Rockaway still a hot mess

From NY1:

The mayor stayed away as city officials announced beaches are open.

In the Rockaways, long stretches of sand are less weekend paradise and more construction zone. Forget your sun visor. This is hard-hat territory.

"It looks like hell," said Kevin Boyle, a Rockaway community activist. "It's not exactly ready for the top 10 list anywhere, but it's coming along. I'm pretty sure by 2020, the boardwalk will be there and the beach will look good."

Now, bulldozer tracks are everywhere. The Army Corps of engineers is dredging sand to lengthen beaches, which will soften waves.

Ongoing work means spots will open and shut at times, though new Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver can't say exactly where and when.

But hey, don't despair! You're getting WiFi!

Ciafone strikes again

Imagine walking down the block and coming upon this staring down at you. But hey - it's got an American flag, so he must be a true patriot!

Unfortunately, the billboards erected at 687 Meeker Ave likely didn't have any permits. They wouldn't be allowed on a residential property anyway.

There are also banners hanging off the front of the building.

A couple of complaints were called in back in 2012 and have yet to be addressed by DOB.

Tours celebrate local history

From New York Shitty:

Some might recall that not terribly long ago I was contacted by a very nice fellow named Geoff. He is not only a Greenpoint resident and school teacher (!), but he calls north Brooklyn history his hobby and to this end he has a web site and is publishing a book. Upon his applying for and receiving a tour guide license, Geoff was kind enough to invite me on a tour! I had a wonderful time and learned a lot.

Darn, that's a cute old pink house setback from the street! I hope it doesn't meet the wrecking ball...

Brownstoner Queens mentioned that our esteemed Queens Borough Historian also has a busy summer tour schedule.

Interestingly, he does not appear to hold a Sightseeing Guide license.

Construction causing traffic hazard in Rego Park

From the Queens Tribune:

With the ongoing construction of new apartments at the Rego Park Mall, there is some concern of what it has done for traffic in the area.

The work being done on the 24-story apartment complex on top of the shopping center is backing up traffic on Junction Boulevard and 62nd Drive and making it dangerous for pedestrians, some residents said.

Steven Shakarchy, a Rego Park resident who lives a block away from the shopping center, said the scaffolding from the construction blocks off one lane on 62nd Drive, causing a traffic jam on that side of the street.

Shakarchy said that area is dangerous for pedestrians, with many cars speeding up on that thoroughfare to beat the light and a fatal accident could happen. He said Vornado, the company that is building the apartments, should adopt safety measures in that area.

Mark your calendars for affordable housing hearing

Hello Queens Crapper,

I hope all is well as it can be in this borough of rampant, unchecked development.

Please post this as an anonymous tip:

There will be a special Community Board #1 meeting about the Astoria Cove development on Tuesday June 10th at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Astoria World Manor @ 25-22 Astoria Blvd, Astoria, NY 11102.

The developers will present their plans and their ULURP applications. The public will get a chance to provide feedback and comments. Needless to say, this is the *most important meeting* for the public to attend, especially to ensure that affordable housing is maintained throughout the project.

See this Daily News Article.

Thanks,

Anonymous

City Planning to get budget boost

From the Epoch Times:

The budget for the Department of City Planning has been increased by 39 percent after seven consecutive years of decline to meet Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ambitious affordable housing goal.

The department’s budget for the next fiscal year has been increased to $28 million, according to Carl Weisbrod, the agency’s director, who testified before the City Council Thursday.

De Blasio made a campaign promise to build and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing in 10 years. The planning department plays a key role in this endeavor since the plan requires the construction of 80,000 new affordable housing units.

The department is also adding 31 staff positions to align with de Blasio’s priorities. That’s nearly half of the 68 staff positions it lost since 2008.

DCP expects to spend $879,000 on at least 10 borough planners, and $2 million on additional consultants, all directly related to the affordable housing plan.

DOT to clean pigeon poop from under LIE

From the Forum:

Maspeth’s councilwoman helped secure a new contract that would clean up the crud underneath several underpasses in the area.

City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Maspeth) announced an agreement with the state Department of Transportation honing in on the maintenance of underpasses below the Long Island Expressway on 74th Street and 80th Street in Maspeth. The spots have become nesting grounds for the unsightly things pigeons leave behind, the councilwoman said, but not for much longer.

“These underpasses are used by pedestrians going everywhere from P.S. 58 in Maspeth High School, to Elmhurst Park and the shops on Grand Avenue,” Crowley said in a statement. “This chronic pigeon nesting is a serious public health concern, and I am glad to see the DOT taking the appropriate steps.”

Under the new contract, the underpasses will be washed every three months with the first cleaning set for July, Crowley said. The contract was originally put out in February but was re-let by the state DOT because there was only one bidder.

Lake forms on LIE during holiday rush

From NBC New York:

Several vehicles got stuck in floodwaters at an underpass on the Long Island Expressway during the evening rush Friday, jamming traffic for miles just as holiday travelers were hitting the road.

The cars got caught in rising floodwaters near the Woodhaven Boulevard exit on the westbound side of the expressway at about 5 p.m., according to the FDNY. The emergency response caused delays on both sides of the L.I.E.

Firefighters rescued drivers who were stuck in the water, and tow trucks were brought in to get the vehicles out.

DEP officials are looking at poor drainage in the area as a possible cause of the severe flooding.

Duh.

Con Ed performs rescue after car accident

Con Edison Crew Rescues a Baby, Two Women Trapped at Scene of an Auto Collision
Four Con Edison workers rescued a baby and two women earlier this week when the cars they were driving in collided, bringing down a traffic light and exposing electric wires to spilled gasoline.

“We heard a loud crash and saw gasoline pouring out from under one of the cars right next to the pedestrian crossing sign that was hit,” said James DeVita, Brooklyn/Queens Overhead Supervisor. “And we saw people inside, trying to get out.”

The collision took place about 12:30PM Tuesday at the intersection of Francis Lewis Blvd. and 53rd Ave. in Queens. One car caromed off a pedestrian crossing sign at the northwest corner of the intersection causing the sign to topple and break.

The Con Edison workers immediately lowered themselves from their overhead buckets and ran one-and-a-half blocks to the accident scene.

“It was kind of crazy. We were standing in gasoline and then we saw the baby in the back seat,” said Rich Coyle, Chief Lineman.

DeVita and another Con Edison Lineman, Chris Jensen, quickly worked to free the baby and an unconscious woman in the driver’s seat. “I finally had to cut the little girl out of the seat. The gas fumes were getting pretty strong,” added DeVita.

Another lineman, Mauricio Rincon, also helped with the rescue, including getting another injured woman out of the other car by bringing her over the front seat to the back in order to get her out through the undamaged rear door.

“And all this time, we could see those exposed wires – something we know about,” said DeVita. He also dialed 911.

The crew managed to quickly get all the victims far enough away from the accident scene just as NYPD and FDNY responders arrived and aided the victims. The two women and baby are unidentified and the extent of injuries unknown.

“I have a six-year-old daughter,” said Lineman Rincon, “and that’s all I could think of was to get that baby out of danger.”

The workers were installing an overhead transformer in front of nearby P.S. 62 as part of Con Edison’s summer preparations.

The total transformation of a community

From the Queens Chronicle:

In October 1965 a liberalized immigration law known as the Hart-Celler Act was passed allowing immigrants to come to America and bring family along later without quota restrictions. Opponents of the bill said immigration would get out of hand and engulf and change communities overnight. Flushing was one such neighborhood whose identity was changed and lost overnight as predicted.

In the early 20th century, 40th Road was a block of handyman shops. Rent was cheaper here than on Main Street. It you needed a locksmith, plumber, printer or even a quick haircut, 40th Street was where you would go for a good deal and fair prices.

Other shops were there too. In the 1930s came Shifman’s kosher butcher shop, which later became Dan Schreiber’s kosher butcher shop, a staple for many years at 135-38 40 Road. Schreiber’s speciality was corned beef and pickled tongue.

Next door, right on the corner with Main Street, was the Hy-Heat Coal Co. When coal went out of favor as a fuel, the site became became the home of the M.C. Avery liquor store. That was another neighborhood staple. In 1962 it became Gem Liquor, which continued to operate there until 1987.

Today 40th Road is of course filled with Asian-American shops, with most signs not even written in English.

Many people who come to America have already studied our history. Perhaps the Bowne House, a symbol of freedom of religion located a short distance away, is one reason this neighborhood was chosen as the favorite place to be for one wave of immigrants who came here.

I sincerely doubt that was the reason. Actually I know it wasn't a reason at all. Think tweeding.

Sheldon Silver endorses Liu

From the Observer:

As John Liu prepares to launch his campaign against State Senator Tony Avella, he can count on the support of one of the most powerful men in Albany.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon offered a full-throated endorsement of Mr. Liu’s bid today as the former comptroller and mayoral contender stood nearby.

“Go, man, go,” Mr. Silver said to Mr. Liu at the State Democratic Party Convention.

Mr. Silver said he thought Mr. Liu, who is set to kick off his bid tomorrow, would be an asset in the state legislature.

“John Liu is a friend of mine for many years. He’s a great public servant and New York State would be greatly benefited by his election,” Mr. Silver told the Observer. “We have the best in John Liu. That’s what I’m about. I want the best man.”

Mr. Silver’s endorsement doesn’t necessarily comes as a surprise. State Senate Democrats are already boosting Mr. Liu’s bid and Mr. Liu is incredibly popular with Asian-Americans, who are a large demographic in Mr. Silver’s Lower East Side district.

For his part, Mr. Liu, whose campaign for mayor last year sunk amid campaign finance allegations, appeared amused and slightly worried by Mr. Silver’s early endorsement.

I'd be worried too, if I was John. Silver is one of the most hated Democrats in the state.

End-of-year start for work on Jackie Robinson Parkway

From the Queens Chronicle:

A massive two-year project is slated to begin at the end of this year to completely overhaul the entire length of the Jackie Robinson Parkway.

The $12 million project, announced at last week’s Community Board 5 meeting, will be done by the state Department of Transportation. The work includes resurfacing the entire length from Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn to the Kew Gardens interchange, taking out the existing asphalt overlay and putting in a new one, changing all signs to make them more visible, more reflective and more readable, putting reflectors on the outer guide rails and inner concrete barrier, which is especially important where the parkway makes sharp turns through the Glendale cemeteries, clearing some mounds to enhance drivers’ sight distance on the eastbound side at Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills and building a retaining wall there.

The state DOT said the work will require closure of all lanes in particular segments of the roadway at times.

“This project will follow the principles of Gov. Cuomo’s Drivers First Initiative which focuses on minimizing the impact of roadway construction on traffic,” said NYSDOT spokeswoman Diane Park in an email. “To meet this goal, the department has specifically planned the work schedule so that construction will occur at night, when traffic volume is lowest.”

According to Park, the work will be done one section at a time, permitting all other sections of the parkway to remain open and traffic will be detoured at the designated section. She said the department will post signs clearly directing drivers back to the parkway.

LIC bracing for affordable housing impact

From the Queens Chronicle:

With the mayor’s new housing plan released, many neighborhoods throughout the city can expect major changes.

The plan, among many other things, seeks to make specific areas more dense, build 80,000 new affordable housing units and transfer more families in homeless shelters to New York City Housing Authority apartments.

As one of the more socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods in the city, Long Island City is in a particularly interesting position.

“I think we’re all thinking about the challenges,” Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said. “We have the new development of Hunters Point South, which has 5,000 new units which are not even fully up yet.”

Hunters Point South, which was referenced in the mayor’s housing plan as a case study, has been booming with development — both commercial and residential. But the biggest influx of people will not come until all three apartment buildings are fully up and running.

“I think what’s important with the planning process is that infrastructure precede development and that we prepare for the needs of communities that do not exist yet,” Van Bramer said.

The councilman has said on numerous occasion that transportation is a major problem facing the people of Hunters Point, which will only worsen as more apartment buildings are open.

Van Bramer has pitched increasing No. 7 train service — which is currently lacking due to weekend construction — and ferry service as well as developing an express bus dedicated to Hunters Point South. He also has pressed the city to bring its bike share program.

But Long Island City will not just have to deal with the issues that come with rapid population increase in the upper-class areas; public housing will be changing as well.

Under Mayor de Blasio’s plan, families living in homeless shelters will be moved to the top of waiting lists for public housing apartments.

This may pose a particular problem for Long Island City, which holds the Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing complex in the nation.

Business operating illegally in residential zone

Thursday, May 22nd at 2:00 PM, Senator Tony Avella will be joined by College Point residents at a press conference protesting a commercial facility, TNP Trucking, illegally operating a trucking business in a residential zoned area (located at 14-29 130th Street in College Point). The company continually uses the residential lot to illegally store commercial vehicles such as gasoline tanks and dump trucks.

As a result, neighboring residents have long endured constant loud noise and unbearable fumes emanating from the location at all hours of the day and night. After addressing this matter with the Department of Buildings (DOB), Senator Avella was informed that the business is in fact, in violation of the zoning code and that this matter was forwarded to the Padlock Unit, which is responsible for padlocking the property.

Unfortunately, the Padlock Unit has been extremely slow in taking action since accepting this case in July 2013. A court date has only just been scheduled for June 4th.

Senator Avella and the local residents will urge DOB to immediately padlock the business.

From chemicals to condos

From Brownstoner Queens:

The developers Sithonia LLC recently filed a building application to erect a 40,999-square-foot residential build at 14-33 31st Avenue, between 14th and 21st Streets. The location in question is nestled right between Astoria and Long Island City, and just a few blocks from the waterfront. New York IMBY first spotted the DOB application, which also specifies that there will be 56 apartments total. It does not look like the developers will include any commercial space. The architect of record is Gerald J. Caliendo.

The L. B. Russell Chemical Plant formerly occupied this lot, meaning that site remediation efforts are probably in store. The DOB issued demolition permits for the one-story warehouse in October of last year.

AirBnB to hand user data over to AG

From the Huffington Post:

Airbnb has announced it will turn over user data -- anonymized, for now -- to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

But if Schneiderman suspects an Airbnb host of illegal activity, the company will turn over detailed user information from name to social media accounts to Tax ID number and more, Gawker reports.

The decision comes as part of a joint agreement reached Wednesday between Airbnb and the state, which have engaged in a highly publicized battle over the legality of the popular home rental company. Schneiderman says Airbnb users routinely violate laws prohibiting residents from renting out their apartments for less than 30 days, leaving New York out of millions of dollars in hotel taxes.

Schneiderman's office issued a subpoena for the records back in October, but Airbnb officials had fought to keep them private. As part of the agreement, user data will initially be substituted with individual codes.

Howard Beach Staples closing

From the Queens Courier:

The only Staples in Howard Beach is closing at the end of this month.

The store put signs up announcing the closure last week but there will be none of the usual sales fanfare, according to the workers at the Cross Bay Boulevard location. Residents have noticed workers starting to pack boxes as the store nears its closing date.

“Sad how everything seems to stay here short term,” Lisa Marie, a local, wrote on the Howard Beach Civic Association Facebook page.

Superstorm Sandy hit businesses hard on the boulevard and the office supply store didn’t open back up until mid-2013. With less than a year of operating after recovering, the store will be closing its doors for good.

Paving problem in Howard Beach

I've been reading your stories on illegal paving with some interest. Here in Howard Beach there is so much hand-wringing over what to do to prevent flooding, and there are several groups that have been assigned the task (along with huge amounts of taxpayer money) of figuring out the best ways to make sure we don't flood again. However, illegal paving continually goes unaddressed. Since Hurricane Sandy, at least three houses on my block have been paved over, and the sewer backs up at every storm. The latest is a house on 87th St (160-53) -- a corner house -- which has ripped up every last blade of grass and paved over it. Calls were made to 311 and Community Board 10 before the concrete was poured, to no avail. Now the concrete has been poured and pavers installed. We are still making calls, but wonder what the penalty could possibly be -- it seems unlikely that anyone would be told to rip up the work that they have done (and I'm sure it's six figures, at least). Meanwhile, the sewer back up is getting closer and closer to my house. We are going to move. I had hoped to wait another year at least but am getting more and more concerned that flooding will happen before then.
As an aside, I read through some of the comments on your articles, and let me assure you that the people paving over their yards here in the HB are almost all born and raised right here in Queens!
Anyway, thanks for your articles!
- A Fan

Landmarking advocates vs. real estate interests

From Crains:

Major players on both sides of the long-running debate over the future of landmarking in New York City repeatedly butted heads at a forum Tuesday morning, but on one thing they surprisingly agreed: The landmarking process itself is in sore need for reform and improvement.

For decades the city's development community has complained about a range of issues regarding the city Landmarks Preservation Commission's operations, including an extreme lack of certainty about timeframes of the decision-making process—some items have been under consideration for decades—as well as the commission's criteria for either designating a building or a district as historic. But since the election of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has focused on increased housing development—particularly the affordable variety—that process has come under heightened scrutiny. It comes as the mayor's choice to chair the commission, Meenakshi Srinivan, is about to take over the commission, and perhaps suggest changes of her own.

But other than a common desire to make some fixes to the commission, including possibly paying its volunteer commissioners in order to bring a higher degree of professionalism, the forum was largely dominated by drastically different viewpoints.

Ms. Breen and the Municipal Art Society's Ronda Wist argued that far from hindering the city's economic advancement, landmarking is a plus not just for drawing tourists but also new hi-tech firms. Both noted that older, quirky buildings not modern glass-box office buildings are in high demand from young tech companies and their employees.

On the other side, Mr. Spinola along with Kenneth Jackson, a long-time professor of New York history and social science at Columbia University, as well as Nikolai Fedak, founder and editor of New York YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard), argued that landmarking can stifle development and economic growth. Mr. Spinola also noted a recent REBNY-commissioned study that concluded that aggressive landmarking was hurting housing development. Among other things, that report found that in the last decade in Manhattan a total of just five units of affordable housing had been constructed in landmarked districts.

Council wants more cops

From the Daily News:

Disturbed by a recent spike in crime, the City Council Black, Latino and Asian Caucus pleaded with the mayor Monday to add 1,000 more cops to the NYPD.

Shootings have gone up 7% in the city through this week as compared with the same period last year, with much of the crime concentrated in neighborhoods with a large number of minorities — including the 47th Precinct in the northern Bronx.

This time last year, there had been one murder in the precinct. This year, there have been eight.

Earlier this month, Mayor de Blasio rejected a request by the City Council to hire more cops.

None of the Council members blamed the increases on the reduction of stop-and-frisk, a crime-fighting method that all opposed.