Homeless shelters opening in Queens at breakneck pace

From PIX11:

More than 100 people packed a Knights of Columbus hall to protest a move by the owner of the Playland Motel to house homeless families starting last Friday.

Cayuga Capital, owners of the space which includes a popular bar, restaurant and hotel, signed a deal with the Department of Homeless Services to rent its rooms to homeless families. Community members say no one was aware of the deal until after it happened.

"I don't know if it was middle of the night," City Councilmember Eric Ulrich, "people want to know how many homeless are here, what services are being provided, how many more are coming."

All the city's Department of Homeless Services would say is there is no plan to convert the location into a permanent shelter.
____________________________________

The best part of this is that taxpayers payed for empty rooms there.

East Elmhurst is also getting yet another shelter.

Friends, Queens is under siege by this administration. Friday morning, let them know that we aren't going to take it. Join the rally at City Hall.

Old Drake Theater destroyed

After several flips, the former Drake Theater, which later became part of Abbracciamento's Restaurant, has been demolished, along with the rest of the blockfront. A residential tower is expected to take its place.

Photos by Carmen Diaz

Developments in Crowley vs. Spotorno congressional race

Sinatra impersonator vs. Travolta impersonator

Flushing Meadows has most park crime

From PIX11:

The head of New York City Park Advocates is concerned about what he sees as an alarming increase in crimes in New York City Parks for the first half of 2016 compared to the same six-month period of 2015.

"I am not surprised," Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates, told PIX11 News. "I have been calling for an increase in police presence."

Specifically, according to NYPD CompStat numbers, there was a 36 percent increase in the number of robberies, 156 in all. Also a 24 percent upward trend in assaults, 94 of them, and a whopping 67 percent increase in grand larcenies, total of 194.

"That's almost a 49 percent increase," Croft said. "That's astronomical and alarming."

Central Park isn't the leader in crimes, according to the statistics.

That dubious distinction goes to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which has seen 25 grand larcenies, four robberies and a felony assault in the first half of this year.

2nd homeless resident seeks help from protesters

This weekend, there was a large protest in Sunset Park to oppose the opening of 3 homeless shelters within blocks of each other. The group took a side trip to a men's shelter on 49th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. There, they were greeted by a shelter resident who revealed that he and the other residents feel abandoned because they are not receiving services to help them, like job assistance. He also mentions that the food is horrible.



These sentiments echo those of a shelter resident in Floral Park.

From what I understand, an exchange of information took place and at least 2 protesters are working on getting this man help.

De Blasio goes full Bloomberg for a day

From Patch:

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who billed himself during the election as a champion for the poor and an absolute anti-Bloomberg, was escorted either to or from Prospect Park early Friday evening by a helicopter belonging to the New York City Police Department, the department confirmed to Patch.

Witnesses were confused to see a police helicopter landing in a baseball field near the southwest end of the park, just after 5 p.m.:

Nypd helicopter in prospect park 🤔 pic.twitter.com/aQFQb08lBy

— Alexandra DiPalma (@LSDiPalma) October 14, 2016

An NYPD spokeswoman said she didn't know why de Blasio was traveling in an NYPD helicopter Friday. The mayor's press office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Mayor's office sends stooge to harass protesters on Twitter

Mayor de Blasio sent his spokeswoman, Aja Worthy-Davis, to a joint protest by multiple civic groups in Sunset Park against his homeless policies. She followed the protesters around from hotel to hotel (they visited 4 all together) and live tweeted the event.

This man just called "putting homeless in the community....'harassment'" pic.twitter.com/jiSKiTTNR6

— (((Aja))) (@AjaWorthyDavis) October 15, 2016

Delvis Valdes called Aja Worthy-Davis out for not using his name in her tweet.

Mayoral spokeswoman Aja Worthy-Davis:

Protesters then got really worked up and told her off.

Robert Holden reveals that the city tried to deny a sound permit for the event until renowned civil rights attorney Norman Siegel intervened.

Curtis Sliwa put in his two cents.

Phil Wong from Elmhurst United charged that the homeless crisis is intentional.

Michael D.D. White, a well-respected urban planner, who authors Noticing New York and is leading Citizens Defending Libraries, had a lot to say about "following the money".

Ramon Acevedo, member of Brooklyn CB7, called for an investigation into the administration and those profiteering off the homeless.

Mr. Valdes led the chants of "Crowley's gotta go" and "Menchaca's gotta go".

After the protest in Sunset Park was over, the group moved to Windsor Terrace to pay a second visit to DHS Commissioner Steve Banks.

By the way, Aja makes a pretty penny harassing protesters on Twitter.

Local church will bury 150-year old mummy

St. Mark

African Methodist Episcopal Church

95-18 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights, New York 11372

Phone: 718-899-3306             Fax: 718-899-1636

E-Mail: STMARKCHURCH2@verizon.net

Rev. Kimberly L. Detherage, Esq., Pastor

After almost five years of testing, investigation and research, the 150-year old mummy, the Iron Coffin Lady, uncovered at a construction site that was once the graveyard on the first site of today’s Saint Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church, will be commemorated, memorialized and buried on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 5th, 6th and 7th. The officers and members of St. Mark have planned a memorial reception, traditional funeral and burial befitting this historic figure who is a past parishioner of the church.

The memorial reception will commence at 11am Saturday, November 5th and feature exhibits and presentations that interweave the history of African American burial grounds and the church’s history with the possible story of the Iron Coffin Lady’s past life. Donations to offset the costs of the burial, memorial park creation and maintenance are encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Speakers will include archaeologist Scott Warnash, PhD, who was working out of the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office identifying 9/11 remains when he was called to the site in Queens to examine what was thought to be a murder victim’s remains. Warnash, who has made an extensive study of iron coffins and the remains found inside them, will speak on their history as well as the possible identification of the Iron Coffin lady through her DNA and artifacts.

Sandra Arnold of the Periwinkle Project, named for the flower found in many ancient African American burial grounds and operating out of Brown University, is an ongoing documenter of African American graveyards will address the commonalities and peculiarities of these graveyards as well as the database she is compiling of these sites.

Professor Gerald Conlogue, PhD, of Quinnipiac University, who has extensively studied and scanned the mummified remains, will relate his findings on the Iron Coffin Lady. There will also be a report of research findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The traditional funeral will be on Sunday, November 6th at 4pm at St. Mark AME Church on Northern Boulevard and 96th Street in Queens. The Iron Coffin Lady will be eulogized by St. Mark’s Pastor Kimberly L. Detherage, Esquire, and the service will feature tributes from the church family as well as officials of the AME Church. The funeral follows the church’s morning worship service.

The Iron Coffin Lady will be buried at Flushing Cemetery in Flushing, Queens from St Mark Church. The procession will leave St. Mark on Monday, November 7th at 9:30 am, and the Iron Coffin Lady will be re-interred and her body finally laid to rest.
________________________________________

They uncovered a slave grave site in Manhattan and it became a national park.
They uncovered one in Queens and it became condos.
Welcome to the World's Borough!

Queensboro Plaza subway from 1940 to 1960

Lawn gone at Steinway Mansion

Photos from George the Atheist

Rockaway hipster hotel becomes homeless shelter

From DNA Info:

The hipster-darling Playland Motel will close on Nov. 1, and the second-floor rooms will be rented to the Department of Homeless Services to house residents, ​officials said.

The owners of the space, which includes a bar, restaurant and hotel rooms, signed a deal with DHS to rent its rooms to homeless families since at least Monday, an official said.

An employee of the motel said the city booked a block of rooms for 10 days this past Monday, but it's not clear how many families are staying at the motel, which only has around a dozen rooms.
____________________

Statement from Councilman Ulrich on Mayor de Blasio's Latest Backroom Deal

"Instead of fulfilling his pledge to end the use of hotels to shelter people who have fallen on hard times, Mayor de Blasio quietly signed a deal to use Playland Motel in Rockaway Beach as a homeless facility. I am outraged. My constituents - and all New Yorkers - deserve better.

"Mayor de Blasio's so-called progressive agenda has caused the homeless population to skyrocket. The time has come for this administration to put forth real and meaningful solutions that will actually help people find permanent housing and rebuild their lives. The Playland Motel is not the right answer."

Illegal demo halted in Brooklyn

Photo by Georgine Benvenuto

From Brooklyn Daily:

The city has caught yet another contractor doing illegal construction in Bay Ridge. Workers from Manhattan contractor Fortuna Design and Construction Inc. got a permit to build a new four-story apartment building between Third and Fourth avenues but had zero approval from the city to knock down the two-story house that was already there, according to a spokesman with the Department of Buildings. They took down all but one wall, shocking locals who worry unsanctioned deconstruction could be harmful to nearby buildings — or neighbors’ health.

“I was stunned when I heard about this,” said Josephine Beckmann, district manager of Community Board 10. “Virtually the entire building was torn down without a permit. How is that done safely if there is no permit?”

Block residents and Beckmann herself complained to the city about the dubious demolition, so the Department of Buildings slapped workers with a stop-work order and issued a violation for the illicit tear-down, according to a buildings department spokesman. The Environmental Control Board will determine a penalty for the illegally abolished abode at an upcoming hearing, the rep said.

Mayor's office can't keep its lies straight

.@rosannascotto Not exactly accurate, city never backed down. Provider pulled out of proposal. https://t.co/YoiWc7IVzz

— (((Aja))) (@AjaWorthyDavis) October 13, 2016

Now the provider pulled out of the proposal? And here we thought it was Harshad Patel, the hotel owner, who did. At least that's what Steven Banks said to the press a day after his spokesperson said the city backed out after local opposition.

Lies, lies
I can't believe a word you say
Lies, lies, are gonna make you sad someday

Kids falling into sinkhole in South Ozone Park

From PIX11:

Imran Baksh says he’s been complaining for 5 years to city agencies that the front of his home is sinking.

Baksh, who lives on 122nd Street in South Ozone Park, Queens, says what started as a little hole has been getting progressively worse.

There are now large holes in the ground surrounding the curb and sidewalk, the land under the sidewalk is eroding, the sidewalk itself is cracked and sloping, and the sinking has pulled the front railing away from the house. In the middle of the road, it is cracked and slopes towards his home and sidewalk.

Imran and his neighbor have tried filling in the holes and shoring up the curb and the sidewalk , but those fixes don’t last. It’s not long before the holes are back and deeper than ever.

One of their concerns is there’s a school at the end of the block and when the kids are dismissed, they walk right past the sinking area, where it would be easy for them to slip off the edge of the sidewalk and into the holes. In fact, one of his neighbors has two children who both have fallen into the holes when playing in the area.

Abandoned Bayside house is a concern

From the Times Ledger:

An abandoned property in Bayside Hills has the neighboring residents itching with discomfort.

The home at 215-06 49th Ave. has sat for four years in disrepair with three different building permits posted on the construction fence. The latest is an Alt-1 permit issued in April 2016 for work on the cellar and the second and third floors. There is currently a stop work order on the building for civil penalties due on multiple violations, the Department of Buildings site shows.

The property, however, shows no signs of human intervention. Weeds have grown above the level of the fence and mosquitoes have established dominance in the air while raccoons terrorize people just taking their garbage out to the street at night.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) stood with Bayside Hills Civic Association President Michael Feiner and about 15 residents last Friday to discuss the poor quality of life for neighbors resulting from the neglect and asked the city Department of Health and Hygiene, Buildings and Sanitation to act in the interest of public health and safety.

Residents have reached out to the owner, known by the name Woei Chen Lee, repeatedly without success.

Democratic election commissioner thinks "there is a lot of voter fraud"

From the NY Post:

The Manhattan Democratic representative on the city’s Board of Elections was caught on a secret video slamming Mayor Bill de Blasio’s municipal ID program as contributing to “all kinds of fraud” — including at the polls.

“He gave out ID cards, de Blasio. That’s in lieu of a driver’s license, but you can use it for anything,” Commissioner Alan Schulkin said in the undercover video recorded by a muckraker for conservative nonprofit Project Veritas.

“But they didn’t vet people to see who they really are. Anybody can go in there and say, ‘I am Joe Smith, I want an ID card,’ ” he said in the bombshell tape.

When government breaks bad

The de Blasio administration put out the following statement on Monday:

"Due to local opposition to housing homeless New Yorkers, we have not been able to convert this site into a full shelter at this time. We are renting rooms for employed single adults and providing onsite services and security.”

Then they didn't like the coverage that they received, which indicated that they caved. So they hastily arranged a press conference in the lobby of City Hall where Steven Banks answered questions. He said the following:

"We moved forward with our plan to put homeless New Yorkers in Maspeth last night. The property owner would not permit us to go forward with our full plan to use the full building."

Now, our blog has pointed the following out before, but it's worth revisiting.

According to the city's own RFP, they
1) do not target specific neighborhoods in which to open shelters and
2) the city reviews RFP responses from service providers and makes a determination

From DHS:

In order to meet its legal obligations DHS maintains an open-ended Request for Proposal process through which non-profit social service providers submit proposals to augment capacity. Although DHS does not target specific areas to open shelters, the agency strives to keep families near their communities as much as possible. This is an open-ended request for proposals, therefore, there is no prescribed due date for submissions. All suitable proposals will be reviewed by the agency on an ongoing basis as received.

Yet in Maspeth, the city held 2 public hearings and announced an opening date for a shelter before they had a viable RFP response from Acacia Network. Then they tried to pressure the owner after he said he wasn't interested. So they most certainly targeted Maspeth and broke their own rules for siting shelters.

Battle over Manhattan air rights floor price

From Crains:

Religious organizations have joined with developers to oppose the city’s intention to set a minimum price for air rights in midtown east. The air rights would be bought by developers from existing land owners and used to build taller office towers if the city goes through with its plan to rezone the neighborhood.

The city wants to enforce a price floor because it stands to gain as much as 40% of the sale of air rights. It can use the money to improve streets and sidewalks as part of the proposed rezoning of the 78 blocks around Grand Central Terminal. Already there are concerns that allowing building owners to sell their air rights will create a glut that will depress prices. Developers would like to pay as little as possible, but the city wants to make sure it doesn’t allow redevelopment to happen without getting funds for upgrades.

“The floor price is a tool that ensures a minimum contribution will be made to east midtown’s public-realm improvement fund as part of each development-rights transfer,” a spokeswoman for the Department of City Planning said.

But even religious organizations in the neighborhood, such as Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue, oppose the floor. They want to get the highest price they could in order to fund needed repairs to their landmarked buildings. And they support allowing air rights transfers over a larger area to do so—a policy they have long been pushing the city to adopt. But they worry that for small deals or if the market softens, the minimum amount might be higher than the going rate, in which case developers wouldn’t buy. Fewer transactions also would mean less money in the public-improvement fund.

City payroll is bigger than ever

From the NY Times:

New York City is undergoing a rare explosion in city government: More people now work for the city — 287,002 full-time employees as of July — than at any other point in its modern history, with thousands more scheduled to join them.

The projected growth finds few parallels in other major American metropolises; most, like New York, trimmed their numbers after the financial crash of 2008. Some have rehired, though not at the level that New York has under Mayor Bill de Blasio.

But behind all the job growth is a complicated set of factors that explain the possible benefits and costs to the city, the mayor and his supporters. Unions will see new jobs for their members, but the city will see future pension costs rise.

And even if the city fails to fill all its projected job openings, there is a benefit: An unfilled job can be taken off the budget, enabling the de Blasio administration to claim so-called savings from the absence of thousands of workers who were not hired.

Every major agency is growing under Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, but some expansions seem to stand out: His latest budget would have the Sanitation Department’s number of civilian employees increasing by a third since 2014; the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ by 20 percent; and the city information technology department’s by more than 50 percent.

The growth in full-time staffing has worried some budget experts, who fear a lack of fiscal discipline at City Hall, and greater pension obligations down the road.

Banks stands by bait & switch and shitty service provider

From PIX11:

Less than 24 hours after Maspeth residents watched Department of Homeless Services officials covertly move homeless males into the Holiday Inn Express in Maspeth, Queens, the commissioner for the agency decided to hold a news conference.

"There are 6,000 New Yorkers currently in commercial hotel rooms that I have been rented on an individualized basis," said Steven Banks at City Hall.

Approximately 30 of those New Yorkers, all working males, are now being housed at the property with Banks admitting his agency did not notify the community until after the men were checked into the hotel --- besides regular paying guests, "We did provide notice yesterday as soon as we went into those rooms."

State senator Tony Avella, the chair of a task force in Albany that focuses on the homeless says Commissioner Banks is manipulating the system calling the move a "bait and switch" in an interview with PIX11 News.

When PIX11 asked Commissioner Banks on Tuesday if he had any concerns about the city doing business with Patel considering his past? Banks offered the following, "We work with Acacia which is a reputable non-for-profit. They identified this site as a site in which services could be provided."

When pushed about DHS providing the contract with Acasia? Banks said, "We are going to keep doing business with Acacia which is a very reputable non-for-profit."

City data we examined on the Mayor's Office of Operations site, showed that in the August shelter scorecard, Acacia had more than 3,700 open violations.

City Hall tries to fool public into thinking that filling a shelter means that Maspeth "won"

From PIX11:

The city has ruled it won't turn the Maspeth Holiday Inn Express into a full homeless shelter because its ardent opposition but locals are still furious homeless men were snuck in without any notification.

"One of the changes I wanted to make was to create a process in which we open shelters and we give the community notification," NYC Homeless Services Commissioner Steven Banks said during an August 11 community meeting in Maspeth, where tempers flared over the proposed conversation of the Holiday Inn Express off the Long Island Expressway.

On Monday, residents were out on full force again as they have been for nearly every night in the last two months. But this evening was unlike any other as the city quietly moved in 25 homeless men.

Bryan Barnwell, a Democratic nominee for the 30th District, watched the entire process unfold Monday at approximately 2:30 p.m.

"I said to myself this looks kind've fishy so I investigated," Barnwell said. "We go to back entrance and go to the back of property to see what's going on and I see an empty van there with 10 people in it. They were adult males."

Barnwell believes the city snuck homeless men "100 percent."

The Department of Homeless Services responded to the protests in a statement to PIX11.

"Due to local opposition to housing homeless New Yorkers, we have not been able to convert this site into a full shelter at this time. We are renting rooms for employed single adults and providing onsite services and security."

Holiday Inn Express management had no comment in response to the city moving homeless adults into the hotel.
________________________________

Ok folks, lets translate what is going on here. Carefully read the city's quote: "we have not been able to convert this site into a full shelter at this time", and zone in on the phrase "at this time".

This says in a sneaky way that the city has no plans of abandoning its plan to make this entire hotel a shelter. They are starting with 30 individuals, and will build it up slowly until a good portion of the shelter is filled. And not with "adult couples" as was told to the residents of Maspeth, but with single males. Note also how they emphasized that those males will be "employed" but fail to mention the substance abuse problems expected (which their job ads indicate will be something to deal with). Then we'll see a contract submitted for a permanent shelter, and the Holiday Inn sign will come down.

Spinning it to make it seem like the community "won" allows the press to get their clickbait for a day, while confusing readers into thinking this is somehow "over".

It doesn't appear that the good people of Maspeth have fallen for it, however. According to most reports, the protests are set to continue, and several road trips are in the works.

In recent years, we've lived through 5 terms of Mike Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani combined, and over all that time, haven't seen anything like the propaganda and lies put forth in 3 short years under this mayor. It's truly astounding.

De Blasio shuns "unfriendly" press

Mayor picked two outlets - NY1 & NBC - and took only their questions, while other reporters kept at bay by barricades + security #safespace pic.twitter.com/0vIVQhvIgO

— Yoav Gonen (@yoavgonen) October 10, 2016

From the Daily News:

Hizzoner, who has come under fire recently for his attempts to curtail the press, on Monday handpicked two media outlets to take questions from while refusing to address any of the other media covering him at the Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan.

De Blasio addressed TV reporters with NBC and NY1, as frustrated journalists from other outlets including the Daily News were forced to watch from behind a police barricade.

Progress Queens has more.

Sunnyside Gardens want SCA to preserve historic garage

From DNA Info:

Plans to build a much-needed middle school on the site of an old garage has drawn the ire of local preservationists who say the structure is too precious to be destroyed.

The city is looking to purchase the privately-owned property at 38-04 48th St., home to a two-story former garage, most recently occupied by a pool hall but now sits empty.

A 600-seat middle school is being proposed for the space, something local parents have been pushing to get for years to accommodate the growing number of children in the neighborhood.

But preservationists say the garage should be saved due to its historical significance. The building was designed by renowned urban planner Clarence Stein, one of two architects responsible for designing Sunnyside Gardens.

Though the building sits just outside the boundaries of the landmark historic district, it was designed as part of the project in the 1920s as a garage for Sunnyside Gardens residents to park their cars, according to architectural historian Barry Lewis.

"He didn't want to eat up the space in the city blocks with garages and driveways," said Lewis, who said the building was designed with features similar to the homes in Sunnyside Gardens, including its red brick.

"You'd be ripping out one of the major components of Clarence Stein's original plan," he said.

Maspeth protest fundraiser nets more than $12,000

Why McMansions are so ugly

From Slate:

What is it that so unnerves us about McMansions? Why are they so ugly, why do we hate them, and why—despite their atrociousness—do builders keep building them? These are the questions that the blog Worst of McMansions (aka McMansion Hell, per its URL) sets out to answer. Authored by an architect who calls herself “Kate,” the Tumblr has been around only since late July but has spread across the web faster than a subdevelopment through a vacant tract of suburbia. The site catalogs the most egregious examples of terrible overbuilt architecture, delivering ridicule to these behemoths—along with a series of McMansions 101 posts, which explain patiently everything that’s wrong with them, architecturally speaking.

The site’s fans seemed to have flocked to it not just for its ability to put words to that uneasy disgust that so many have when facing these gargantuan homes. We’ve always known they were ugly, but until now we didn’t know why, exactly. A normal house, for example, is made up of a “primary mass” (the central architectural shape of the building) and a few key “secondary masses,” building-block shapes that complement and highlight that primary mass. A McMansion, on the other hand, will have so many secondary masses—gables, garages, entryways, and so on—“that the primary mass is reduced to a role of filling in gaps between the secondary masses.” Nor is the McMansion balanced; unlike a Victorian, its individual pieces don’t have equal visual weight. It is often out of scale with its small lot and out of proportion with itself: inconsistent window sizes, dormers, and gables of contrasting style.

What emerges in Kate’s McMansions 101 posts in particular is that nearly all of the sins of McMansions often boil down to the same thing: violations of order, harmony, and symmetry. What makes a normal house successful is a sense of balance, with equally weighted elements and an overall sense of aesthetic cohesion. What makes a McMansion an eyesore is its jumble of eaves, columns, oversized garages, and other compounded fiascos.

Use of homeless hotels has doubled in 2 months

From the NY Post:

The number of homeless housed in hotels by the city has soared 50 percent in just two months – from 3,990 in July to 6,000 this month, The Post has learned.

The surge comes despite a pledge by Mayor de Blasio in February to “utilize hotels less and less and, as quickly as possible, to stop using hotels,” following the murder of a homeless woman and her two kids in a Staten Island hotel.

There were 2,656 homeless people in hotels at the time, with an average room cost of $161 per night.

The growing crisis has led to protests in parts of Queens, where residents have railed against the administration for plunking down homeless hotels with little notice.

There were 59,928 homeless individuals staying in shelters and hotels as of Thursday.

Emails obtained by The Post reveal that the surge in hotel use was predicted by de Blasio lobbying pal James Capalino, who in early 2015 questioned why the administration had enacted a moratorium on new “transitional” apartments for the homeless.

On Jan. 15, 2015 Capalino emailed then-Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli to express concern that the Department of Homeless Services had been “told to suspend development of shelters/transitional residences,” even though he had clients ready to create them.

“Given that residences such as we are proposing are much more appropriate for housing families in transition than hotel rooms, etc., we believe that it makes sense for the city to create a pipeline of these projects (which will take 12-18 months to build) so that as they come on line, the less appropriate units that the city is now using can be ‘shed,’” Capalino wrote.

In response, Barrios-Paoli the moratorium. was temporary.

Neither Barrios-Paoli, who has left the administration, nor Capalino would comment on the exchange.

DHS pulls a fast one on Riverdale residents

From Riverdale Press:

The dozens of homeless men whom the city had promised to relocate from the Van Cortlandt Motel by late September are now gone – only to have been replaced by homeless parents with children, in a reshuffle that prompted an outcry from local residents, politicians and community activists.

Community Board 8 voted unanimously on Sept. 29 to approve a resolution demanding the resignation of city officials it blamed for a “material misrepresentations of facts” – the head of New York’s Department of Homeless Services, Steven Banks, and his deputy Matthew Borden. Several speakers at the meeting accused the officials of having “lied.” The resolution also called for an investigation and for an end to the motel’s use as a homeless shelter.

City officials denied having lied and argued that the arrival of homeless families was prompted by the city’s attempt to find temporary housing for an influx of homeless New Yorkers this summer.

The Van Cortlandt Motel has long been known as a place for assignations and suspected drug use, and linked to violent crimes and theft. It also sits next door to a home for people with mental health problems, the Riverdale Manor, and is just across Broadway from Van Cortlandt Park.

But the main focus of the outrage at the board meeting was the city’s apparent failure to notify the community about placing homeless families at the motel – a charge of surreptitiousness that officials tried to refute, but with little apparent success.

Jamaica hotel without C of O used to house homeless

From DNA Info:

The city placed homeless families at a new hotel on Jamaica Avenue before the building before obtained its Certificate of Occupancy, documents posted on the Department of Building's website indicate.

The Department of Homeless Services confirmed to DNAinfo New York that it is currently renting rooms to house homeless families with children at the brand-new building at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 183rd Street which does not have any logo nor a reception area.

But neighbors, who said they were never informed that the building would be used to house the homeless, said that the city started placing families there before the building was even completed, they said.

From Cleanup Jamaica Queens:

More than just wrong, TOTALLY ILLEGAL. First, it is illegal for anyone to be in a building that does not have a certificate of occupancy and TOTALLY ILLEGAL to place homeless people in a hotel or any place that does not have a kitchen, yet the city and this awful mayor dumblasio is skirting all kind of legal issues. I am curious, how many of those people are from Jamaica, how many of those people are here in this country legally, how many of these people came from another state recently (NY is a right to shelter state, which is a BIG PROBLEM in itself), how many of these people pose a threat to others and the community due to a history of crime, drug/alcohol/mental healthy issues & violence, which we have seen a pattern of this in the majority of these places.

All this talk and all this money about investing in Jamaica and then more than 5 hotels have already been turned into homeless shelters and more hotels are being built. I was not aware that Jamaica, let alone Queens was a huge tourist attraction (WHICH IT IS NOT) that so many hotels (and small shady ones by shady owners) are being built.

Every time Jamaica attempts to make 1 step forward, the powers that be turn around and take three steps back.

Indeed.

Closure of 2 shelters announced hours after 2nd propaganda video released

Released Thursday evening:

From the Times Ledger yesterday afternoon:

On Friday, several elected officials in Eastern Queens announced that DHS will comply with hotel owner Harshad Patel and no longer use the Bellerose Inn and Quality Inn as housing for homeless families within the next 60 days.

“Now that we have confirmed that the city will comply with his wishes, we have to work towards finding a more permanent solution to help these families,” state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) said.

DHS would not say how this would affect its proposed shelter at the Maspeth Holiday Inn Express, which Patel also owns.

Well it would seem that if DHS wanted to respect the wishes of the hotel owner, they would stop pressuring him to make a deal in Maspeth, since he said publicly multiple times that he wasn't interested in turning his Holiday Inn Express into a shelter. Also, if Avella, et al can accomplish this for 2 hotels, why can't Yab-Addabbo and company do it for just one?

De Blasio can't stop talking about Maspeth lately

'From the Queens Tribune:

Many people throughout the city have been outraged by this. In Southeast Queens in particular, the opening of homeless shelters has taken a toll on the community, as they hold 34 percent of the borough’s burden. That outrage has most recently spread to western Queens as Maspeth residents continue to protest shelter proposals there. The mayor addressed the Maspeth protests directly at the Jamaica town hall.

“There is controversy in Maspeth, Queens,” the mayor said. “In our shelter system citywide, there are 250 individuals who come from Maspeth, Queens.” He believes that all communities, “especially one that has not had to shoulder the burden” before, have to step up and participate in helping solve this problem.

The mayor doubled down on his stance, saying that he will continue to encourage the entire city to take on this issue for the greater good, but did want to ease up on bringing those facilities to overburdened communities like Southeast Queens, as was evident in the Maspeth proposal.

“This is what we need to do to put a roof over their heads and to take care of families in every kind of community regardless of race, income,” de Blasio said. “I don’t think the tone of those protests has always been that appropriate,” he said of the Maspeth backlash. “I don’t like that protesters not only protested at the house of our commissioner, Steve Banks, but threatened him and his family as well.” So we will pursue a fair-share strategy, in the sense of going to areas that have not had these kind of facilities before and we will catch hell for it and we will stand our ground and take it because it is an act of fairness.”

From NY1:

Mayor de Blasio defended his administration's efforts to combat homelessness during a wide-ranging and spirited Q&A with reporters today. When asked about community protests over plans to convert a hotel in Maspeth, Queens into a shelter, de Blasio said "If people in Maspeth think they cannot have responsibility for a problem that is their problem, I will happily stare them down. We will put a roof over people's heads."

Wow, tough guy! How does he propose to stare Maspeth folk down when he refuses to set foot there? The only time he's paid a visit was to do a shitty job filling a pothole. And is this really appropriate language coming from the mayor of the city?

DOB has new category of ALT-1 permits?

From the Times Ledger:

Work has been allowed to continue on the land where the Bayside house formerly owned by federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis once stood.

A stop work order for 218-15 40th Ave. was issued in July due to the Alt-1 permit being revoked for work that exceeded the scope of the original plans. The violations have been dismissed, according to a Department of Buildings spokesman, and a new Alt-1 permit was issued in mid-August and took effect in mid-September.

It was not clear why the violations were dropped.

Controversy about the house began brewing in April after neighbor Bonnie Skala Kiladitis noticed the renovations to the four-story house taking a turn for the extreme. Within days, the home had been reduced to the first floor.

An Alt-1 permit requires at least 50 percent of the original structure to be retained during the renovation of any home. The DOB, however, reissued an Alt-1 in this case on the basis that the foundations were still intact and because the building plans had been revised and approved for an Alt-1, a DOB spokesman said. He pointed out that it is at the discretion of a plan examiner to determine how much of the original structure needs to remain to call for an Alt-1.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) has kept an eye on the situation with the property and said the DOB informed him the new Alt-1 permit is what is known as a Big Alt-1 and allows renovation to exceed the usual 50 percent required to be retained.

Schneps event interrupted by anti-gentrification protest

From LIC Post:

A Queens-focused real estate conference that took place in Long Island City this morning drew dozens of bankers and brokers—but also several anti-development protesters.

The event, held at Gantry Loft, was organized by QNS and included a number of panelists who were there to discuss the opportunities that are available within the borough’s residential, commercial and industrial real estate market.

The event, which cost $95 a ticket, included speakers such as Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and council members Jimmy Van Bramer and Elizabeth Crowley.

The event was going as planned until one of the speakers was interrupted by the leader of a group called “Queens is Not for Sale.” The group claims that existing residents are being displaced by rapid development.

“We are here today because we represent the people of Queens that the Mayor’s affordable housing plan has left out,” the protester said. “We are domestic workers, fast food workers, taxi drivers, day laborers, seniors, among others.”

“Queens is being billed as the ‘new frontier,’” she said, adding that this ‘new frontier’ has been our home for many years. “This is about displacement.”

The protester was escorted out of the building and was joined by about 30 activists on Borden Avenue who were holding “Queens is Not for Sale” signs, who were also yelling out that message.

Ziggy Mintz, one of the protesters, said “the future of our neighborhoods are not being determined by the community but by the developers.”

Heastie makes his case for legislative pay raises

From the NY Post:

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie claimed today that lawmakers deserve a raise because they’ve never worked harder.

Ignoring the corruption scandals swirling around Albany, Heastie argued in a letter to the Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation that “the complexity and demands” of a legislator’s job “have dramatically increased.”

He pointed out that legislators’ base salary of $79,500 is now worth $53,997 in real purchasing power because there hasn’t been a pay hike since 1999.

Heastie didn’t mention ethics reform, which has been a point of contention between lawmakers, who claim they passed meaningful changes, and critics who contend they haven’t done enough.

The speaker, a Bronx Democrat, also did not recommend a specific new salary, merely pointing to a rate of inflation of about 2 percent a year.

But he noted that the current salary is modest at best for people living in and around the five boroughs.

If salaries aren’t adjusted, Heastie said only inexperienced, retired, or independently wealthy people would be willing to take the job.

Hmmm... inexperienced means that there wouldn't be decades-long incumbency, retired means they may actually show up for work and independently wealthy means they likely won't take bribes. I think I'll stick with no raises as the way to go.

Glass box for Flushing non-profit

From Curbed:

Housing non-profit Asian Americans for Equality are set to open a large new community and entrepreneurship center in Flushing, Queens that will be located at the corner of College Point Boulevard and 39th Avenue. The seven-story structure will span 90,000 square feet and is being designed in collaboration between JCJ Architecture and Leong Leong.

Plans so far call for an outdoor plaza on the ground floor that will connect to a 5,000-square-foot public market. The second floor will be configured in such a way that it can be used for a variety of events, meetings, exhibitions, and performances. This floor also comes with a large terrace. The third floor will house a business incubator that will provide the neighborhood’s businesses a co-working space, and an area to collaborate. Floors five through seven will offer additional office space.

The architects have also designed a three-story staircase that starts at the base of the structure. This creates a seating area for the market on the ground floor, and on the second and third floor, it can be used for events, performances, and screenings.

Fort Totten floor fall-through

From CBS 2:

A city worker fell through the floor of a crumbling old building in Queens.

The parks employee and his crew were sent in to clean after someone else decided the structure was safe.

The inside of the old building on the grounds of Fort Totten — a former U.S. Army site — has seen better days.

It’s now dilapidated and deserted.

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation employee Cory Credell said on Monday, he was asked to go inside and clean it up after the department’s health and safety team deemed the site safe for the job, CBS2’s Valerie Castro reported exclusively Tuesday night.

Once inside — wearing a paper mask he was given to protect his face — Credell said he knew it was trouble.

Animals had made the structure their home long ago.

Credell began to sweep the floors, but the weak structure gave way and he fell through.

The sad demise of a Ridgewood street tree

You may recall back in 2013 when a school building under construction in Ridgewood resulted in the damage of the street trees around its perimeter. Well it appears that the destruction of one of the trees was completed this week.

I'm sure the stump will stay for quite some time. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they just removed it and filled in the tree pit.

Taxpayer money planted it, helped destroy it and took it away.

From classic to crap

Hi Crappy,

I know how your readers like to hate the crap that has replaced the old homes.The monstrosity on the right replaced a large home probably built in the early 1900's. This apartment building is right by the beach and there's no balconies so I'm guessing it's not going to be luxury housing, perhaps a homeless shelter. Location is on B 94th St. and Shore Front Pkwy.

- Rich

Well, upon researching the property, it seems to be some kind of apartment building. But a shelter wouldn't surprise anyone either.

How many homeless could fit inside THIS?

From the Queens Gazette:

Japanese hotelier Toyoko Inn Co. has filed an application to develop a massive 59-story hotel within walking distance of the Queens Plaza transportation hub in Long Island City.

Plans indicate the hotel at 24-09 Jackson Avenue, between 45th Avenue and 23rd Street, will rise 514-feet and will feature 260,857-square-feet of commercial space, with a five-car garage and lobby located on the ground floor.

The project will feature 1,260 hotel rooms – 54 rooms on the second-through-eighth floors and 21 to 22 rooms on each of the remaining floors.

Update on Strawberry Farms

As you may recall, we reported a few weeks back that the Strawberry Farms site was swarming with flies, due to rotting fruit. The following letter exchange then happened.

De Blasio takes care of his friends with our money

From the NY Post:

Congratulations, city taxpayers: You’ve found yet another clever way to contribute to Mayor de Blasio’s 2017 re-election campaign — by hiring hundreds of his operatives as “special assistants” on the City Hall payroll, thereby relieving them of the need to find real jobs in the political off-years.

Of course, you probably didn’t realize you’d done the mayor that favor until Bruce Golding and Rich Calder broke the story in Monday’s Post.

The 264 “special assistants” on the books for the last fiscal year accounted for 40 percent of the entire Mayor’s Office payroll and cost taxpayers $18.7 million.

No, not all were hacks being supported between campaigns — but de Blasio spent much more than twice as much on “special assistants” as Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Yes, gazillionaire Bloomy had other places to park his politicos — but so does the current mayor, with his vast web of pocket nonprofit outfits.

Of course, the taxpayers also helped pay for those, if indirectly — since donations to them plainly bought access (at least) to the mayor and his team.

Adding insult to injury, mayoral spokesman Eric Phillips — who earns $182,000 — justified the added expense for special assistants as a cost-saving measure that cut down overtime, supposedly saving taxpayers $105,000 while boosting the number of managers at City Hall.

As if anyone was pointing to this City Hall as a paragon of good management.

Future crap site in Jamaica Estates?

"I'll betcha this is gonna be a piece o' crap soon.

180-28 Wexford Terrace in Jamaica Estates. Small house, huge, long driveway, over 7000 sf piece of land. For the last 15 years or so I've seen many different cars parked in its unpaved, largely unfinished front yard. I figured someone was renting out space to commuters to help pay their mortgage or heating bill. Turns out it's owned by a corporation. Recently sold for 700,000.

There's gotta be room for six or more families on that piece of land."

-Rick D.

Small Long Island town has a big gang problem

From the NY Times:

Four dead teenagers. Two weeks. One town. And a ruthless gang, the authorities say, was most likely responsible for the toll. Again.

On Sept. 13, Nisa Mickens, 15, and her best friend, Kayla Cuevas, 16, were murdered, their battered bodies found near an elementary school here. A week later and just two miles away, the skeletal remains of two more teenagers — identified as Oscar Acosta, 19, and Miguel Garcia-Moran, 15 — were found in the woods near a psychiatric hospital. Oscar had been missing since May, Miguel since February. Their deaths have been ruled homicides.

Brentwood, a hardscrabble town of nearly 60,000 on Long Island, 40 miles east of Manhattan, has reached another crisis point. For nearly two decades, MS-13, a gang with roots in Los Angeles and El Salvador, has been terrorizing the town, the authorities say, especially its young people. Since 2009, its members have been accused of at least 14 murders, court and police records show.

School officials are scrambling. Police officers are searching. Students are frightened. Parents are anguished.

Tensions simmer here because some residents say they believe an increase in Central American migrants to town has led to the increase in gang violence. According to 2014 census figures compiled by Queens College, Brentwood’s population is 68 percent Latino or Hispanic, with more than 17,000 residents claiming to be from El Salvador.

Timothy Sini, who became the Suffolk County police commissioner 11 months ago, after his predecessor, James Burke, pleaded guilty to civil rights violations and obstruction of justice, has vowed to eradicate the gangs.

“There’s been a huge influx, to be honest with you,” said Ray Mayo, the president of the Brentwood Association of Concerned Citizens, who added that he was upset over undocumented immigrants crowding rental properties. “It seems like a whole new set of gang members who have stirred the pot up.”

We have plenty of MS-13 here in Queens but no one wants to talk about it. I wonder why?

Feds report that train engineer fled after Maspeth train crash

From the Times Ledger:

A federal probe into a fiery train crash last year faults the railway operator, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D–Flushing) announced Sunday. The crash occurred July 8, 2015, when a freight train operated by New York and Atlantic Railway (NYA) slammed into a tractor-trailer at the railroad crossing at Maspeth Avenue and injured the truck’s driver.

The tractor-trailer was leaving a warehouse on Maspeth Avenue when the train clipped it. The truck’s cab then burst into flames as the train dragged it for nearly 200 feet. The driver jumped out of the cab before his truck caught fire, avoiding serious injury.

The Federal Railroad Administra­tion’s (FRA) investigation concluded that the locomotive engineer failed to follow NYA’s operating rules and special instructions for the grade-crossing. The FRA found that the conductor’s failure to take any action to bring the train under control contributed to the accident.

The investigation was further complicated by the disappearance of the train’s engineer.

“FRA was not able to interview the engineer involved in the accident as he went missing immediately after the accident,” the FRA’s Focused Safety Review stated. “In the aftermath of the accident, the locomotive engineer left the scene and did not return to the railway. NYA subsequently terminated his employment.”

The FRA was able to interview the train’s conductor, who was cooperative and raised safety concerns regarding whether he had been adequately trained. The FRA identified several safety issues that NYA needs to address, including its failure to provide and document adequate training as testing of locomotive engineers and conductors, failure to issue certificates for the engineer and conductor, faulty record-keeping software, and the need for several actions to improve grade-crossing safety for motor vehicle users.

Shelter resident attends protest to expose DHS abuse

• The State Senator from the area actually shows up for protests.
• He mentions that this hotel is not near a subway or jobs.
• It is meant to keep people out of view.
• He calls for it to be shut down.

To recap Aaron's remarks:

• The DHS told the residents of at least one shelter on Jericho Turnpike that last week's protest would be violent and that they must leave.
• Those who did not want to leave were threatened with being sent back to the PATH center in the Bronx and having their kids taken away.
• You get preferential treatment in the shelters if you are an "MOS" (member of the service). Otherwise, you get treated like shit.
• Food is provided at the shelter that is spoiled and has made his family and others sick.
• DHS relies on scare tactics.
• You actually have to take them to court to get anywhere.
• DHS bounces people around from shelter to shelter, and keeps people in the system for years.
• The de Blasio administration's video was a lie because the shelter residents are more afraid of DHS than of protesters.
• The caseworker at the shelter got fired. A new one was hired, and there is only one on site for the entire shelter.
• The young man's family just got approved for permanent housing because DHS knew Aaron was talking with the protesters.

• Sam Chang built a 205-room hotel on a marsh in a remote area.
• After Sandy, a service provider named Bedco opened a men's shelter on the first two floors of the hotel.
• The men are forced to leave via side entrances and hotel guests are not told about the presence of the shelter.
• The men eat meals in their rooms instead of in a congregate area.
• Sex offenders are housed there without notification to the community.
• There is no proof that paid for services are actually provided to the men.

We may have given away tax breaks for nothing

From the Times Ledger:

The city has been giving tax breaks to developers without tracking how effective their projects have been for economic development, according to a new report.

Last Thursday, the City Council’s Committee on Finance released a report on development tax expenditures, with recommendations on how to evaluate their effectiveness. The report, published by the Council’s Task Force on Economic Development Tax Expenditures, calls for the establishment of a standardized and regular evaluative process to improve transparency and the Council’s oversight.

“The city gives billions in economic development tax incentives each year, and we do not know how well they work. We should know their effects to ensure the public is getting the best bang for its buck,” said City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst), who is the chairwoman of the Council’s Committee on Financing. “I am proud of the work the Task Expenditure Task Force has done, which will help make the government more transparent and prudent. I look forward to working with the Speaker and my colleagues to develop a process that will allow us to evaluate these programs, understand their effects, and make better decisions about our scarce resources.”

The city funded $7.7 billion towards tax benefits aimed at spurring economic growth and development in Fiscal Year 2016; however, no public process exists to evaluate whether the benefits achieved their stated goals.

Increase in legislative pay is questionable

From NY1:

Governor Andrew Cuomo has made its clear that his appointees to the legislative pay commission can control whether or not state lawmakers receive a pay increase.

"You will need my appointees and judicial appointees to approve it," he said.

The Commission held several meetings this year and is expected to deliver its report in November, safely after state lawmakers stand for re-election.

But Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says that was never part of the agreement. In a statement, Heastie says, "The idea behind the commission was to determine administrative, legislative and statewide elected salaries devoid of any political considerations or agendas. Unfortunately, counter to the purpose of the Commission, there are some who have tried to politicize this process by suggesting legislators testify or trade legislation for a pay increase."

Heastie went on to say Cuomo's budget director recently wrote a letter to the Commission explaining why an increase is necessary for his commissioners. Heastie says he, too, will write a letter on behalf of his legislators. which holds everyone to the same standard.

Protest at homeless hotel in Meadowmere today

WHO: The Meadowmere Park Civic Association and Maspeth–Middle Village Task Force

WHAT: Joint protest of hotel conversion into homeless shelter

WHERE: Holiday Inn at 154-71 Brookville Blvd, Rosedale, NY 11422

WHEN: Sunday, October 2nd, 11am

The Maspeth-Middle Village Task Force will be joining the Meadowmere Park Civic Association on Sunday October 2 at 11am to protest the conversion of a Holiday Inn located at 154-71 Brookville Blvd in the Meadowmere section of Queens, just west of the Nassau County border.

This new hotel, which opened in 2014, is still booking rooms under the Holiday Inn name, but for the past year, the 1st and 2nd floors have been rented out to a social services provider who has contracted with the Department of Homeless Services to place 150 homeless men there. The men are thrown out of the premises at 9am and are not allowed to come back until after 5pm.

They are being forced to exit the building via a “poor door” on the side of the building so they do not come into contact with the paying guests of the hotel. The City Council and de Blasio administration passed a law in 2015 banning “poor doors” in buildings containing both market rate and affordable housing units. Yet the administration’s Department of Homeless Services condones this practice in the hotel shelters that it funds.

With no job assistance offered or public transportation nearby, these men are left with little choice but to wander through this remote residential area. Those with untreated mental illnesses and addictions have been responsible for many disturbances and have become a burden on police manpower.

Maspeth stands in solidarity with the people of Meadowmere who are calling for Solutions, not Shelters.

I gotta laugh at the response to the review. "We appreciate your feedback". Right, but poverty pimpin' is just too lucrative to give up.

By the way, the owner of the hotel is Sam Chang.

No more horse poop in sewers

From the Daily News:

The New York Racing Association has agreed to stop dumping water contaminated with horse manure and detergent from the Aqueduct Racetrack into city sewer drains.

The Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's office filed a lawsuit under the Clean Water Act alleging in 2013 and 2014 the racetrack had discharged more than 1 million gallons of wastewater into the Hawtree and Bergen Basins which ultimately flowed into Jamaica Bay.

An NYRA employee is responsible for making sure there are no discharges of contaminated water into storm drains when horses, wash pads, and manure bins are hosed down. Sixty-two trees will be planted at Belmont Park to help capture storm water runoff.

Exploring Hawtree Creek

Another great photo essay by Nathan Kensinger on Curbed:

Down at the edge of Jamaica Bay, beneath the subway tracks and next to the airport, flows one of the most-seen but least-known creeks in New York City. It meanders past 100-year-old boat clubs and bungalows, travels underneath the AirTrain and the A train, and is the main reason that most of the nearby communities exist.

But to millions of visitors who look out over its waters while on their way to JFK, it has no name. And for many of the residents who live along its shoreline, its path remains a mystery, though its waters flood their streets during nearly every full moon.

This is Hawtree Creek, which passes through a pocket of New York City that feels like it belongs to a different century. Families living near this waterway still take "the boardwalk into town" like their grandparents once did, still keep a boat or two in the dock out back, and still navigate gravel roads through marshlands to get to their homes, which are built on pilings out over the water.

Spotlighting adaptive reuse

Take a look at these adaptive reuse projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn and compare them with Queens, where something hundreds of years old and with historical significance will get torn down in a flash with not one elected official giving a shit.