College Point Blvd crap

Aw..what a cute little house. Looks like there is a parking lot at the corner next to it. We can't be having that on College Point Blvd. It might set a bad precedent for Downtown Flushing!
Ah, now that's better. 130-08 58th Road. Only 2 units? Wait, I forgot the subdivided lots... 130-04 and 130-06
Notice the cardboard-like garage door with a pile of bricks in front of it. Incidentally, the name on the permits is "Huang" though I am not sure if he is related to you-know-who.

Queens Crap Quiz

Since it's a holiday, let's have some fun.

So who will be the first to figure out what's wrong here?

MTA: Congestion pricing cost too high

In a report detailing how a road tax would affect mass transit, the MTA outlined short-term service upgrades it would implement by next fall to prepare for the influx of riders who would be expected to leave their cars at home if congestion pricing were approved to begin in spring 2009. The report was released Friday to members of a commission studying congestion pricing.

Head-On Collision Over Traffic Congestion

The MTA report identifies $388 million of unfunded capital and operating costs associated with the service upgrades, and will likely add fuel to the debate on whether charging drivers to enter Manhattan south of 86th Street is the most practical way to reduce the traffic jams that are crippling the metropolitan region.

[Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said] between 35% and 55% of trips in the charged zone are taxis, which would not have to pay the fee.

Why is that? Taxis = cars, and I thought we wanted people to get out of cars and take mass transit. Hmmm....

Photo from EMBARQ Blog

LIC sex assault suspect on the loose

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Police are looking for a suspect who they say sexually assaulted a teenage girl and tried to rob her Tuesday afternoon in Queens.

The suspect allegedly armed with a knife, demanded money from the 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene around 4:20 p.m. in Long Island City.

The victim was taken to Elmhurst General Hospital where she was treated and released.

The suspect is described as a 25-year-old white male, five-feet-seven-inches, wearing a black shirt and khaki pants.

Police are asking anyone with information in regards to this incident to contact Crimestoppers at 800-577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

Columbus Day history lesson

Hey Serf - Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus were not the same person. We celebrate the achievements of the latter today.

QBG will restore part of Flushing River

This is in response to my recent post on the Flushing River. Having taken today's Open House tour of the Queens Botanical Garden's new administration building, I was impressed by their master plan, which would include partially restoring the section of Kissena Creek that runs through the QBG property.

Their new building is one of only 16 in the nation that has a Platinum LEED designation for sustainability. 20 percent of its energy comes from the sun. Its green rooftop is some 50 degrees cooler than a conventional black tar rooftop. (85F compared to 140F on a summer day)

-mazeartist

Are Tierney & company tops?

Recent criticism must really be getting to the LPC if their chair feels compelled to trick a reporter into write a vanity piece about it:

"In addition to preserving history," [LPC Chair Robert Tierney] says, "landmark status on a building or a neighborhood can increase the appreciation on home ownership and immediately improve the reputation of a neighborhood."

City Champions: Preserving the best of New York

In Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, the price of a brownstone in the designated historic district can sell for $100,000 to $150,000 more than a non-designated area with the same architecture three blocks away.

So they are admitting that preservation of neighborhoods boosts property values. How did they let that slip out? Now you understand why Queens is at the bottom of the barrel. It's called redlining.

City champions? I think not.

Photo from the City Review

Flushing Avenue corner crap

This corner lot at 61st Street and Flushing Avenue in Maspeth was formerly used for parking cars & trucks. Now it features a piece of Queens Crap that gets more interesting with each passing week. There appear to be storefronts at ground level, but no windows or doors on the 61st Street side. Despite this, "58-05 61 STREET WILL BE MAILING ADDRESS." The second and third floors contain balconies which don't match each other in either design or color. Then there's the striped earth-tone stucco contrasting with shiny brown brick! The plans call for 2 dwelling units above the stores, but it looks like there may be a few more than that.

Why Elmhurst is full of Queens Crap

In the past, developers have had little incentive to start new condo and rental projects in Elmhurst because its large immigrant population has at least in part seen the neighborhood as a pass-through zone rather than a destination. They often establish themselves with a starter home, then upgrade to a larger residence or move out of the neighborhood within a few years, said Jeff Silverbush, owner of Century 21 Best Realty, the neighborhood's largest brokerage.

Heeding the siren call...of Elmhurst

But now, there's a new game in town!

Two new high-end condominium projects -- the C Condo at 79-35 Calamus Avenue and the Miramar Building at 81-14 Queens Boulevard -- and two large rental projects by Pi have been built or are in the process of being built.

The developments are being marketed to a demographic that's largely new to Elmhurst: professionals who work in Manhattan and who have been priced out of Queens neighborhoods closer to the city. C Condo, developed by the Criterion Group, is a four-story, 14-unit luxury building. It has sold more than half of its units since sales began in March.

Notice how the new building behind them under construction still resembles Queens Crap. Maybe it's contextual zoning! Notice also how the Criterion Group hijacked their logo from the Buildings Department. One of their crowning achievements was the acquisition and demolition of this once grand house in Brooklyn.

The new Bohemians

The NY Times visits Bohemian Hall in Astoria:

Welcome. But Don’t Call Them German

You hear that, Pete?

Dispatch from Claire

As it currently exists, Willets Point is one of the most blighted areas in the City of New York. Its soil and earth are polluted and in desperate need of remediation. The vast majority of its structures are substandard and do not conform to the City’s building codes. Anyone who has ever ridden the number 7 line to Flushing, visited Shea Stadium or driven on the Van Wyck or Whitestone Expressways has seen the worst eyesore in Queens County; 60 festering acres sitting in the middle of some of the most exciting and hopeful land in the City of New York. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Creating A Bold Vision For Willets Point’s Future

Sitting down with Willets Point business owner Daniel Sanbucci Sr., of Sanbucci Bros. Salvage Yards, it is obvious he is a little jaded. “It’s junk around here, we know that,” he said. “But the City has been neglecting us for 55 years.” Willets Point is notorious for being the largest parcel in the City without hook up to the sewer system. “What kind of business do you know that has an outhouse,” Sanbucci said pointing to the emerald green port-o-john in the corner of the parking lot.

The Waiting Game: Willets Point Plans Remain In Flux As Biz Owners Anticipate The News

Selling Big Allis

National Grid announced that it will be moving expeditiously to divest the Ravenswood Generating Station, which was acquired as part of the company's August 24 acquisition of KeySpan Corp. Divestiture of the plant was a condition of the New York State Public Service Commission order approving the acquisition of KeySpan by National Grid.

"National Grid is committed to moving this process quickly forward to meet the requirements and expectations of the New York PSC," said Steve Holliday, chief executive of National Grid. "We expect to announce the winning bidder by the end of the first quarter of 2008. Subject to regulatory approvals, this timetable is well in advance of the three year period allowed by the New York PSC."

Ravenswood Generating Station, a 2,400-megawatt facility in Queens, N.Y. is primarily fueled by natural gas and provides approximately 25 percent of New York City's electricity supply.

A Rising Tide

The Queens Tribune has finished an interesting 4-part series on flooding called "A Rising Tide":

One Week Into Disaster Assistance (Part one of four)

Claims Show City’s Needed Upgrades (Part two of four)

Solutions Sought To Handle Overflow (Part three of four)

City Agencies Eye Flood Prevention (Part four of four)

Editorial: A Rising Tide

Cold War crap?

This is some pretty bland 1980s-era crap. Though we were waging the Cold War internationally, parts of the Unites States were apparently inspired by drab Soviet-style utilitarian architecture.

62-36 59th Drive

There are 11 units here. At least there are a lot of green shrubs outside. Hopefully, those trees will grow quickly and cover up the rest of the sight that's hard on the eyes.

Queens Boulevard, the musical?

Charles Mee travels 'Queens Boulevard'
By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Writer

It's quite a switch from adapting Greek tragedy to a musical set on the streets of the New York borough of Queens.

But Charles Mee, who is being celebrated this season at the Signature Theatre Company, has written "Queens Boulevard (the musical)," the next show at the company's Peter Norton Space. It follows his "Iphigenia 2.0," a freewheeling, modern-dress version of Euripides' classic tragedy.

"Queens Boulevard (the musical)," based on an Indian dance drama, follows the adventures of soon-to-be-wed man searching the borough for the perfect gift for his bride. Amir Arison plays Vijay, the groom; Michi Barall is Shizuko, the bride. The director is Davis McCallum and the choreographer Peter Pucci.

The musical begins preview performances Nov. 6 and opens Dec. 3 for a run through Dec. 30. Specially priced $20 tickets are available, but check the theater for availability. For tickets, call 212-244-PLAY, go online at www.signaturetheatre.org or visit the theater's box office, 555 W. 42nd St.

Off Broadway musical based on Kathakali dance drama

Operation Impact for Construction

Click on the column to enlarge. From Metro, October 2nd, 2007.

Developer encroaches on church land

Bellerose civic leaders are asking the city Department of Buildings to put a stop-work order on the construction of a pair of two-family homes they say are being built too close to a plot of land owned by St. Gregory The Great Church.

The civic leaders - Community Board 13 Chairman Richard Hellenbrecht, Mary Ann Hellenbrecht and Mike and Angela Augugliaro - and St. Greg's priest Rev. Joseph Cunningham say the properties at 87-28 and 87-30 Commonwealth Blvd. have to be set back four feet from the church property in order to comply with zoning regulations.

Civics: Houses built on St. Gregory's land

Angela Augugliaro said the construction was self-certified. She suggested Buildings do away with that process because she claimed developers can use self-certification to go forward with improper construction.

"Self-certification is the worst thing that came down the pike," she said.

Balanced reporting

Not only did the Queens Gazette dedicate full pages to these two incumbent pols' fundraisers, they wasted their color pages to do so:

Vallone fundraiser draws 150+

Astorians show support for Onorato at fundraiser

Well, what did you expect them to do at his fundraiser...heckle him?

Photo from Queens Gazette

City wants to give us flood loans, too!

The dark black storm clouds that tore through the City last month may be long gone but, for many local residents, a different type of cloud still lingers. Though the tornado may have missed Queens, the accompanying rains caused devastation of their own, flooding countless residents’ homes and leaving them scrambling to repair the damage. Insurance settlements, that often fail to cover the full cost of repairs, have left owners having to dip deep into savings or take on costly home improvement loans to make up the difference. While never easy for anyone, for some — particularly the borough’s elderly and working class homeowners — securing this kind of financing can be a real problem. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be. The New Housing Marketplace Plan — Mayor Bloomberg’s $7.5 billion plan to create and preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing — contains a number of programs designed to help.

The Home Improvement Program (HIP) — a program run by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) — offers low-interest loans of up to $30,000 to qualified families living in one- to four-family homes. Homeowners making up to $102,700 for a family of four qualify for a 5 percent rate, while those making below $56,700 for that same family of four qualify for a 2.5 percent rate. The loans can be paid back over the course of 10 years and can be obtained from participating local banks with no closing costs.

For qualified seniors ages 60 and up, the Senior Citizen Deferred Payment Homeowner Assistance Loan Program (SCHAP) offers 0-3 percent rehabilitation loans of up to $30,000 per unit for owner-occupied two- to four-family homes and up to $40,000 for single-family homes. Couples making up to $68,000 and individuals making up to $59,600 qualify for 30-year, deferred payment loans where the principal and interest are not due until transference of the property to a new owner. The loans are financed by HPD and administered through the Parodneck Foundation, a non-profit organization operating throughout the five boroughs.

Lastly, the Emergency Loan and Revolving Loan Fund Programs—programs run as partnerships between HPD and the Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS), a national non-profit housing organization—provide rehabilitation loans of up to $30,000 per unit to qualified homeowners living in one- to four-family homes. In addition, emergency loans of up to $10,000 are also available. Families of four making up to $102,700 can qualify for these predominately 5-year loans, while couples can earn up to $82,150. The loans are administered through NHS’s neighborhood offices, which are located in all five boroughs.

Owners will need to provide information about family size; total family income; proof that the building is, in fact, owner occupied; a list of the building’s current problems; a proposed workscope and a release authorizing a credit check. If approved, the borrower can receive their money in as little as a month of first submitting the application. Homeowners can then begin repairs with the help of a licensed contractor or, in certain circumstances, even on their own.

For further information on any of these programs, please visit the HPD website at http://www.nyc.gov/hpdwww.nyc.gov/hpd or call the City’s 311 hotline and ask for details on HPD’s home loan programs.

Sincerely,
Shaun Donovan
Commissioner, New York City Department
of Housing Preservation and Development

It's great to know that the City will make money off of our misery along with the Feds. But what is being done to prevent sewage backup again?

Bay Ridge blues

Right in Bay Ridge details a demo that was very, very wrong in Bay Ridge.

Cents and Sense: Sneaky and Underhanded Businessmen Are Wrecking Bay Ridge

Illegal apartments raided in the Bronx

City building inspectors and firefighters raided a slew of illegal apartments in five Mott Haven homes yesterday, leaving dozens of families homeless without warning.

34 routed from illegal Mott Haven apartments

The noon raids displaced 34 people, including children, from the two-story brick homes at 416, 420, 430, 436 and 438 E. 142nd St., just off Willis Ave.

The American Red Cross was called to the scene to help families with temporary lodging.

Several of the one-family homes had as many as seven apartments inside.

The farm at John Bowne High School

Although some might question the real-world benefits of city kids learning how to plow land, harvest trout and raise chickens, the students said there were many practical aspects to the program, such as the business and marketing side of selling their wares.

There are also the real-life biology lessons, and the plant-filled greenhouse.

FERTILE MINDS

Students spend two of their four years working year-round on the farm, which in addition to producing apples, raspberries and collard greens is also home to chickens, goats and alpacas.

It dates back to 1917 and sits behind the school, which opened in 1964.

While the produce has been sold for years at the school store and at a stand outside, yesterday marked the first collaboration between the city's Office of School Food and Nutrition Services and the young Johnny Appleseeds.

Photo from NY Post

Corona profiled by AM-NY

AM-NY's photos of Corona are surprising short on crap. I mean, if there were a top 5 "neighborhoods full of Queens Crap" list, Corona would definitely make the cut.

City Living: Corona, Queens

Photo from AM-NY

RKO Keith's Theater back on the market

After more than five years of trying to develop the site of the famed RKO Keith's Theater in downtown Flushing, the Brooklyn developer who owns it has put the bedraggled property up for sale, several members of Community Board 7 said this week.

Dormant RKO Keith's theater for sale again

Members of CB 7's Executive Board said they were told by Borough President Helen Marshall's office last week that Boymelgreen Development, which bought the property in 2002, is planning to sell it, effectively ending a once hopeful bid by the developer to rejuvenate the formerly majestic site.

Flushing’s RKO Keith’s Is Up For Sale Again

And over in our sister borough, Brownstoner is Wondering about the Loew's Wonder Theater.

Photo from HopeTunnel

FDNY ramps up building inspections

The Fire Department has found dozens of fire hazards at construction sites - including broken water pipes and elevators - in stepped-up inspections following a deadly blaze at a ground zero skyscraper that it hadn't inspected for more than a year.

Inspections after WTC fire uncover 120 plus violations

After visiting hundreds of sites around the city, the department has uncovered more than 120 violations since the Aug. 18 fire at the former Deutsche Bank building. The inspections have caused the city to shut down construction sites at a rate twice as high since the fire, compared with the months before, according to city records.

Some of the sites - close to 500 - are being inspected for the first time, despite city law requiring inspections every 15 days.

Photo from Newsday

DOB approval for FH shopping center

After having his plans rejected by city officials and getting slapped with multiple stop-work orders, a developer finally got the green light last week to start building a small shopping center in Forest Hills.

But some residents remain suspicious of the project, charging that the developer has been “secretive” about his exact plans for the site, at Metropolitan and 71st avenues.

Building Plans Get Green Light, But Residents Disapprove

“If this place complies (with city codes) and the tenant is acceptable, nobody’s going to object,” she said. “But when everybody’s in such a rush to put up new buildings and everything is so hush-hush, secret-secret, people are naturally going to get upset.”

Demo row in Fresh Meadows

Three houses on the east side of 186th Street between the Horace Harding Expressway and 64th Avenue were approved for demolition last week amid concerns in the neighborhood that they may be replaced by much taller commercial structures.

186th St. houses slated for demolition

The three houses at 61-25, 61-29 and 61-33 186th St. are built in a style similar to their R3-2 neighbors, but have as the eastern border of their back yards the Fresh Meadows Shopping Complex and its parking lot, which make use of the C4-2 zoning. The other structures on the east side of the block are real estate offices.

Alex Christodoulides of the Times Ledger seems to be the only reporter in Queens to consistently write about these issues. My hat's off to her.

From Brooklyn with crap

From Miss Heather in Greenpoint:

...did I mention there is a Stop Work Order on this property?...I found no such notice on the fence. They probably ripped it off and went back to work. That seems to be the general practice around here nowadays.

Back At It On Box Street

Wha...what about that stop work order patrol? And here I thought that would solve everything. (Heh!)

City considers LIC "underdeveloped, poor"

The city is moving toward grouping portions of its biggest colleges and universities in far-flung underdeveloped neighborhoods such as Long Island City, Governors Island, the South Bronx, and downtown Brooklyn.

City Is Pushing Colleges To Expand Into Poorer Areas

[Which of the above named towns is "underdeveloped"? What does that term even mean? And other than the South Bronx, which of them is economically disadvantaged?]

"We still need to make schools more aware of the development potential of places like Long Island City to prevent schools from going outside of New York City to expand," the vice president for business development at the city's Economic Development Corporation, Teresa Vazquez said.

"There is no major academic investment there," Ms. Vazquez said of Long Island City, where the city has invested $40 million in infrastructure to make the neighborhood more attractive to private investors. "It's new territory for them."

Yes, let's invite the same college campuses that took over the Village and Morningside Heights to take over LIC. Brilliant idea. Let's see what the community board does this time.

Update, 3:45pm:

The title is interesting considering that the Sun printed this article in today's edition of the paper as well: Long Island City Finally Reaches Critical Mass

Photo from Curbed

CB5 locks public out of DEP meeting

Western Queens residents will soon get a chance to air their flooding-related grievances before city officials. However, they won’t be able to voice them in-person.

For reasons pertaining to space and efficiency, an Oct. 11th session between leaders of major civics throughout Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood – areas hit hard by heavy rains this past summer – and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will take place behind closed doors.

According to a representative of DEP, Community Board 5 will be hosting the meeting at an undisclosed location.

City To Civics: Let's Talk About Flooding

With regards to the closed-door policy, those involved in next Thursday’s session wanted to maximize discussion time with DEP, not rehash residents’ gripes.

Wow this is very interesting. First of all, the meeting is hosted by the community board yet is closed to the public. So much for open government.

Further, it is being held exclusively with members of select civic groups, and probably more than 95% of the constituents of CB5 are not members of any civic group, therefore, their concerns and ideas will not be heard.

DEP never came to this area to face the music. How can complaints be "rehashed" if they were never heard in the first place? DEP knows these communities were hit the hardest, mainly because they failed to do routine maintenance, and they are too chicken to be confronted with the havoc their negligence has caused. In addition, Councilman Dennis "Pinky" Gallagher booted the chair of CB5's environmental committee off of the board last year, no one ever took his place and the committee went kaput.

Interesting how this article starts out by saying that the meeting is closed due to space limitations (surely there is no shortage of available large meeting spaces within CB5 and the CB's own public meeting is the night before) and then ends by saying that CB5 and DEP don't want to hear people's flooding complaints. Hey guys, a "gripe" is someone complaining that supermarkets these days only use plastic bags. A foot of sewage in someone's basement is considered a crisis. Sounds like you are attending classes at the Bloomberg College of Public Empathy.

CB3 gets chuckle out of FEMA

Two women from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and two from the Small Business Administration were at the meeting to convey information to anyone who suffered flood damage as a result of the August 8 rainfall. The FEMA representatives, Kim Anderson and Jane Kennedy, encouraged all those who thought they might qualify for FEMA grants to apply for them. The agency would then evaluate the applications. FEMA’s local disaster assistance service center is at 137-77 Northern Blvd., and Spanish and Korean translators are available.

Anderson said when an application is submitted, a FEMA inspector visits the applicant’s home within a week to 10 days to evaluate conditions there. One flood victim complained that she incurred $85,000 in damage repair expenses for her flooded basement and was told she did not qualify for a FEMA grant. Kennedy said that FEMA does not as a rule deal with flooded basements, a declaration that drew laughter. The disqualified applicant said she had read all the FEMA literature she was given and found no such disclaimer anywhere. Jennifer Manley, a representative from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office to Board 3 and other boards in Queens, said that was the first time she had heard about it, too.

Giovanna Reid, the board’s district manager, said that nearly all disaster claims she is aware of in the district have involved flooded basements and sewage deposits therein. The SBA representatives, Bonnie Wright and Betty Fuentes, went over the procedure of applying for low-interest loans, either home disaster loans for homeowners and renters or economic injury disaster loans for working capital to small businesses.

Board 3 Hears From FEMA

Maybe if the community affairs unit actually went out and talked to flooding victims instead of writing offensive letters to community groups and boycotting their meetings, they would know what is going on with regards to FEMA in Queens. And thank you Congressman Joe Crowley for getting us this important federal assistance... Where are you now that we're getting screwed?

Edgardo still hasn't sold his dream home

Edgardo Alfonzo lowers price of Little Neck home
BY VALERIE KELLOGG, Newsday

The former Mets All-Star infielder and current Long Island Duck Edgardo Alfonzo has lowered the price of his Little Neck house -- complete with basement batting cage -- to $6.1 million.

The 14,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, 5½-bath mansion has deluxe detailing throughout, including a master bathroom made of white- and gold-colored onyx. That bathroom alone cost $750,000 to build.

The home was most recently listed with Peggy Moriarty of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty for $7.6 million. When it was put up for sale last year, the asking price was $8 million.

Only two houses in Queens are currently listed for more money -- a high-ranch in Rosedale for $6.259 million, and a Colonial in Whitestone for $7.7 million.

See also:

Edgardo's Dream House

More of Edgardo's Dream Home

Photo from Queens Reborn

Gioia leads Tierney around Sunnyside

Recently, Councilman Eric Gioia and the Landmarks Preserv- ation Comm- ission (LPC) led a tour of the proposed Sunnyside Gardens Historic District for City Council members who sit on the Council’s Landmarks Subcommittee.

Councilmembers from across the City, including Jessica Lappin (D-Manhattan), Chair of the Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses Subcommittee, and Melinda Katz (D-Queens), Chair of the Land Use Committee, walked the streets of Sunnyside to observe the neighborhood firsthand. The Landmarks Subcommittee will hold a hearing on landmarking Sunnyside Gardens on October 9 at 11am at City Hall. The hearing marks the beginning of the final phase of the landmark designation process and will be followed by a vote by both the Landmarks Subcommittee and the Land Use Committee
and, finally, by the entire City Council. Members of the community are invited to attend the hearing, where they will have the opportunity to offer testimony.

“Sunnyside Gardens means a lot to me,” Gioia said. “It’s a neighborhood I know and love well, and it’s where I’ve chosen to live with my family and raise my daughter. At the hearing, I will speak in favor of landmark designation, as I believe that landmarking represents the best way to preserve the unique and special character of the Gardens.

I urge all of my neighbors, whatever their point of view, to join me at City Hall on the morning of the 9th to have their opinions heard as well.”

Community members who have questions about the hearing or the landmarking process can call Councilman Gioia’s office at 718.383.9566.

Earlier this year, Councilman Gioia engaged in a neighborhood wide listening tour to solicit opinions from residents regarding the proposal to landmark the Gardens.

Gioia met with residents in his office, sent letters and emails, and had his staff call through residents to solicit input. In addition, he and his staff went out into the neighborhood, knocking on doors and trying to determine what people would like to see changed and what people considered most important to preserve.

Sunnyside Gardens was built in the 1920s as a leafy, green enclave for middle class families, just 3 miles from downtown Manhattan. It was the first American adaptation of the English garden city model, with buildings covering just over a quarter of the total land area.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate Sunnyside Gardens on June 26. If approved by the Council, it will become Queens’ largest historic district.

A Hull of an experience

Dear Crappy,

I am attaching a picture of a house at 65-61 Hull Avenue in Maspeth where the resident is fighting the contractor. Look what they have done to this person's house!

Just recently (this past week) they put up a nice new fence in front of the freshly built house but the neighboring house gets nothing? What a shame!

I wish I could literally beat the crap out of the contractors and people involved in this mess!

I feel so bad these people are having to deal with this.

I found this on the web regarding the contractor American Construction & Renovation, South Ozone Park, NY:

Contractors cheated home owners out of thousands

Here is the original post.

Thanks.

- Faster340

I can do you one better than that. Check out this post from last year. It was one of our first.

This makes my all-time favorite complaint list:

"CALLER STATES THEY ARE DOING CONSTRUCTION WITH A STOP ORDER. ALSO USING BOB CAT DAMAGING CALLER'S PROPERTY. ALSO WORKER UNDER ALCOHOL (DRINKING)"

Check's in the mail

MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND FINANCE COMMISSIONER STARK ANNOUNCE 2007 $400 PROPERTY TAX REBATE CHECKS ARE IN THE MAIL

This year’s checks remind owners that they are only to cash the check if their home is their primary residence. If not, they are instructed to return the check, which will also help the Department of Finance to keep its records updated.

"We can't verify if you live there or not, so we'll just assume you do. But please be honest and mail it back if you don't because our system is screwed up." Ah, it's great when the city admits its own incompetence.

Flood relief...by 2017

Hey, great news...DEP is forming a task force!

As the task force focuses its microscope on Queens' neighborhoods, it will be looking to develop an emergency flood-response plan, an outreach and education plan to help residents better prepare for flooding and a mitigation plan for so-called flooding "hot spots," Lloyd said.

Explain why the city was operating without this in the first place...

Task force to create city flood solutions

Lloyd said that as the task force does its work, DEP will increase the number of inspections and catch-basin cleaning in flood-prone areas.

The problem is that people flooded where there never were floods before, so it appears you have to clean ALL the catch basins, Emily.

"We will measure sewer flows for a year to better understand the causes of the problems and assess where infrastructure should be altered," Lloyd said, adding that the DEP plans to spend $2.8 billion to rebuild the city's sewage system by 2017.

How about meeting with the people who had a foot of crap in their basements this past summer? Why won't you do that? 2017 is a long time to have to wait for relief.

LIC an empty shell: Times

This fading industrial sector may be exper- iencing a renewed vitality because of its perch across the East River from Midtown, but its renaissance is at a quirky phase: The influx of residents is outpacing the goods and services that make a neighborhood. It is a car without an engine, a cup of ramen noodles awaiting a splash of hot water.

Life’s Necessities Play Catch-Up With Development on the Queens Waterfront

Joseph Conley, the chairman of Community Board 2, whose district includes Queens West, said he was concerned what the burgeoning neighborhood might do to the true pioneers of the area — the third-generation residents who grew up in a neighborhood of single-family homes that stood alongside factories. Many of those people are not in the same economic bracket as the transplants settling in the luxury residences along the river.

“We don’t want it to be a playground for the rich.”

Meanwhile, my pals at Curbed are having a good chuckle at QW's expense:

QueensWest Stumbles Into Becoming Real Neighborhood

Double digits

This house is on Cromwell Crescent in Rego Park. Notice how there are 2 addresses on one regular sized house. Only 64-14 is a valid address. Anyone have any ideas on why they'd have two?

RR clearcuts trees on LI, too

Work started for Yaphank rail site without approvals

Bayport Aerodome tree removal effort halted

Pinky nixes DA deal

'RAPE' POL NIXES DEAL
By MAGGIE HABERMAN, NY Post

Queens Councilman Dennis Gallagher, under indictment for rape, has turned down a plea deal that would keep him out of jail, The Post has learned.

Under the rejected offer, the pol would have admitted to felony assault, but not to a sex crime.

Gallagher pleaded not guilty in August when he was arraigned and vowed he'd be "vindicated."

Sources said the offer was made during recent discussions between Queens District Attorney Richard Brown's office and Gallagher's lawyers.

Brown declined comment. Gallagher's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, couldn't be reached.

Under the deal, Gallagher would not have had to register as a sex offender.

This guy puts the "court" in court jester.

Getting soaked

In a stunning development, homeowners may soon get socked with an extraordinary water-rate hike of up to 18 percent - on top of the 11.5 percent increase that kicked in only three months ago, The Post has learned.

GOOD GU$H! APPLE EYES BIG H2O HIKE

Officials said the special rate boost could be enacted as early as Jan. 1, because water and sewer revenues in September plummeted $31 million below projections.

Graphic from NY Post

Remembering the forgotten Flushing River

Lately, my Forest Hills neighborhood has become a hive of civic activity. Citizen groups have been created on a variety of issues- preservation, Queens Blvd safety, train noise, and subway service. If I had to choose a pet cause, it would be the Flushing River. It appears that every waterway in our city has a conservation group dedicated to it, there's the Bronx River Alliance, Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, Harlem River Festival, Udalls Cove Preservation Committee... Why not start a Flushing River Alliance or Flushing Riverkeepers?

More here: The Forgotten Flushing River

A crap above, part 4

A fictional conversation at 70-18 Calamus Avenue on the Maspeth-Woodside border.

"You know, honey, instead of buying a 2-family house, let's build this one-family up another story so it sticks out like a sore thumb among the other row houses it's attached to."

"Great idea, babe. Let's post the permits on the second floor where no one will see them. After that, we'll build exterior steps that jut out above the entranceway to the first floor."

"Good thinking. In fact, let's throw caution to the wind and not erect a construction fence."

"Can we also pack the first floor with garbage bags that flow out onto the stairs?"

"Of course! I'll find an architect that will self-certify and a contractor that will use day laborers who won't mind using a rickety unsafe scaffolding."

"This is gonna be so much fun!"

See also A Crap Above, A Crap Above, Part 2, and A Crap Above, Part 3.

Rogue architect still at it

TROUBLE IS BUILDING FOR BROOKLYN ARCHITECT
By RICH CALDER, NY Post

Controversial architect Robert Scarano is under fire again after the city's Department of Buildings shut down two of his north Brooklyn projects late last week - including one where a construction truck tipped over and smashed into a neighboring home.

Neighbors said the truck turned over Friday while pouring cement for an apartment project at 53 Java St. in Greenpoint being overseen by Scarano, who is already under investigation on other projects.

One day earlier, DOB slapped Scarano's project with a $2,000 summons and ordered construction halted after determining unauthorized work was being done despite a previous stop-work order, officials said.

On Friday, DOB issued a stop-work order for the third time on his condo project at 205 N. Seventh St. in Williamsburg. Construction was halted a day after The Post reported workers were allowed back on site to start drilling; DOB determined the work put adjoining properties in danger.

The project was shut down three months earlier after neighbors complained workers drilled into L-line subway-tunnel walls and that the drilling cracked the foundations of nearby homes and streets.

Scarano could not be reached for comment.

Domino Developers $weet on Lobbyists

By RICH CALDER, NY Post

The developers planning to convert the old Domino Sugar refinery on the Brooklyn waterfront into condos have forked over at least $577,000 to lobby city officials for a zoning change needed to break ground on the $1.2 billion project, records show.

CPC Resources and Isaac Kataan paid the law firm of Herrick Feinstein $537,802 in 2005 and 2006 to lobby the Planning Department regarding a pending application to have the 11.2-acre industrial tract rezoned for residential use, according to city records.

It also paid lobbyist Michele DeMilly another $40,000 over both years to lobby the City Council, the local community board and other officials. Records for 2007 were unavailable.

The developers' claim that they can't preserve the building with the famous "Domino Sugar" sign is a lot of hot air because they have "endless monies for lobbying," said Williamsburg activist Philip DePaolo.

But Lloyd Kaplan, a spokesman for the developers, said a bulk of the fees were related to correspondence with planners.

The Domino complex wasn't included in the city's rezoning of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg waterfront in 2005. Critics say the area can't handle the extra residents the project would bring, but many officials support the plan, since it would create 660 affordable housing units.

Springfield Gardens in the NY Times

An expanse of homes with a note of suburban calm, Springfield Gardens, like some other Queens neighborhoods, has also been the site of feverish development in recent years as investors have gobbled up and demolished single-family houses and replaced them with multiple-family dwellings. Many residents worry that the population increase ushered in by the larger buildings is more than the neighborhood’s infrastructure can accommodate.

Zoned, at Least Partly, to Stay Petite

Furthermore, Progressive Southside wonders if a segment of the neighborhood isn't being gentrified:

Springfield Gardens or Carroll Gardens? $1775 for a 1-BR Rental @ The New Yorker

Here are the luxury apartment buildings being built in the area:

New York Tower Rentals

Photo from NY Times

Trackfront Craphouse

You've heard of the Waterfront Crabhouse? Well, meet the trackfront craphouse. Alongside LIRR freight tracks, these were built as semi-attached 2 family homes, each with a 2-car garage. However, the homeowner on the left apparently wanted more rental income:

76-12 88 Street

"Convert garage to living space on 1st floor." Of course, DOB happily obliged. Doesn't look like they ever removed the garage door though...