Addabbo suddenly grows a pair

From the Queens Chronicle:

Mayor de Blasio had better keep in mind that cooperation with his fellow elected officials is a two-way street, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) warned in an interview last week with the Queens Chronicle.

Explicitly saying that he wanted to see his warning in print, Addabbo said the mayor’s insistence on establishing large homeless shelters where they’re not wanted in his district and his decision to stop running a ferry from Rockaway to Manhattan last October could come back to haunt him.

The city recently opened a homeless shelter in Rockaway and is planning to establish another one in Glendale, both in Addabbo’s district and both despite community opposition — though the lawmaker said the city may be starting to consider alternate uses for the latter site.

The mayor’s going to come to Albany at some point and ask for something,” Addabbo said. “It would be hard for me to embrace the mayor or accommodate his requests at this time. It’s very hard for me to try to work with this administration unless things change.”

He made the comments during a wide-ranging talk on topics from here to Albany.

But Addabbo also said he’s getting the first indications from the city that it may reconsider its plans to turn an old factory on Cooper Avenue in Glendale into a shelter for hundreds of homeless people. The senator has proposed using the site, once any toxins there are cleaned up, to house seniors or veterans instead.

Jackson Heights knows what it doesn't want at Bruson Building

From the Queens Chronicle:

Residents eager to help decide the fate of the reconstructed Bruson Building crowded into the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights Thursday evening, causing the town hall’s organizers to add extra chairs and bump out the back wall to make room.

The meeting, spearheaded by state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), was organized to gather community input regarding the fate of the Bruson Building, which burned down in a five-alarm fire last April, displacing tenants such as Plaza College, which has a new campus in Forest Hills, Armondo’s Italian Restaurant, which will reopen in February on Northern Boulevard and Frank’s Pharmacy, which reopened three blocks away in October.

Suggestions from residents, many of which were written on pieces of paper and read by Peralta, included a Jewish deli, a bakery, an American-style restaurant, a medical facility, an interfaith center, a bookstore, a Hallmark store, a pediatric urgent care center, health facility, a Housing Works Thrift Shop and a Wells Fargo bank.

Many were averse to the idea of more 99-cent stores, or more ethnic eateries or shops. Many were also against a fast food chain coming into the building.

A popular idea, which was brought up again and again throughout the meeting, was to have a Trader Joe’s. But, some residents were concerned the grocery store would bring more people into the already-congested neighborhood.

Resident Jimmy Wohl brought up another suggestion that drew oohs and aahs from the crowd: A co-working space to attract area entrepreneurs and thought-leaders, similar to what exist throughout Manhattan and other parts of Western Queens.

Eviction notices "for demolition" issued at the LIC clock tower

From WPIX:

The building has been along Queens Plaza North since 1927.

The subway grew around it. Now buildings rise around it, more tall everyday.

Tenants are receiving eviction notices.

No formal plans have been filed with the NYC Department of Buildings. Last year, neighbors requested the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission consider the location.

It is under active review. It needs to be “calendared” before any protection is put in place.

The development company listed as the owner did not respond to questions about plans for the building and the lot.

Cathy Nolan, Madame Speaker?

From the NY Observer:

Top officials with the Queens Democratic Party are calling Assembly members in Queens, Manhattan and Nassau County about the possibility of supporting Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, a Queens Democrat, for speaker if Mr. Silver resigns or is forced out of office after his arrest on federal corruption charges, sources say.

Ms. Nolan, first elected in 1984, chairs the powerful Committee on Education.

“Queens is calling around, taking the temperature. They’re pushing Nolan,” said an Albany Democratic source. “They are floating her in case Shelly is no longer speaker so there’s a quick transfer of power and the body can move on.”

Sources say the Queens machine’s three top deputies–Michael Reich, Frank Bolz and Gerard Sweeney–are calling legislators to figure out what kind of support exists for a potential Nolan candidacy. Ms. Nolan, who did not immediately return a request for comment, defended Mr. Silver in the Daily News.

“They feel he’s taken a lot of criticisms for reflecting the views of a hundred very disparate people,” Ms. Nolan said. “It’s not an easy thing to do and he has done it very well.”

Strange Katzspeak

From the Queens Tribune:

The BP is also proposing to create specific zoning designations for areas that are primarily defined by single-family row houses. She said she is asking for this because Queens is a Borough defined by neighborhoods and they must work to protect identities that each area has. Maspeth and Ridgewood are specific examples mentioned by Katz that would fall under this proposal.

Actually, much of the single-family rowhouses in question that were to be affected by this legislation are in Middle Village, Rego Park, Flushing, Bayside and elsewhere. Most of the rowhouses in Ridgewood are *at least* 2-family in nature, with the vast majority being 3-family or more.

Plus, a bajillion Ridgewood houses are now landmarked. So what the hell is she talking about?

Watch out for whitefish!

"Hi Crappie I got a real shitty story for you.

Last night I attended a meeting at Flushing Town Hall about Flushing Bay presented by the Empire Dragon Boat Club and Riverkeeper.

We learned that 1.2 billion gallons of untreated sewage enters the bay each year mainly from three discharge pipes and that there are also four pipes that empty into Flushing Creek. We also learned that sewage tank that was built in Flushing Meadow Park that was supposed to cure the problem only reduces about 56% CSO's from just one pipe. Also one of the pipes is from the Bowery Bay Sewage Treatment plant in Astoria.

They said every time it rains more than 1/10 of an inch CSO's go right into the bay. Add this to Willet's Point where there never were any sewers and other contaminates like oil etc got right into the water. Then there's La Guardia Airport that has had a couple fuel spills and all the de-icing fluid that is used has gone into the bay.There is also industrial pollution from cement companies that wash out the trucks and it all goes into the water.

Members of the Dragon boat teams are really concerned because they practice in the bay. One guy said that the joke on the team is that if you get sick once you are good for the rest of the season. Others said they throw their clothes away rather than washing them. They joked about seeing jelly fish but it was condoms floating by.

This is another example of piss poor city planning. With all the building of high density housing the problem will only get worse. NYC is violating the Clean Water Act and Riverkeeper says they sued the city back in 1992 but these things take a long time in the courts.

There was only one Asian guy there from a Dragon boat team and he claimed that fish and crabs from the bay are being sold on Main St.Fish and crabs are not considered safe to eat according to Riverkeeper."

- Anonymous

MTA fails to protect newest cars

"The R188 cars on the 7 are being ruined by scratchiti. This photo is an example. Other, older cars have been protected by a sacrificial protective film. The MTA dropped the ball on this one." - Anonymous

Coalition wants to end 421-a loophole

From Capital New York:

A coalition of tenant advocates plan to call for the end of a major tax abatement program that is both coveted by developers and seen as an important piece of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing plan.

The groups do not want the program, known as 421-a, to be renewed after its expiration in June because they believe it is an old and inefficient way to provide affordable housing. It made sense when it was created in the 1970s, the groups said, because New York City’s population was shrinking and needed all the new construction that could be mustered. Today, they claim, it’s just a perk for moguls building apartments for millionaires and billionaires.

“This luxury housing produced through 421-a fuels gentrification and displacement,” the groups say in an attack piece that will be circulated next week. “It inflates real-estate prices and creates market pressure that leads to higher rents and pushes out residents in neighborhoods like downtown Brooklyn, western Queens and Harlem, where many new luxury condos have been built.”

Maybe the code should be changed

From WPIX:

Crews were still on the scene Friday morning putting out hot spots. The biggest obstacle to controlling the blaze was the building itself, made of lightweight wood construction.

“You have a lot of open voids, open spaces, fire spreading quickly through the walls and floors, leading to collapses. In fact, a complex built here by the same company of the same materials burnt to the ground in 2000, while still under construction,” Fire Chief Thomas Jacobson said.

The chief added that the inexpensive material, which is now commonly used in new construction, is up to code in New Jersey.

How many of these firetraps are in Queens?

Katz thinks basement apartments are great

From the Times Ledger:

Two days before she was to give her first State of the Borough address Thursday, Melinda Katz said Queens needs more schools, more affordable housing and more quality jobs, among other priorities, while calling on the city to consider creating new zoning districts for basement apartments.

“Illegal conversions lack safety,” Katz said at a news briefing in Borough Hall Tuesday. “The problem is that we have no more housing and we need to live, and we need to make these converted spaces safe.”

She said Queens has a 46 percent of foreign-born population, and in this growing borough, “we can’t build fast enough, although this is a good problem to have as long as we can catch up.”

The borough president will ask the city Department of Buildings to look at the possibility of legalizing more basement apartments, “creating new areas for conversions.”

We're number 1!

From the Queens Chronicle:

A new report by the Migration Policy Institute found that New York City is home to more than a half-million undocumented immigrants, with the largest concentration of that population living in Queens.

“I think that Queens, to many people, symbolizes opportunity,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Bayside), who was unsurprised to learn of the figure. She cited the large amount of small businesses in Queens, many of them immigrant-owned, as a potential reason.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) echoed Meng’s sentiments.

“Queens is the center of this promise of the American Dream,” he said. “It’s a wonderful mix of diversity. In my district, you can practically walk into another country as you move between different enclaves.”

Peralta sees the new data as an opportunity, highlighting the potential these immigrants represent if they can be properly naturalized and brought into the taxpaying workforce.

According to the MPI report, Queens is home to an estimated 246,000 of the city’s 643,000 illegal immigrants, with 91,000 of them eligible for President Obama’s deferred deportation programs, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.

Chop, chop!

From the Queens Courier:

“X” marks the spot to chop.

The Parks Department has come into Howard Beach for a second round of tree removal.


This is a continuation of the previous tree removal process that took place in September. All Sandy-stricken trees that the Parks Department feels are too far gone and not likely to survive will be cut down and replaced, according to the agency. There is still not an exact number for how many trees will be cut as the agency is still surveying the area.

“The trees marked with an ‘X’ are indeed part of the Sandy removal and replacement efforts, and are scheduled to be removed and replaced over the next year,” a Parks spokeswomen said. “The total number of trees is still evolving and continues to do so as we mark additional trees.”

The Parks Department is still in the process of replanting the ones they took down in September.

City sues owner of illegal hotel

From the Epoch Times:

The online listing boasted apartments with the amenities of a midtown Manhattan hotel: coffee in the lobby, luggage storage, a 15-minute walk to Times Square.

But the arrangement was illegal, the city said in a lawsuit this week accusing the building’s owners and operators of turning an apartment house into a hotel. The suit — one of three the city has filed amid a short-term rental boom in recent years — was filed Wednesday, a day after a City Council hearing spotlighted concerns about homes being rented out like hotel rooms.

“Where the health and safety of New Yorkers and people visiting our city are put in jeopardy, we vigorously pursue enforcement,” Elan Parra, the acting director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, said in a statement Thursday. The office fields illegal-hotel complaints, which rose 62 percent last year to 1,150.

The building’s management company, identified in the suit as U.S. Suite Management LLC and also known as Metro Apartments, said no one was immediately available Thursday to comment. A call to a man identified in court papers as a principal in the company wasn’t immediately returned.

What about a hospital for Queens?

From Capital New York:

State officials are considering using hundreds of millions of dollars to construct a new hospital in Brooklyn that could replace the perennially troubled Brookdale Hospital, according to a person familiar with conversations about the funding.

The money would come from a $700 million pot set aside in Governor Andrew Cuomo's budget proposal for capital construction in east or central Brooklyn.

A new hospital would make sense for Brooklyn, said Stephen Berger, an investment banker who chaired the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, a panel formed in 2005 to study the changing state of New York's health care delivery system.

The commission predicted that some New York City hospitals would close in future years because of high overhead and infrastructure costs and changing national trends in health care delivery.

Berger has previously called for closing some Brooklyn hospitals and consolidating others, but a new hospital in the borough would be a good idea, provided that it differed from the 20th century notion of a hospital.

"It can’t just be a 12-story building with lots of beds," Berger said. "Rather, it must be the center of a health network that provides for emergency and acute care while also embracing an ambulatory care model that focuses on managing population health and keeping people from having to use the acute care portion of the building."

Landlords may foot bill for tenant displacement

From DNA Info:

Landlords of unsafe buildings could be forced to pay for displaced tenants' temporary housing while their apartments are being fixed under proposed legislation in the City Council.

Councilwoman Margaret Chin is renewing her push for the bill, which was introduced last year, in the hopes of making it easier for New Yorkers to find temporary housing after their homes are vacated by the city for falling into disrepair.

Chin hopes that shifting the burden of temporary housing onto landlords will prevent the Department of Housing Preservation and Development from passing stringent new rules governing applications for temporary housing, which she said would make it more difficult for tenants to apply and receive help.

Chin's measure would allow the city to require landlords to keep 10 percent of the building's rent roll in escrow, and the city would be able to seize five years' worth of that money if the building is vacated because of safety violations. HPD would then use that money to cover the cost of temporarily housing the displaced tenants.

Film industry unhappy with being asked to disclose info

From AMNY:

Moviemakers and the de Blasio administration gave thumbs down Wednesday to a City Council bill meant to let the public know more about the productions that take over their neighborhoods.

The legislation, sponsored by Councilman Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn), would require the city to post monthly reports of information such as where a film shoot occurred, how long the filming lasted, whether the public lost on-street parking and, if so, how much.

Under the current system, there is no central place for the public to find such information, meaning critics must rely on anecdotes when complaining their neighborhoods are overburdened by productions.

A more controversial provision of the legislation seeks more from the industry such as how many people the industry employs, their salaries, and other demographic information about workers like age, race, sex and borough of residence.

"It's very small-minded. No offense. But it's really about local people's parking concerns," Stuart Match Suna, president of Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, said in testimony at the end of the nearly three-hour-long hearing.

Officials from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment said the disclosure requirements were particularly onerous by requiring producers to disclosure information they consider proprietary, like their costs of doing business. Such red tape, the officials said, could encourage makers of television shows, movies and commercials to go elsewhere.

Supporters of the bill want a tool to show when neighborhoods are chosen for film shoots, reflecting a common complaint that some locations favored by filmmakers face far more frequent such disruption than others. Advocates also say the data disclosure would help show how beneficial the industry is or isn't to the city.

They would be SO offended at having to provide this info that they would give up their million dollar tax breaks and instead film in Toronto? Really?

Facility for juvenile delinquents not welcome in S.Ozone Park

From the Queens Chronicle:

What was billed as a way for South Ozone Park residents to get answers from officials seeking to operate a residence for juvenile delinquents in the community quickly dissolved into more than 100 people shouting with frustration on Tuesday.

“We don’t want it here,” several residents yelled at a meeting of the South Ozone Park Civic Association West. “Put it somewhere else.”

The city Administration for Children’s Services leased a property at 133-23 127 St. to house 18 criminal offenders between the ages of 14 and 17. The program, entitled “Close to Home,” was passed as part of the 2012 state budget and seeks to hold juvenile criminals in residences closer to where they live, rather than in upstate prison facilities.

But several of the residents blasted officials from ACS and the organization that will oversee the teens or youths in the property —Episcopal Social Services — for no prior notice about the new residence, its proximity to two other similar shelters and a lack of answers.

Somehow, this is not surprising.

Shelly's chickens coming home to roost

From the Daily News:

In a move bound to rock the state Capitol, longtime Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver reportedly will be arrested Thursday on corruption charges.

The arrest of Silver, who has been one of most powerful men in Albany for more than two decades, was reported overnight by The New York Times.

While it’s unclear exactly what charges Silver could be facing, The Times reported they are linked to payments the powerful Manhattan Democrat received from New York City law Goldberg & Iryami that he did not disclose publicly as required by law.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara had no comment.

UPDATE: This guy allegedly hid A LOT of money.

Big Flushing River parcel for sale

From Brownstoner Queens:

River Park Place, a waterfront parcel across from Sky View Parc in Flushing, is now up for grabs. New York YIMBY reports that LEV Group is trying to sell the site after purchasing it for $26,000,000 in 2006. Nothing’s built yet, but there are approved plans for a mixed-use development with four towers, 457 apartments, office space and a day care. (There’s potential to build up to a FAR of 4.8 if the developer also decides to include a community facility here.) The current plan was designed by architect Ismael Leyva.

More 4-family craphouses coming to Elmhurst

From DNA Info:

Developers are planning to build multi-family homes on an empty lot near new "luxury" apartments in the former St. John's Hospital, according to papers filed with the Department of Buildings.

The plot of land by Queens Boulevard sold in October 2014 to Hoffman Drive Realty LLC for $2.75 million, according to city records.

Tan Architects — who also built Elm East on Queens Boulevard, and are developing Elm West across the street — filed plans on Jan. 14 to build four homes at 57-34 Hoffman Dr. through 57-28 Hoffman Dr., off 57th Road, according to the Department of Buildings.

The homes will be four-family.

Those plans are awaiting approval by the DOB, according to an employee at Tan Architects who declined to give her name.