Illegal conversion bill introduced by Brooklyn City Council member

From Brooklyn Daily:

Brooklyn lawmakers introduced a long-awaited bill on June 21 to combat illegal home construction that activists say is tearing apart Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, but critics say it could put immigrant families in a bind. A legal snag significantly delayed the legislation, so lawmakers dropped a sticky provision that created a relief fund for residents of diced-up homes who are displaced by city-issued vacate orders. But cracking down on illegal housing without a safety net will drive tenants — many of whom are immigrants — onto the streets or into overcrowded housing conditions, critics say.

“Given that the city has very little affordable housing options, where are they going to go?” said Aniqa Nawabi a spokeswoman for Chhaya Community Development Corporation, which advocates for Asian immigrants. “There can be overcrowding in other apartments, because people will go to live with family, 10 to an apartment.”

But legislators had to cut the provision, because it was holding up the works, according to the bill’s primary sponsor, who argued the plan would lead to few evictions, because the city only issues vacate orders on “immediately hazardous” buildings.

“It gives the commi ssioner the option if they find a fire is about to erupt or there’s smoke conditions or gas,” Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge) said. “So not everyone will be displaced — the owner will get fined, the fine will go through, and they’ll financially suffer, but that doesn’t mean there will be a vacate order.”

The legislation, announced to great fanfare in March last year, would create a building violation called “aggravated illegal conversion” — denoting a flippant attempt to subdivide a house against code — that comes with a $15,000-per-unit fine for smaller homes with three or more illegal units. It would also let the Department of Buildings obtain warrants for suspected conversions and put liens on buildings whose owners do not pay up.

It does not affect buildings with fewer than three illegal units to protect otherwise compliant property owners who create basement apartments. Nawabi and Chhaya say the city should go a step further on that front and legalize basement apartments so it can better regulate them.

Build-It-Back project topples over in Brooklyn

From NBC:

A Sandy-damaged home in Brooklyn that was undergoing construction under the city's Build It Back program collapsed Wednesday, just as a family was getting ready to move back in, neighbors say.

The home at 70 Beacon Court in Gerritsen Beach was badly damaged during the 2012 storm, and was finally being repaired, according to neighbors.

It toppled over Wednesday, leaving beams sticking in the air and separating the floor from its foundation.

This doesn't look out of place at all

QNS/photo by Anthony Giudice

From QNS.com:

A huge two-story expansion has been added on top of a home on Cornelia Street near the Bushwick/Ridgewood border, and some residents are concerned that more of the same could be coming across to the Queens side.

According to documents filed with the Department of Buildings (DOB), the owners of 396 Cornelia St. filed for — and were approved for — expanding the existing two-story, two-family building into a four-story, six-family edifice. The application was approved in June 2015, and a permit was issued for the entire job on May 11, 2016.

This expansion will add a new second floor mezzanine level, a new third floor, a new fourth floor and a bulkhead on top of the building, effectively doubling the square footage of the building, from 2,254 square feet to 4,340 square feet.

The documents show that the building’s new additions are all in compliance with the area’s R6 zoning regulations, including the total height of the building, the required length and width, floor area ratio (FAR) and yard sizes. The plans even propose adding a tree to the site.

With the passing of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s zoning text amendments earlier this year, many residents feel developments like this could make their way into Ridgewood and neighboring areas.

Ridgewood beach gets benched

This must be the all time record for a rejection at the SLA. Go to this page, scroll down about 15 entries and look for #113 Rockaway Beach Brewing Company.

No C of O = No permit. NEXT!

Fire started at ex-squatter house

From PIX11:

We’ve told you all about 83-year-old Aida’s fight, finally evicting the squatters in February.

But in April, another concern: a suspicious fire started in some construction debris near the garage of Aida’s house.

When Byrne’s nephew Patrick came over, he couldn’t believe it.

“When I came in the morning the fence was completely down. He had a lot of lumber here, and it was burnt right here,” Patrick said.

The fire department hasn’t supplied an official report yet. Patrick doesn’t know who may have set the fire, nor do we. But it’s more than Aida should have to bear.

Goodwill will stop the beeping noise

From PIX11:

Residents in Astoria say they haven’t been able to sleep because of noisy trucks rattling through their neighborhood and loudly beeping as they back up, as early as 4:30 a.m.

A viewer contacted PIX11 News for help. Berty Samovici recorded video of the disruptive daily noise. He said trucks owned by Goodwill are constantly backing up, evening on the weekends and early in the morning.

PIX11 News reached out to the CEO of Goodwill, who promised to fix the problem.

“We are going to stop the noise,” she said.

Nightlife brings on gentrification

From RA:

"The gentrification of the East Village explicitly hinged on the aesthetics and ambience that the neighborhood's counter-cultural and bohemian artists had created [during] the 1960s and 1970s," she wrote. "The media's attention to this [movement] gradually changed the popular picture of the neighborhood from low and marginal to central and interesting."

Clubs often perform the same function, she said: "Thriving nightlife has ushered in and even constituted an essential part of the revitalization of neighborhoods." Her research showed that nightlife can "revalorize depressed property and trigger gentrification, enabling landlords and real-estate investors to reap 'monopoly rent.'"

Developers often benefit from the buzz that hip nightclubs generate for down-and-out neighborhoods. But Hae argues that when new, upmarket tenants move in and start complaining, they side against nightlife. This tends to be their outlook on the arts as well. "Municipalities [sponsored] workshops and housing subsidies as an anchor for future real estate capital investment in dilapidated neighborhoods," she explained. "Later [they] removed the subsidies to relocate artists elsewhere once gentrification kicks in."

It's tough to draw a causal relationship between vibrant nightlife and displaced communities. But plenty of real estate players in the last 40 years have tried to harness music scenes as part of their development plans. And plenty of cultural creators are concerned with the role they play in helping gentrification along.

Audit finds lots of misclassified buildings

From the Forum:

Nearly 100 mixed-use borough buildings have been improperly assessed by the Department of Finance and therefore taxed at an incorrect, lower rate, according to an audit released this week by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Prompted by the report’s findings, Finance has already begun to correct the tax status of the 97 buildings in Queens that auditors determined were misclassified.

According to Stringer, properties in New York City are given one of four tax classes: Class 1 are one- to three-unit buildings, primarily used for residential purposes; Class 2 are all other residential properties; Class 3 are properties owned by utilities and special franchises; and Class 4 are all other properties not in Class 1, 2, or 3. The audit examined whether Class 1 mixed-use buildings in Queens were properly assessed and taxed by the Department of Finance as of May 2015.

Auditors identified 97 buildings that were misclassified as Tax Class 1 mixed-use buildings, and taxed at a lower rate than they should have been. DOF agreed that 78 properties should be taxed at 45 percent of market value, instead of the residential rate of six percent at which they had been taxed, and that 19 properties required additional interior inspection, Stringer noted.

In total, Stringer’s office estimated that, after the changes are made, the City will bring in an additional $1.28 million in taxes over the next five years.

Auditors also found that 33 of the misclassified buildings in Queens had been inspected by DOF assessors within the last three years – raising questions about the agency’s training and inspection process.

He's baaaack

From DNA Info:

A disgraced former pol is trying to get back into politics in the neighborhood's district leader race, touting his accomplishments without mentioning his 2009 conviction for assault.

Hiram Monserrate — who was booted from the state Senate in 2009 after he was convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend — has posted fliers around Corona and East Elmhurst listing his accomplishments ahead of the September primary.

"A lifetime of service and delivering for our community," the flier says, noting his time in the City Council, state Senate, NYPD and Marine Corps.

"Leadership with results. Our struggle continues," the bottom of the flier says.

Monserrate is barred from running for most elected offices since he was convicted of a felony. But he can run for the role of district leader — an unpaid, volunteer job that doesn't have much power, officials said.

Loud music party stopped at Willets Point

This is the truck that has been playing the LOUD music in the junk yards at night. The owner is now in our cell. pic.twitter.com/waxheCW8qd

— NYPD 110th Precinct (@NYPD110Pct) June 19, 2016

Steinway Mansion update (get up and bar the door!)

Hello Crapman:

Here are the latest pix from the Mansion. 13 months of "construction" and my photo coverage.

According to the "Steinway Park" site, 4 warehouses are "in contract":

One of them is on the 41st Street side where no work has been done for almost 2 months. This is 18-27 41st Street - right at the foot of the Mansion. Strange that someone would enter into a real estate deal with nothing built there yet? (See the middle photo of my post.) And why is there no work being done there - 41st Street - at all?

PLUS, why don't Loria/Lucchese go up to the tower and close the damn door?


At the front,
GtheA

Contractor hogging up the parking

"This Astoria home at 32-57 38th Street is being demolished to make room for "a new 4 story building." The builders put up a No Parking sign and placed an orange cone in the parking space in front of the house, but someone moved it to park there. No work has gone on there for several days, yet they are trying to reserve the parking space for their convenience. This is a residential neighborhood, and parking is already tight." - Jimmy

Overcrowded subways causing delays

From NY1:

If you thought that maybe this year, MTA trains were letting you down more than usual, well, you're not alone — even the MTA agrees that delays increased this year.

In April 2015, there were nearly 49,000 delays. In April of this year, they had slightly more than 50,000 delays.

The transit agency says overcrowding has gotten worse, accounting for 38% of delays in April.

People took nearly 1.8 billion rides on subways last year, setting a new record.

Wow, I wonder what's causing the overcrowding??

Francis Lewis tree massacre

"Why are old growth city owned curb trees being cut down near Francis Lewis & Crocheron?

Those trees are big...must have been there since the 1950s!

Couldn't they have just trimmed them?" - The Flushing Phantom

421-a not renewed by Albany

From DNA Info:

Albany wrapped up its last official session of 2016 on Thursday, without renewing or replacing the state's controversial 421-a program — a tax break for certain newly-built residential developments that expired in January.

Lawmakers were slated to reconvene in both the Senate and Assembly early Friday, but it was still unclear Friday morning whether they'd resolve the issue before adjourning for the year.

Without a tax break program, developers warned that rental housing development is likely to shrink and put a major dent in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plans to build 80,000 new units of affordable housing over the next decade.

State lawmakers this week proposed a replacement bill that sets new wage floors for construction workers on projects receiving the tax breaks. And while the real estate community seems placated, construction workers and housing advocates say the new plan doesn't do enough.

Both sides agree though that 421-a had been a large drive of rental development in the city, and without it, some sort of subsidy would be needed to replace it.

On Wednesday, the mayor criticized the existing program for wasting taxpayer dollars to subsidize luxury housing.

Experts say the loss of 421-a could also greatly hinder the mayor's recently-approved Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan, which largely relied on the tax breaks to make it easier for developers to build housing that includes affordable units.

Yankee Stadium parking garage debacle worsens

Photo from Daily News

From Crains:

The last-place New York Yankees aren’t the only struggling enterprise in the Bronx. Documents show the net loss on the municipal-bond financed parking garages outside Yankee Stadium widened last year to $31.2 million.

Bronx Parking Development Co. issued $237.6 million of municipal bonds in 2007 through New York City’s Industrial Development Agency to build three garages and renovate two others.

The garages and five parking lots, which have about 8,700 public spaces, have suffered as more fans take public transportation to the Major League Baseball games and drivers balk at paying $25 to $35 to park. In June 2015 fewer than 10% of fans attending Yankees games parked in the garages, according to bond filings.

BP pushing for "more retail"

From the Times Ledger:

Developers and experts in Flushing and downtown Jamaica weighed in on how recent development projects have affected the two neighborhoods at a panel last week in Long Island City hosted by ULI New York, a nonprofit that provides leadership in land use policy.

The panel, moderated by Melva Miller, Queens deputy borough president, was held June 9 at SPACES at the Falchi Building, located at 31-00 47th Ave.

The panelists were David Brickman, vice president of Onex Real Estate Partners; Hope Knight, president and CEO of Greater Jamaica Development Corporation; and Michael Meyer, president of F&T Group.

“Queens is severely under-retailed and if you speak to your colleagues about development in Queens, as we develop housing we need to make sure that we have the infrastructure and the amenities, the commercial, to go along with that residential development,” Miller said.

Brickman, whose company is the developer for Sky View Parc, said that although it was challenging to complete a development on such a large, complex site in one economic cycle, big box retailers were scouring New York City because of the density and lack of retail and people were looking to move back into the city from the suburbs. Parking has also become a big concern.

Yes, bring us the big box stores. That's exactly what we need.

AirBnB listers face heavy fines if new bill is passed

From Crains:

With only two full days left in their 2016 legislative session, state lawmakers are poised to deal a blow to Airbnb.

A bipartisan bill to ban Airbnb-style posts for short-term sublets is moving swiftly through legislative committees and could get floor votes in Albany Wednesday or Thursday. Senate leaders informed the Real Estate Board of New York, which supports the bill, that the bill will move before the session ends, according to a source.

Short-term apartment sublets—those for less than 30 days—were banned in New York City in 2010. But under the law, only building owners, not the renters who arrange the sublet, face penalties.

The new legislation would make advertising such a sublet, or any use other than permanent residence, illegal. The change would put absent Airbnb hosts on the hook instead of their landlords. The proposed penalties range from up to $1,000 for a first offense to $7,500 for third and subsequent violations.

DeBlasio working on $325 million ferry debacle

From the NY Times:

With New York City’s subway trains jammed to capacity and more people than ever pouring into neighborhoods outside Manhattan, Mayor Bill de Blasio is embarking on an ambitious and expensive plan to create a fleet of city-owned ferryboats that would crisscross the surrounding waterways and connect all five boroughs.

At a cost of more than $325 million, Mr. de Blasio’s expansion of ferry service would be one of the biggest bets any city in the world has made on boats as vehicles for mass transit. The mayor predicts that the ferries would carry 4.5 million passengers a year, about twice as many riders as San Francisco’s ferry system handles.

Mr. de Blasio has promised New Yorkers that ferries will start running on three new routes, serving South Brooklyn, and Astoria and the Rockaways in Queens, by the end of June 2017, four months before he would stand for re-election. Additional routes to the Lower East Side of Manhattan and to Soundview in the Bronx will be added in 2018.

“Our aim is to make this thing as big as possible,” said Alicia Glen, the city’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development. “No guts, no glory.”

“We’re still living with the footprint of an early-19th-century transit map that didn’t contemplate the kind of job growth we’re seeing along the waterfront,” Ms. Glen said. The administration, she said, is trying to create a transportation network for “the new New York.”

Job growth along the waterfront? All I see there are giant residential towers filled with yuppies. That's who this is really for. Everyone else will have to do train-ferry-bus or some combination like that, which is impractical.

Garaufis house destroyers forced to get new building permit

From the Times Ledger:

The former home of U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis has made headlines in recent months because of backlash over renovations deemed more than excessive by neighborhood residents.

Now, the city Department of Buildings has ordered the owners to file for a new building permit before construction can continue at 218-15 40th Ave.

The original building plans showed that only the front of the house was to be renovated with additional construction.. But neighbors watched in despair back in April as the roof was torn off and the inside gutted, according to Bonnie Skala Kiladitis, who grew up across the street. Eventually the house was reduced to ground level.

Garaufis’ stately house is believed to have been built circa 1890 and was the one of the personal residences of the Lawrence family, influential members of the early Bayside community. A study conducted by historic preservation consultant Paul Graziano found the Lawrence Estate is eligible for the National and State Register of Historic Places, a recognition that carries no protection from demolition or alteration.

A notice to revoke on the building permit was issued to the owners at the end of April, which would force them to answer objections with the DOB for renovating beyond the limits of the alt-1 permit.

A DOB spokesman has since said the owners will be required to file for a new building permit before moving forward with their building plans, and not an alteration permit.

It is not immediately clear whether any fines will be levied against the owner, a recent New Jersey transplant who identified herself by the name Lisa, but a spokesman from Vallone’s office said the councilman is drafting legislation to prevent work on sites that have a “notice to revoke” on building permits to continue while waiting for an answer to objections.

“We are currently drafting a piece of legislation that would make it so a developer/homeowner would not be allowed to continue work during the period between receiving a notice to revoke and answering the objections that warranted that notice. The bill will be introduced in the fall. We felt that receiving a notice to revoke is significant enough to warrant a stop of work. If you are allowed to continue work while awaiting to answer the objections, the notice to revoke is really more like a ‘notice to finish your work as fast as possible.’ Our goal is to give the DOB as many tools as we can to address issues like these when they come up,” the spokesman said.

You generally aren't getting a notice to revoke without first getting a stop work order, so I'm not sure what this proposed legislation would accomplish. The problem is enforcement.

Junked cars litter Jamaica street

From PIX11:

Crashed cars with no license plates are taking over the streets and sidewalks of a Queens community where residents reached out to PIX11 News for help cleaning up their neighborhood.

It’s hard enough for residents to find parking spots along 147th Place in Jamaica, Queens, and now they’re battling for space with busted cars making the streets and sidewalks look like a junkyard.

When PIX11 News arrived at the scene Wednesday, we spotted 11 plate-less cars parked on the city street and sidewalk. Many were dented; one was missing a front fender.

We were tipped off by Joe Moretti, a community watchdog who chronicles his neighborhood in the blog Cleanup Jamaica Queens Now.

Sunnyside getting a park

From Sunnyside Post:

The site of the former Phipps Playground, a privately-owned lot located on the corner of 39th Avenue and 50th Street, is likely to become a city park.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer has allocated $3 million for the purchase and renovation of the former playground, which is currently owned by DBH Associates, a development company.

DBH bought the site from Phipps Houses in July 2007 for $1.4 million. The former playground is located within the confines of the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District.

The old lot, where several generations of Sunnyside and Woodside children played, is one of the few depression-era playgrounds still in existence in the City. Its old shed, sandbox pavilion and swings and slides still remain intact.

See that? Certain neighborhoods get parks! What promises were made for this?

City says mosquitoes won't breed at Astoria Pool

From NBC:

Scan Astoria Park with your eyes and it is hard to miss the high dive pool. The towering diving platforms have been closed to the public for years, but the pool beneath never stopped capturing rainwater.

On a recent Thursday, you could seeas a faded basketball floating in the cloudy water, and knee-high weeds growing out of the pool.

"It’s definitely a mosquito breeding ground,” said neighbor Ian Eastwick, as he walked by the abandoned pool. "That’s where they hang out. That’s where they come from."

"I think they need to clean it up, man," added Les Fernandez, as he finished his workout in the park. "This is a popular park."

In April, Mayor de Blasio announced a $21 million campaign to fight Zika. The strategy includes public service announcements, travel advisories and warnings to get rid of stagnant water that might be collecting in old tires, birdbaths and pools.

Despite those warnings, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation suggested the Astoria Park high dive pool does not represent a mosquito risk.

"The diving pool is maintained regularly by NYC Parks staff, including weeding, removing debris, and spraying for insects," Meghan Lalor, a Parks spokeswoman, wrote in an email to the I-Team.

"However, due to the nature of the deep pool, this work is difficult and requires specialized equipment."

Child rapist living at Pan Am shelter

From the Queens Chronicle:

A Level 3 sex offender may be living at the Boulevard Family Residence — an Elmhurst homeless shelter for families — according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

State records list Dwayne Clark's primary residence as 79-00 Queens Blvd. A footnote says "the United States Postal Service has indicated this may not be a valid mailing address," but exactly what that means is unclear.

The Department of Homeless Services could not immediately confirm or deny whether Clark is a resident at the shelter, and a representative said the matter is being investigated.

According to state records, the 47-year-old Clark was convicted in 1995 of first-degree sexual abuse for assaulting a pair of 13-year-old girls and a 10-year-old girl.

Records say he had sexual intercourse with the victims after he "immediately and physically overpowered" them.

City planning to knock down school it landmarked

From Brooklyn Daily:

The city will knock over Sunset Park’s castle-like former police precinct to make way for 300 classroom seats, officials announced on June 13. School Construction Authority reps made the pitch to Community Board Seven, claiming the crumbling landmark at Fourth Avenue and 43rd Street would “probably have to come down” while also showing photos of schools the agency previously built atop demolished historic structures.

School Construction Authority reps refused to say the agency would definitely demolish the building, which would require a virtually unheard-of un-landmarking or for the city to condemn the derelict structure as a hazard. However, they did show locals photos of schools the agency build with an aesthetic nod to the historic buildings that they replaced, such as PS 133 in Park Slope, which rose from an older schoolhouse, and PS 30 in Bay Ridge, which succeeded the Green Church.

Wifi kiosks attract homeless

From CBS 2:

Superfast, free wi-fi is rolling out across New York City.

Payphones are being replaced with high-tech kiosks that offer internet access and smartphone charging, but some fear they’re becoming hotspots for the homeless.

It’s part of an effort to help the one in four New Yorkers who don’t have high-speed internet access at home.

But people making themselves comfortable at the kiosks – many of them homeless – is already an issue for some New Yorkers who have taken to documenting the problem on social media.

Stop Work Order issued at Jamaica hotel

From PIX11:

Dorothy Singh lives in a two-family home she owns on Waltham Street and 97th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.

It’s always been a residential neighborhood, but recently, construction of a hotel began on the corner lot.

The residents checked with their local community board, Community Board 12, and learned zoning regulations do permit the construction of the hotel.

Dorothy’s home is the closest to the construction site and she contacted PIX11 to complain about the damage caused by the construction.

She showed us the large holes in the ceiling and some walls; the cracks in the glass cabinetry and the floors and the bricks that have fallen from the roof.

Dorothy says she has complained to the workers, but says they claim not to speak English.

However, she has not called the complaint numbers posted on the construction fence by the contractor, Triboro Construction Services, and the hotel owner, Waltham Hotel.

So PIX11 contacted them and they denied being responsible for any damage to Dorothy’s home.

We then contacted the NYC Department of Buildings. The DOB sent out an inspection team and as a result of their findings, they issued a partial Stop Work Order.

No, it's not that people hate you

From Yahoo/AP:

After months of searching to find a home for their mosque, a Muslim group settled on a century-old, three-story Tudor in a leafy neighborhood of a New York suburb, a fixer-upper they say would be perfect with the right renovations.

But not long after the sale went through last year, neighbors thought it was perfect just the way it was. A neighborhood group filed an application to have the building designated a city landmark and won final approval last month, meaning any exterior renovations will now have to go through a time-consuming permission process.

While city officials insisted the landmark status wouldn't prevent the home being used as a mosque, the Muslim organization saw something more sinister.

"We feel that we are being targeted," said Arshad Shariff, chairman of the Islamic Community Center of Mid-Westchester. "And unnecessary obstacles and hindrances are being placed because we are Muslim."

No, it's because you were planning to fuck up an historic house that people in the neighborhood are attached to and admire. Get it?

DeBlasio trying hard to pass real estate friendly legislation in Albany

From New York Magazine:

Not since the skyscraper boom of the Jazz Age has New York's skyline undergone a transformation as it is now. More than two dozen supertall towers — and counting — are in some stage of planning or construction, and not just for Billionaire's Row. These slender 800-plus-foot cloudbusters are springing up in the Flatiron, the Financial District, the Far West Side, and even Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City. How long before they start sprouting in Riverdale or Tottenville?

How about next week?

That is the fear that erupted after a legislative package came to light in Albany this week that would remove restrictions on the size of residential buildings in the five boroughs. The bills, quietly introduced by Brooklyn Senator Simcha Felder and Harlem Assemblyman Keith Wright, would remove a 1961 density cap placed on residential buildings. Under the new rules — which could be passed before the session ends next Friday — residential buildings in most of the city could be far bigger than they are now. And the biggest backer, besides Big Real Estate, is Mayor Bill de Blasio himself.

The rule change is subtle, affecting the formula called floor-area ratio, or F.A.R., that is used to compute the bulk and size of any building. Right now, residential buildings can have an F.A.R. of up to 12: A 5,000-square-foot lot, say, can be occupied by a 60,000-square-foot building, which usually works out (because of space set aside for setbacks, plazas, and so forth) to 20 to 25 stories. Residential buildings’ F.A.R. is capped by state rather than city law, and has been since 1961, when it was not only written into the zoning code but also enacted in Albany to ensure that it would stick.

The bill as introduced in the Assembly and Senate would eliminate that limit, although developers would have to get anything above 12 approved by the Department of City Planning (as well as the City Council, where public outcry might try to limit things again). That could mean a 40- or 50-story building, or even more, on that same 5,000-square-foot lot. (Yes, we already have residential buildings that are far taller, but building those has required special horse-trading moves, like acquiring the rights from several structures and bundling them.) Many neighborhoods have absolute height restrictions set by the city, but some, like Midtown and Downtown Brooklyn, do not. The de Blasio administration argues that by lifting the cap, developers will be willing to introduce public benefits in their projects, like affordable housing, open space, or infrastructure investment.

Some...New Yorkers in Albany do not share that faith. A group of lawmakers, mostly from the city, have risen up in opposition to the legislation in recent days. While the administration remains supportive of the proposal, it now looks like it will have to wait for the F.A.R. caps to be lifted until another legislative session. “Like everything that happens in Albany, this was being done at the last minute, out of nowhere, with no discussion,” State Senator Liz Krueger said. “And big real estate gets exactly what it wants, and the community loses.”

A new low, even for Queens

Taken at an unknown subway station somewhere in the borough.

Questioning Markey's motives

Assemblywoman Marge Markey has claimed that the Bishop of Brooklyn tried to bribe her back in 2010 for $5,000 at Bishop Ford High School in Brooklyn. Then she admitted that she was wrong, it was at the Bishop's Chancery and it was in 2007.

Why isn't the press asking why a public official didn't report the bribery to authorities, who then would have set up a sting to ensnare the bishop? Then there would be no doubt that her story was the truth.

This seems to be a convenient lie concocted by an irrelevant, desperate politician.

Bayside's Anchor Inn sold for $16M

From the NY Real Estate Journal:

Charles Chang, a senior director at Highcap Group, has arranged the sale of the Anchor Inn located at 215-34 Northern Blvd., between 215th Pl. and 216th St., in the Bayside neighborhood. The two-story 27,000 s/f, 66-key hotel was under long-term ownership for close to 50 years and comes with an additional 13,000 s/f of air rights.

Chang said, “The flexible C2-2/R6B zoning allows for multiple uses. Potential plans include the addition of one floor plus another 44 keys which would bring the total to 110 with a maximum usable floor area of 40,000 s/f.” The property is situated west of the Cross Island Pwy., and within walking distance to the Long Island RR Bayside Station. It has 200 ft. of frontage on Northern Blvd., a busy thoroughfare near the main shopping district on Bell Blvd.

The property sold for $15.9 million, which is $241,000 per key.

Some great Alley Creek photography

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

New pre-K costs $6.5M

From CBS 2:

New York City is defending the big cost of renovating a Brooklyn storefront school for 20 pre-kindergarten kids.

CBS2’s Tony Aiello reported the city is shelling out $6.5 million for the Bay Ridge facility that’s a former retail space.

Mike Reilly, a public school parent who serves on his local community education council, applauds Mayor Bill de Blasio for enacting universal pre-k. However, he fears money was wasted in the rush to implement it, while schools such as PS-37 – which serves special needs students – wait years for needed improvements.

“This is something that he’s going to hang his hat on. That’s what it’s about. He wants to make sure that this is done, but by the same token he shouldn’t be putting things to the wayside,” Reilly said.

The Department of Education, though, isn’t blinking an eye over the price tag.

1,000 miles of roadway to be repaved

From CBS 2:

A new project announcement will affect anyone who drives in New York City. The Department of Transportation unveiled a plan Tuesday to repave 1,000 miles of roadway throughout the boroughs, but it could come with a lot of frustration for commuters.

The more than $1 billion commitment over the next 10 years is aiming to get city streets in better shape, CBS2’s Emily Smith reported. The repaving will happen from the Bronx all the way to Staten Island.

While its welcome news for millions of drivers hitting deep potholes everyday, there will be milling on the streets for up to 20 days at a time. The conditions can make for an uncomfortable, bumpy drive or even road closures.

Queens:
Queens Boulevard from:
Union Turnpike to Hoover Avenue

Hillside Avenue from:
184th Street to 188th Street
Clearview Expressway to Braddock Avenue

Utopia Parkway between:
Horace Harding Expressway & Jewel Avenue

Lefferts Boulevard from:
Kew Gardens Road to Metropolitan Avenue

Kew Gardens Road from:
Lefferts Boulevard to Van Wyck Expressway

E/B S/R Horance Harding Exressway from:
Kissena Boulevard to 164th Street

Catch basin hazards in Jackson Heights

From PIX11:

Residents called PIX11 News to investigate nasty catch basins in their Queens neighborhood posing a threat to pedestrians and bicyclists trying to traverse the streets.

When we arrived on Wednesday, we spotted a young family with a new baby having to watch their step while walking past a busted catch basin on Northern Boulevard and 74th Street.

Mohammad Haque called it a hazard.

Residents said they’ve been complaining to the city about the problem for months but nothing has been done to fix the issue.

“It’s terrible; an accident waiting to happen,” one passerby said.

Press questioning Broadway Stages campaign contributions

From the NY Post:

Donors affiliated with a major TV and film production company who never gave more than $250 to any city office donated thousands to Mayor de Blasio in 2013 — and are now dodging questions about the big-money contributions.

Of some two dozen donors employed or affiliated with Brooklyn-based Broadway Stages who were contacted by The Post, only the husband of company President Gina Argento said the $4,000 he gave came from his own pocket.

Argento rounded up $111,805 for Mayor de Blasio’s campaign and transition committee in 2013, making her one of his biggest financial backers.

Most of the generous donors didn’t respond to calls, but four told The Post they either couldn’t recall giving, had no knowledge of the donations or referred questions to their lawyers. “I don’t know anything about it,” said Bianca Netto, listed as giving $9,450 to de Blasio’s campaign and transition committee in October and December 2013.

Two other donors listed as part of Argento’s bundling efforts weren’t able to confirm the accuracy of donation records.

Monica Holowacz gave $4,000 through Argento while working as an office assistant at Lights on Brooklyn, records show.

But when asked about the donation, she said: “I don’t know what you’re talking about” before hanging up.

Joshua Huffman, a production coordinator for Woodridge Productions who gave $3,050 according to records, said he couldn’t remember the donation.

“I don’t recall, but I’d have to talk to my lawyer about it,” he said.

Once again, Miss Heather had this whole thing figured out in 2014. It took the press awhile to notice.

Restaurant parking cars on the sidewalk

From PIX11:

Which popular Long Island City restaurant is using the city sidewalk to valet park its customers’ cars?

A tip from a PIX11 viewer claims Manetta’s restaurant on Jackson Avenue is the culprit.

The video we shot shows the lunchtime crowd pulling their cars up to the restaurant on the corner, where the sign outside says Valet Parking.

The two parking attendants then take those cars down the block on 11th Street, a public thoroughfare, where they park them up on the sidewalk, bumper to bumper.

The cars are sometimes parked so far up on the sidewalk that it’s impossible for pedestrians to pass by.

We spoke with the owner of the building and the manager of Manetta’s, who say the police have given them permission to park on the sidewalk, as long as there is a clear path left for pedestrians.

Now, I agree that Manetta's is in the wrong here, but Arnold Diaz could do a month-long series on rogue valet parking if he just went a bit north to Astoria.

Queens delegation looks to throw more money down the drain

From the Daily News:

The borough’s City Council delegation, in a letter to the city transportation commissioner, sought funding for a study to run a light rail on a little-used section of Long Island Rail Road track that stretches from Jamaica to Long Island City.

“Existing travel conditions for residents are inconvenient and arduous, and it is vital we take advantage of any opportunity to lift this burden,” Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Queens) wrote in a letter signed by 14 of her colleagues.

Crowley told the Daily News that a light rail would give Queens residents a reason to leave the car at home and avoid the crowding on the No. 7 and E lines that now carry riders across the borough.

Crowley said a transportation option would cut travel times for commuters and encourage commercial development in her neck of Queens. She said the light rail could be a transit link from eastern Queens to the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island.

What we've learned here is that Crowley loves developers...and hasn't looked at a railroad map.

There's also this and this.

Construction company owner charged with manslaughter

From the Daily News:

A Brooklyn construction company owner was indicted after ignoring repeated warnings to properly secure his work sites -- including one where a worker fell to his death.

Salvatore Schirripa was charged with manslaughter Monday in the April 1, 2015, death of Vidal Sanchez-Ramon, as well as other counts related to two Bensonhurst construction companies he owns.

If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Once decent newspaper advertises hipster beach that didn't open

This is just sooo pathetic. And so not surprising considering the current ownership of the Times Newsweekly.

Here's something from the Queens Tribune that Schneps & company neglected to mention:

Bill Crowley, SLA spokesman, said they received petitions and the letter from Nolan. He noted that under different circumstances the SLA’s staff would approve the liquor license but since they have opposition, it will have to go before the SLA board.

Crowley said they recently sent the Rockaway Brewery Company a deficiency letter because they have yet to get state approval for doing business as LaPlaya NYC and not sending in photos of the interior of the proposed business.

Deck collapses with 50 people on it

From the Daily News:

A gathering in Brooklyn turned into a nightmare as a deck on the second floor of a building collapsed, injuring 13 people early Sunday, witnesses and FDNY officials said.

The collapse happened at a building at Bushwick and Willoughby Aves. in Bushwick around 12:45 a.m., an FDNY official said.

None of the injured was seriously hurt.

As many as 50 people were on the deck when it buckled, the official said.

A Department of Buildings official was on the scene to inspect the deck. It was unclear why it fell in, officials said.

Maybe because it had 50 people on it?

Council set to stick its nose into landmarking process

From the NY Times:

As New York’s Landmarks Law enters its sixth decade, the City Council wants to rewrite the rules governing historic properties.

Despite a contentious fight over a package of revisions that stalled last year, the Council is again proposing a half-dozen recommendations to simultaneously streamline and expand the landmarks process. This month, the Council expects to vote on a bill creating timelines for the approval process.

The Council’s decision has drawn consternation not only among preservationists but also from the Landmarks Preservation Commission itself. At a hearing last year, Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chairwoman of the commission, called a number of the proposed changes overreaching. Ms. Srinivasan declined to discuss new proposals before any legislation was introduced, but acknowledged in a statement that some of the proposals had merit.

Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito countered that the Council wanted to ensure the changes cannot be easily rolled back by future administrations.

“It’s something that’s overdue,” Ms. Mark-Viverito, a Democrat who represents Manhattan and the Bronx, said in a recent interview. “That’s why we’re trying to balance the needs of the preservation community with the development needs of our growing city.”

Hmmm...do we notice the landmarks in this town or the nutty out of scale overdevelopment more? I'd say the balance is tipped in the developers' favor at this point. Which is just the way the council likes it.

Illegal park parties are back

"Can anything be done about the horrible loud music that we hear every weekend. It is so loud and it goes on into the wee hours of the morning. It coming from Willets Point and Flushing Meadows. Please put a cop there and maybe they won't stay there." - anonymous

Flushing, Bayside and Little Neck in 1984

"I took it in September 1984 when I lived in Little Neck and went on a visit to my parents house in Flushing.

The video starts on Northern Blvd. and Marathon Parkway in Little Neck, and goes through Bayside and into Flushing. We turned left on Murray Street, then left on 41st Avenue where my folks lived.

The video isn't high-definition, because it was recorded on VHS tape and then it took about 20 years before it got transferred to digital. But you'll see lots of stores and buildings that don't exist anymore - a lot of things change over 30 years! I hope it brings back some good memories for you. Enjoy!"


"I took this video in September 1984 when I lived in Little Neck and went on a visit to my parents house in Flushing. Afterwards, we turned left from 41st Avenue onto 154th Street, then right onto Northern Blvd. The video ends at Springfield Blvd. and Northern Blvd." - Robert Ristelhueber

Kim wants to crack down on tow trucks

From the Queens Chronicle:

Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) announced on Thursday that he is introducing legislation to fight predatory towing.

“For far too long, innocent drivers across this city dealt with over-zealous towing operators that illegally targeted vehicles, often over-charging drivers and only accepting cash,” the assemblyman said in a prepared statement.

The legislation — titled the Predatory Towing Prevention Act — “will improve the current outdated and inadequate law against illegal towing practices and empower the City to act swiftly and decisively against predatory towers,” he added. It will be introduced before the end of the current Legislative session, according to Kim spokesman Tony Cao.

To combat predatory towing in the future, the bill aims to do several things: raise the consumer protection bond to a minimum of $50,000 and maximum of $250,000; end the usage of "spotting" techniques; require towing truck operators to receive written permission from the manager or owner of commercial or private property before a vehicle can be towed; and empower the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs to revoke repeat offenders' licenses.

Goldfeder not running again

From NY1:

Queens State Assembly Member Phil Goldfeder will not seek re-election when his term ends at the end of the year, his office confirmed Thursday.

Goldfeder said he will not be seek a fourth term as the 23rd District's representative in Albany, a district that includes the Rockaways, Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and Broad Channel.

Speaking to the newspaper The Wave, Goldfeder said he is leaving office to spend more time with his family.

Hipster beer beach shut down by DOB

It's really gotta suck to be one of these "urban pioneers" and find out the hard way that the shit you're peddling ain't going over with certain community minded folk. Let's take the Ridgewood beer beach. It got shut down by the DOB just before tomorrow's scheduled grand opening. Why? Well they are doing construction on a building without a permit.

The C of O for this property also does not allow a "beer beach" or whatever the hell this thing is supposed to be.

But you wanna know what's really amusing about this? They are trying to pass off their delayed opening as a concession to the community. From QNS:

Marcus Burnett, co-owner of Rockaway Brewing Company, which is hosting La Playa NYC, is working to address the community’s issues with the beer garden.

“We are trying to work with Community Board 5 and we understand that residents are raising concerns,” Burnett said. “One common misconception is that there is going to be live bands or live music. There will be no live bands and no DJ parties, that’s for sure.”

No live music or DJs? Then please explain this previous statement:

Throughout the summer La Playa NYC will also feature local talent including DJs, guest chefs, beer talks and special performances, ensuring a summer of beach, beer and fun for the whole community.

Here's the cherry on top of this shit sundae:

The opening of La Playa NYC depends on the results of the SLA hearing, which is scheduled to take place later this month.

So you were going to open without a liquor permit, but as a favor to the community, decided to wait until you actually had the SLA hearing? How wonderful of you.

Since everything is covered with cement...

From DNA Info:

The city is building more than 300 rain gardens on streets in western Queens, part of a $7.3 million project to help curb pollution flowing into nearby Newtown Creek, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The 321 gardens — also known as bioswales — are being built in Sunnyside, Maspeth and Ridgewood, largely clustered east of the Kosciuszko Bridge and in neighborhoods around the Queens-Midtown Expressway in Queens Community Boards 2 and 5.

Built into the sidewalks, the gardens are designed to collect and absorb rain that would otherwise go into the sewer system, potentially overwhelming the city's wastewater treatment plants and overflowing into local waterways, including Newtown Creek, a notoriously polluted Superfund site.

And why is there so much runoff into the Creek?

Private company getting public money to upgrade their property

From DNA Info:

The nearly $24 million contract for the controversial shelter at the former Pan Am hotel does not include the cost of renovations required to convert the space into a federally allowable family shelter, according to its contract.

City taxpayers will pick up that $2 million-plus tab.

The 216 rooms inside the shelter, which opened in June of 2014, all must have kitchens under federal guidelines — and will cost an estimated $2.2 million on top of the $23.8 million contract, which was issued in February after multiple denials, officials said.

The city plans to foot the bill for the additional kitchen renovation costs, as well as the costs of building an on-site day care center and a playground, according to the Department of Homeless Services.

The building is owned by Steven Berger, who bought it under the LLC 7900 Development Corporation, according to city records. He owns and operates multiple homeless shelters, including the LaGuardia Family Center and the East River Family Center, records show.

So why isn't he paying for this?

Flushing West dead

From the Crains:

The de Blasio administration abruptly scrapped plans to rezone a portion of Flushing, Queens, last week in response to problems with the proposal. The neighborhood was set to be one of 15 areas that would be targeted for residential development in order to advance the mayor’s affordable-housing agenda.

On Friday, City Councilman Peter Koo, who represents the area, sent a letter to the Department of City Planning outlining his objections to turning 11 industrial blocks between the polluted Flushing Creek and the terminus of the No. 7 train into a new neighborhood, Flushing West, that would include retail, open space and affordable apartments. That same day, the head of the department wrote back that the city shared many of his concerns, and would withdraw its plan.

"We will turn our attention and our priority to planning efforts to other neighborhoods," wrote Carl Weisbrod, head of the planning department.

The about-face means that the city will have to look for another neighborhood to be part of the 15 rezonings Mayor Bill de Blasio promised in the spring of 2014, when he announced his Housing New York plan. So far, the city has approved its first overhaul in Brooklyn's East New York and has announced similar intentions for a handful of other areas in the city.

A rezoned Flushing West would have potentially sprouted 1,600 apartments, affordable and market-rate. But Koo envisioned a number of complications along with strains on the area’s infrastructure and transportation, some of which resonated with city officials.

Ok, so does Shulman have to give back her grant money now?

Pay to play (or be an appointee)

From the Daily News:

Companies owned by two big contributors de Blasio appointed to VIP slots had serious integrity issues before the mayor rewarded them for their money-raising, a Daily News review has found.

One co-owned a company the city had declared lacked “good character, honesty and integrity,” while the other owed the city $1.2 million in lease payments and fees.

Not a problem. The mayor appointed both to several advisory boards.

The two showed up on an internal spreadsheet of top donors, lobbyists and other New York power players up for mayoral appointments to unpaid boards and commissions revealed by the Daily News Monday.

Businesswoman Gina Argento made the list after raising $97,780 for the mayor through bundled checks from friends and employees of her firm, Broadway Stage.

And in January 2014, she was first in line to write checks totaling $50,000 for the Campaign for One New York, the fund de Blasio set up to support his causes.

Most of Argento’s checks to de Blasio started arriving Oct. 1, 2013 — a month before he was elected and not long after the city Business Integrity Commission found a firm she co-owned, Luna Lighting Inc., “lacks good character, honesty and integrity.”

In May 2013, the commission rejected Luna’s request for a waste hauling license on two grounds: Luna had paid an $18,000 fine after admitting it repeatedly illegally hauled construction debris and ignored city demands to pay off a $620,000 IRS tax lien.

A little over a year later, de Blasio put Argento on his Fund for the Advancement of New York City, a nonprofit run by his wife, Chirlane McCray, that raises private funds for city programs.

And he put her on his committee to try to lure the Democratic National Convention to Brooklyn, and the city’s Workforce Investment Board, which advises the city on workforce issues and oversaw a $65.5 million budget in 2014.

It’s unclear whether Argento paid the back taxes. She did not return repeat calls seeking comment.

On Tuesday, mayoral spokesman Peter Kadushan declined to address the integrity panel’s license rejection, stating only that Argento was put on the Workforce Board “because of her experience in the film and television industry and years as a small-business owner who has created local jobs.”

Ok. I exposed this 2 1/2 years ago, so what took the Daily News so long to figure this out? Have they also figured out that she's married to John Ciafone of ridiculous canopy fame?

Queens Library now involved in de Blasio woes

From Progress Queens:

Large campaign contributors, lobbyists doubling as bundlers, lawyers, and real estate developers were listed on a spreadsheet that totaled 97 names from which top officials in the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City) were said to have selected key appointments during his first months in office.

Ultimately, at least 43 of the 97 individuals appearing on the spreadsheet accepted at least one appointment.

The existence of the spreadsheet and some of its details were revealed in a bombshell report published Tuesday by The New York Daily News.

The spreadsheet "shows how the mayor uses the power of his office to reward those who have sent checks his way," wrote the journalists Jennifer Fermino and Greg Smith, adding, in part, later in the report that, the spreadsheet "makes clear the very top of City Hall was involved in coordinating appointments for VIPs."

The news report noted that some individuals listed on the spreadsheet eventually were appointed to government agencies and quasi-government bodies, such as the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, and the Queens Borough Public Library.

...the office of Borough President Katz would not comment when asked by Progress Queens about the possibility that Mayor de Blasio was selecting political supporters to serve as Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library during a time when the public has been demanding more accountability from the library system's leadership.

Van Bramer opposed to affordable housing project

From Sunnyside Post:

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer has told the Sunnyside Post that he will block Phipps Houses’ proposal to build a 10-story residential development on Barnett Avenue, essentially killing the controversial development plan.

Van Bramer said Phipps’ proposal, which would bring 208 units—all affordable—to 50-25 Barnett Ave., was too big and out of scale with the neighborhood.

“Ten stories is out of character and inconsistent with the rest of the neighborhood,” Van Bramer said. “It’s across the street from the existing Phipps [Phipps Garden Apartments], which would be dwarfed by this.”

Phipps, a non-profit developer, is seeking a zoning change in order to build on the Barnett lot that is currently zoned for manufacturing. As part of the rezoning process, the City Council must approve the change.

Van Bramer essentially decides whether the council will vote it up or down, since it is council protocol for members to follow the recommendation of the local representative.

“They can’t build this building without my approval,” he said.

They just won't get a permit

"So this place has a partial stop work order and picture below near the dumpster is where they are digging. When you look at the property and what they are Zoned for, they are going way far back to the retaining wall. This owner was caught twice with stop work orders and one I had to call the cops to get them bounced out look at the pictures they are going way more than we are zoned for." - anonymous