Sunnyside's Roosevelt Avenue is going to get mighty crowded

Sunnyside Post


A small area around the 52nd Street train station has become a hot bed for development—and it is about to get a whole lot hotter.

Plans were filed last week for a 17-story, 90-unit complex at the corner of 51st Street and Roosevelt Ave., where the blue-colored J & Sons Supply building once stood.

The building would include six apartments per floor from floors three to 17. There would be ground floor commercial space, with the second floor used for mechanical and electrical purposes. The cellar would include parking and recreation space.

The plans include a stand-alone school, which would be four-stories tall, on the same site. The school is likely to be a private school, since the School Construction Authority said it is not working on bringing a public school to the site.

The plans are currently being reviewed by the Department of Buildings, including whether they meet existing zoning requirements.


Plans were filed in March for a six-story, 10-unit building at 52-16 Roosevelt Ave., a site mid-block between 52nd and 53rd Streets that once housed former Council Member Eric Gioia’s offices and a small shed next door. On the adjacent site, at the corner of 53rd and Roosevelt Avenue, a six-story building is being developed.

In addition, plans were filed in January for a seven-story, 40-unit complex at 51-24 Roosevelt Ave., where Nunziato Florists and Payag Restaurant were located.

Meanwhile, plans for a 5 story, 10-unit building at 52-22 Roosevelt Ave., where Adelita restaurant was formerly located, were filed in 2017.

Additionally, plans were filed last year for a six-story, 14-unit complex at 43-20 52nd St.
On Queens Boulevard, at 50-17 Queens Blvd (43-44 51st Street), plans have been filed for a nine-story, 75-unit building.

Dan tries to plead insanity

From the NY Post:

Former City Councilman and “pagan prince” Dan Halloran now says he’s crazy — but it’s only to stall his trial next week on charges that he aided in Rep. Malcolm Smith’s plan to rig the mayoral race, prosecutors say.

Halloran (R-Queens) notified White Plains federal Judge Kenneth Karas this week that he “underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor” in May 2012 and wants to use insanity as a defense for his alleged aberrant ­behavior.

Assistant US Attorneys Douglas Bloom and Justin Anderson fired back with a letter to Karas, accusing Halloran of doing whatever it takes to delay the trial.

“Pretrial motions were due six months ago” but Halloran waited “until the week before trial to request an insanity instruction,” prosecutors wrote.

“Brain surgery, in and of ­itself, is not a basis for an ­insanity defense. Halloran does not allege that the surgery — which, based on press reports, involved the removal of a benign tumor from
above his ear two years ago — affected his cognition in any way. To the contrary, at the time, he claimed to have recovered well.

“Given that Halloran’s request was filed simultaneously with his application for a six-month continuance, it appears to be nothing more than an attempt to ­delay the trial,” the prosecutors said.