary school, most of which date from the 1850s to the 1910s. A final determination will be made next year on whether to declare these properties landmarks.

While many in the existing Douglaston Historic District, as well as New Yorkers across the city, might view living in a landmark with pride, there are those who consider it onerous. Where some see history and beauty, they see bureaucracy, expense and limitations on what they can do with their properties.

Councilman Paul Vallone, a Democrat whose district includes Douglaston, has already said he will block the expansion of the historic district in light of residents’ opposition. The City Council has final say over land-use matters, and members almost always defer to the local representative. As a result, Ms. Carroll, the commission director, anticipates the agency might not expend resources approving something that will only be defeated.

Close call in Douglaston