Monday, August 26, 2013

Horse stable fights sale to Korean church

From the Queens Chronicle:

Joy Tirado is no quitter.

She’s the owner of the Western Riding Club, a traditional stable in a residential neighborhood of Fresh Meadows, who is fighting to keep the facility open. And now its future may rest with a judge who will determine the outcome.

Since May, more than 1,000 area residents have signed petitions to keep the stable open. State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) tried unsuccessfully to get it landmarked and the Knights of Columbus held a fundraiser so Tirado could hire an attorney.

That’s because her landlord, John Lightstone, 87, who lives in the adjacent house, wants to sell the property to the Reformed Church of America, a Korean congregation. Church members told her they would tear down the barn and turn it into a parking lot and use the house for the church.

“I was never told the property was listed last year,” said Tirado, who has been there for three years. “I only found out in March. We don’t even know the price, as it’s ranged from $699,000 to $800,000.”

She was supposed to be out by the end of July, but the K of C came through with enough money for her to hire an attorney, who filed a legal complaint, and now “everything is on hold,” according to Tirado.

Her lawyer said that Lightstone’s attorney has not yet responded and has 30 days to answer the charges, which include the right of first refusal to purchase as is spelled out in her lease and a good-faith clause, among other issues. It is likely the owner will ask for a 30-day extension beyond that.

With a little breathing room Tirado is hoping to raise funds to buy the property at 169-38 Pidgeon Meadow Road and turn it into a community center and stable. “It would go from the Western Riding Club to It Takes a Village Ranch,” she said.

27 comments:

Unknown said...

will the last American to leave queens please take the flag..thank you.

Anonymous said...

Here's another one of Tony Avella's lost causes.
"Press conference" Tony... "Let's landmark it".
He belts out ballyhoo while the cameras are running!

Now the Senator withdrew from the boro prez race.
He cut a deal...a nice golden parachute for retirement.

Now, his constituents are left in the lurch like a woman who's lover took his own pleasure, but failed to please her.

Anonymous said...

At least we're talking about real horse shit here...not the kind dropped by politicians promising the community to save this site.

Anonymous said...

Put up the cash and buy the stable.
Money talks and horse shit walks.

In the final analysis, it's the owner's legal right to get the most he can for his property.

If the owner is already under contract with the church, there's not much that anyone can do at this point.

1,000 petition signatures doesn't mean squat.
Other causes have garnered 10,000 and were promptly ignored by government.

Even raising $10,000 doesn't amount to more than ice cream money.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone got the score on how many causes Avella stood up for that have been lost?

Talk is cheap. Now we weep.

Anonymous said...

Isn't Nily Rozic the Assemblywomoman there? What's she doing about it?

Joe Moretti said...

flop lop said...

will the last American to leave queens please take the flag..thank you.

-----------------------------------
A homeless person in Rufus King Park had it wrapped around him while he was sleeping.

Anonymous said...

so where is the rest of the Queens delegation.

you can be assured if it is a tweeder issue (undocumented, transgender) or a development project (10,000 residents on Newtown Creek or next to a train yard or on the East River) or naming something after a fellow hack (bridges, post offices) they would be crawling all over the issue.

face it. they just don't give a crap about YOUR issues.

Anonymous said...

"If the owner is already under contract with the church, there's not much that anyone can do at this point"

Not if she has right of first refusal in her lease - the owner is in deep stable much!

Anonymous said...

Koreans know a good deal when they see it. All the land, and as a bonus, provisions for their buffet restaurants!!!

Anonymous said...

In the final analysis, it's the owner's legal right to get the most he can for his property.
---------------

Not when the existing lease has a right of first refusal clause, which there is in this case.

Anonymous said...

Phony Tony cant pony! Sounds like a job for his protégé the Great Graziano. Sigh!

Anonymous said...

Old Flushing/Fresh Meadows is dead and gone. 50 years from now there will be no memory of it.

Anonymous said...

Put up the cash and buy the stable.
Money talks and horse shit walks.

In the final analysis, it's the owner's legal right to get the most he can for his property.

If the owner is already under contract with the church, there's not much that anyone can do at this point.

1,000 petition signatures doesn't mean squat.
Other causes have garnered 10,000 and were promptly ignored by government.

Even raising $10,000 doesn't amount to more than ice cream money.

SOUNDS LIKE ASTORIA AND VALLONE SPEAKING. GET USED TO IT QUEENS. THIS WILL BE HOW YOUR LIVES WILL BE GOVERNED IF VALLONE GETS IN.

Anonymous said...

Why did not the owner approach his councilman (or better, the councilman approach him) before the sale.

Why doesn't QCC have something in place out in the neighborhoods that they (supposedly) represent?

Anonymous said...

Time to start taxing these "churches". You do that, and all of these korean and chinese churches disappear overnight. Enough is enough. We make is too easy for them. They don't want to become American. They want the American dream...paid for by true Americans...lived out by them. Disgusting

Anonymous said...

This is the VERY LAST thing that this part of Queens needs!! Another Korean church? REALLY? Don't they have enough already?? There should be a law stating that churches MUST be within a certain distance from each other!! The majority of people who live in China and Korea are ATHEISTS!! They only want another church so they do not have to pay taxes on the extra property that they buy!!
The church on Northern Blvd and 203 street (that owns all 5 houses attached to one another), only opens up at 5 am, the girl comes and cleans it, they play some organ music and then they close the doors!! And that same church owns a Medical center and their own book store and probably owns more houses around bayside and fresh meadows!! This is ridiculous with all their "churches" (which are technically financial centers)....FYI I did ask the community board in Bayside why they are allowed to get away with this church owning 5 attached houses together (instead of just building an actual church) and the CB told me that this church had MANY violations and this church is very clear that it has violations, but the church never fixed any of their violations!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I was told the Rev.Moon organization bankrolls there legal fees if the city goes after them over any form code enforcement.
Rather then get into an expensive mess and be called "discriminating racists" the city simply turns a blind eye to Korean churches.
They can pay a couple small fines now and then and continue to do whatever they want without impunity.
It the same deal with all the bogus ministry's popping up on almost every street in Queens Village.

Anonymous said...

Sad to see such a unique community facility disappear.

Anonymous said...

Joy Tirado just wants to run a Riding Club. Koreans have a lot of money to spend on parking lot.
More detail here

Joe said...

Man I remember that stable, they had several horses even some goats. I had a girlfriend who lived in 1 of the houses. The house was total run down drafty piece crap owned by that same sneaky slimeball slumlord cashing out now. In only November we had to put plastic on the windows and doors not to freeze to death. Its VERY SMALL and useless for a church, it was likely for a grounds keeper or 1 or 2 people that's about it.
It was still nice. Going there was like instantly leaving the city and being in the country. This would be around 1981. I remember walking along the golf course and into Kissena park.
I also remember there weren’t many places you could ride them horses without putting them in danger. This even back then.
I still dont understand horse-sport stuff.
These people ride in circles jumping over sticks wile 2 dozen or so other jerks watch and go "ooh" I hated being dragged to events by her, I dumped her over all the horseshit and refusing to get a real job.

Anonymous said...

"Community center"
Ahh I see were these people are going with this.
I dont think taxpayer or volunteers should be footing the bills so handful of rich kids from Whitestone, Kings Point whatever can play horse games.
That's who goes for this stuff its always been that way. Much like the same people in the $50,000 US Open seats who try to hustle ticket agents over $3 on the LIRR because they didn't want to get in line to buy from from a ticket machine.
Let the rich "Wall Street" parents get together and buy it.

Anonymous said...

Stop bashing the Koreans, the Bulkarans, the whatever.

If the civic culture of an area, that is the elected officials and the community groups, are strong, signal that community standards are expected, people will pitch in and work together.

If you or I went into an area, and the politicians either are MIA or signal - when its to development - that anything goes, and the civic culture is a batch of little people afraid of their shadow, rather unsophisticated and pathologically deferential to government offiicals, who would not go there and slash and burn.

The alleged destruction of the fabric of our communities mirrors what happened around the world when Europeans showed up.

I don't condone what is happening, but the solution is not bashing them for our own shortcomings that in the final analysis, opens the door to this to happen.

Anonymous said...

Them's the hard facts son!
HE who holds the deed is HE who has control.
And this ain't your ghost Vallone talking.

Anonymous said...

Nobody's bashing nobody just for sport here...JUST A WAKE-UP CALL...ding a ling a ding...FIRE!

This is reality time folks, not a wishful thinking game show.

Raise the LEGAL FEES if you've got LEGAL DIBBS on the property.

Otherwise the cause is MANURE!

If you all think that Avella is your miracle cure...FUGHETTABOUTIT!

He rides side saddle like a lady!

Anonymous said...

WTF RU talking about..."TRANSGENDER"?

Maybe you need your head gasket replaced, old boy.

Anonymous said...

Horses not more churches! Really another church I just cant. I think there is something shady going on in these "churches"