The dirt bike dirtbags of Wayanda Park

"These ghetto punks ride their dirt bikes and quads down Hollis Ave doing wheelies on a daily basis. Sometimes, they speed down the sidewalk all the way down to Springfield Blvd, putting pedestrians at risk. The streets of South Queens Village has been taken over by these thugs. Now, they are destroying the beautiful lawn at Wayanda Park on Hollis Ave. As you can see, the douche bag on the quad covered his face while I snapped a picture of him on 217st. I'm going to contact my Community Affairs officer to see if they can step up patrols in the area. The ghetto nonsense never ends in Southeast Qns." - anonymous

Fake grass is not a solution

"Another one of those paved-over front lawns. But this one's a bit different. Not sure if the fake grass/Astroturf came before or after the complaint, but the DOB apparently wasn't too pleased with this "remedy."

-Rick

Parking on the front lawn

This parking on lawns is destroying our neighborhoods. Look at this clown on 127th st and the corner of 11th Ave in College Point. Looks wonderful right?

If parking on the lawn can’t get him in trouble? It’s a TLC car. I don’t think this is what the TLC had in mind when they said they had to have off-street parking.

Before him the same house had this:

- anonymous

Lawn gone at Steinway Mansion

Photos from George the Atheist

Troublesome timber

Somehow I don't think that this Onderdonk Avenue homeowner owns that telephone pole in their front yard or appreciates the fact that it's leaning at a dangerous angle.

That well-manicured lawn sure is pretty come springtime, and it's a shame that it will be obscured this season. Plus, who would want to work on their garden when there's the threat of a Looney Tunes-type incident occurring?

Parking scofflaws dealt with in Jamaica

From Cleanup Jamaica Queens:

At 164-22 South Road behind York College, an abandon car striped completely, sat in the driveway of a vacant house for close to a year, maybe more. I first came across this back in the summer of 2013 and of course reported it numerous times to no avail. Our elected leaders knew of this, our city agencies and other leaders in the community, but yet it sat an eyesore, every time another piece missing from it and garbage being dumped in or around it. As of March 8th, the vehicle had still be sitting there.

But in steps Jamaica's "The Untouchables" (Sgt. Cedillo, relatively new to the 103rd and his crew) this week and within one day of notifying Sgt. Cedillo, just like magic, the vehicle with no wheels vanished into thin air. Our leaders choose to do nothing for almost a year, yet Cedillo and his top notch crew, swooped in and in a blink of an eye, it was gone.

Team P/J applaud the efforts and tenacity of Sgt. Cedillo and his crew for doing what others choose not to do and bring back law enforcement in regard to these quality of life issues.

The Overlook has seen better days

Located here and here.

Dead grass abounds, long since replaced by patches of dirt and rocks. The uneven terrain has proved a potent trip hazard. And then there is the mud puddle that has been present almost every day of the summer. A wonderful breeding ground for mosquitoes that make the park a sorry place to be at dusk.

- Ted, Kew Gardens

Bowne Park update

From 10am until sundown on Friday after the original Bowne Park post was put up, I received reports that parks workers were there in droves addressing the nasty conditions present. Here is an update:

Hi Crappy –

Well – they’ve mowed the lawn and emptied the trash.

Here are some pix.

Decaying tree branches providing a much-needed tripping hazard – check!

Inaccessible garbage pail out of reach within the fenced-off area, surrounded by garbage chucked over the fence – check!

Unnecessary second bocce court construction project on target for mid-2014 completion – check!

Scummy, dirty broke-down pond – check!

Gee - mowing the lawn did not entirely eliminate the neglected, sorry atmosphere at Bowne Park – go figure!

To Quote Bette Davis (and Elizabeth Taylor) - "What a Dump!"

Regards,

Flooshing Rezident

Vacated Kew Gardens mansion hides a sinister past

Took a stroll down Park Lane South in Kew Gardens recently and stumbled upon this mansion that looks like it hasn't been kept up in quite some time.

Upon researching the history, it became apparent that the house was being operated as a transient hotel/SRO and was vacated by DOB in 2010. The owner pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges in 2009, and although there was an order for the Feds to seize the property, it's still in Irina Khaimov's name with a lien on it in the ACRIS system. There also is more than $100,000 in outstanding fines owed on the property for various violations.

As the site in question is in ownership limbo, the neighbors get to look at this unkempt lawn, and God knows what the inside of the place looks like since it doesn't appear to have been sealed. Goodbye, property values.

Park Lane South used to be one of those grand palace-lined thoroughfares that you could just picture people of means strolling along on a Sunday morning.

Welcome to the new Kew Gardens.

Gotta love those absentee landlords

"Here is how tenants park their HUMMERS as well as their commercial trucks on the lawn of a one-family home in Whitestone. 145-80 5th avenue.

Don't we love absentee landlords, who by the way, live across the street from the house and can see the lovely parking? BTW, there is plenty of parking on the street and in their driveway." - anonymous

DOB catches a mad paver!

Complaint #1: CALLER STS A BLOCK WALL WAS BUILT TOO CLOSE TO THE SIDEWALK WITH NO PERMIT POSTED

Complaint #2: WITHOUT PERMIT, LANDSCAPING REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH OVER 200 SQUARE FEET OF CONCRETE. NO DRAINAGE INSTALLED

Result: 57-36 75 STREET

DOB forces limo company to remove parking pad

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.

What's up with this house?

From Forgotten-NY:

I wonder what the story is with this seemingly abandoned Tudor at 115-8 Park Lane South in Kew Gardens. At least I think it’s abandoned. The grass had been unmowed for months, and the gate was wide open and I walked right onto the lawn.

3 cheers for sensible urban planning

Hey, what's that big shadow on that little building?

From Curbed:

No wonder the neighbors complained: you can see that the one-story base, comprising six separate parcels between North 7th, North 8th, and Berry Streets, abuts the existing buildings in a major way.

Haggerty house needs help

From the NY Times:

In the gilded, leafy confines of Forest Hills Gardens in Queens, the house on Greenway North and Puritan Avenue stands out for its shabbiness.

While nearly every other one of the Tudor homes in this stately enclave is meticulously maintained, and their English garden-style grounds extremely well tended, the large corner house looks as if it has been abandoned.

“Everyone says he keeps the house that way so it looks like no one’s home,” a neighbor said as she gazed out her screen door at the house on Friday.

She was referring to the house’s owner, John F. Haggerty Jr., the Republican political consultant currently on trial in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges that he stole $1.1 million from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and used much of it to pay off the house.

The lawn has apparently not been mowed for months, chest-high weeds have sprung up, and the path to the front door is littered with fallen horse chestnuts from the mammoth tree in front. Bricks have come loose from the porch, and a pair of neglected, dirt-laden cars snooze in the driveway.

I have no comment on this article except to say that if the point you are trying to make is that the house is a fixer-upper, then the photo chosen does not show that.