Saturday, September 29, 2007

Orange Jewel house

The house at the intersection on Jewel Avenue and 112th Street in Forest Hills stands out from its neighbors not only because of its orange facade, but also for its size.

House plans irk residents of Jewel Ave

The house at 69-67 112th St. sits on a double lot at the corner and is zoned R1-2, but dwarfs the houses next to it on the Jewel Avenue side of the block. There are multiple complaints lodged with the Department of Buildings about the structure, the most recent of which was called in to 311 in January 2007 and stated that the building did not conform to zoning. An R1-2 zoning designation governs single-family detached houses on lots at least 60 feet wide or at least 5,700 square feet.

The self-certified plans were checked by two plan examiners, and were determined to adhere to zoning, according to a source at the Department of Buildings. But in August 2006 the agency issued a stop work order at the site for construction that did not match plans filed with the Department of Buildings - specifically, a 400-square-foot dormer where the plans called for a gabled roof and a cellar entrance - which was rescinded in November of that year after the plans were amended, the Department of Buildings said.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a shame because it looks as though those apartment buildings were built in a garden complex style and now it's going to be ruined. Open space is precious.

Anonymous said...

The newspaper article failed to provide the name of the owner of this palace. Why can't the local newspapers do as much legwork as the big papers? The story appears incomplete without a quote from the villain builder.

Anonymous said...

Because the local rags have go-fers not real reporters!

Anonymous said...

I don't think that photo is of Jewel Avenue...It looks like the end of 67th Drive and 112th street.