Sunday, September 2, 2018

Inspector finds no problem where there clearly is one


From the Queens Chronicle:

When Mary Ann Giammarco sees the empty house at 73-36 179 St. in Fresh Meadows, she isn’t happy.

A graffiti-stained commercial truck sits in the driveway, with lumber languishing behind it. A sign on the door urges passersby to stay out.

“The whole property is just an eyesore,” Giammarco told the Chronicle last week. “And the homes around here are beautiful.”

A resident of the same street, she is a member of the Utopia Estates Civic Association and a block captain.

Giammarco penned a letter to the editor about the site that the Chronicle ran last week. It also doubled as an open letter to Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), who then reached out to the 107th Precinct, Community Board 8 and the Department of Buildings about the location.

Earlier this month, multiple 311 complaints were issued about the property, leading a DOB inspector to visit it on Aug. 21. But no conditions contrary to the zoning and construction codes were discovered, so no violations were issued.

Plans had been filed last year to gut renovate the single-family house and add a second floor to it. But they were rejected.


The house wasn't looking so bad a few years ago, as you can see in the Google Street View above from 2013. The Chronicle photo shows how fast a property can go downhill without maintenance. How did a DOB inspector not find a problem? The presence of the truck alone is a zoning violation.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

The article is not completely accurate. Not all of the complaints were inspected (!!), the commercial vehicle complaint was referred to Executive Inspections (!!), and there has never been an application for any demolition. There is but one application for an Alteration which was disapproved in 2017 by the DOB.

As for the owner's comment about "Poison", there is a scanned document in the Virtual File which shows no finding of asbestos.

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/ComplaintsByAddressServlet?requestid=4&allbin=4153920

The question to ask is why a DOB inspector did not look at all of the complaints filed and instead was selective in choosing which to address.

Anonymous said...

Leave it alone before Avella shows up and you end up with a year of noise, 8+ cars and a big nasty box.
You block will be "broken" and people will really be crying eyesore.
Unfortunately In a nutshell: If you piss off or make hardship for the owner you will only get change for the worse.

Anonymous said...

Pardon me Ms. Giamarco, but I'm just not seeing the problem with this property in the picture posted by Crappy. The house may not be as modern or overbuilt as some of the houses surrounding it, but that doesn't make it an eyesore or have a zoning problem. It just means that those folks either don't have the dough ray me that you have or they don't have the need for an oversized box house. I'm just sayin'!

Joe Moretti said...

This is what happens when low-class people purchase property and have no respect for the block or the community. BUT the bigger problem are the city agencies and the powers that be who do absolutely NOTHING in regards to these situations that allow such actions and behavior to continue. There are just no consequences to stop people from doing such shit so people continue to do this. AND this is in a nice community, imagine in ghetto ass places like Jamaica and most of SE Queens and other shit hole communities, which there are plenty in this expensive city. DOB is the worst of the city agencies and it and the other agencies need completely overhauled.

Queens Crapper said...

I clearly referred you all to the photo in the article, not the one posted. The one posted is from a few years prior to the neglect. It was purchased by a developer with the intent on doing an alteration.

Queens Crapper said...

To the commenter trying to post that blue collar people need to park their "work vans" on their property, the photo in the article clearly shows a graffiti-covered 53' trailer. It seems you need some anger management classes as well, Gino.

Queens Crapper said...

Try looking at the actual photo before typing, people.

Anonymous said...

Gee whiz Joe, I didn't know you upper-crust folks used language like "shit" and "shit-hole communities". You must stop these low-class people from entering Queens. We are thankful you are on the job, Joe. Maybe we could build a wall around your neighborhood!

Anonymous said...

Try showing the actual photo on your story, Crappy, and you'll get a more balanced response.

Anonymous said...

The inspector did not find any violations because that person did not visit the house. They do this all the time. The inspectors should have to take pictures of each place they visit to prove there is no violations.

Queens Crapper said...

"Try showing the actual photo on your story, Crappy, and you'll get a more balanced response."

A link to the photo is part of the actual story. The photo is referred to at the end. My commenters can't read to the end or click the link at the beginning? Seriously we're dying to make impetuous stupid comments so badly that reading comprehension has gone out the window?

Joe Moretti said...

No wonder an asshole like Trump, Katz, Koslowitz and every SE Queens do nothing was elected by the clueless masses. Christ the masses cannot even comprehend a simple posting on Queens Crap and read the entire thing that is not a fucking tweet. So many people are just so damn dumb.

Anonymous said...

Always start a story with the lead photo. Though you have a link, it's still not how to run an article. Maybe Moretti should try reaching out to the owners of this property. There's something that's not coming to light here. No investigative reporting, that's one! Why would anyone spend oodles of money on a property and then just let it run down? Or, you could just build a wall Joe! As far as photo #2, try your city council person. And throw a few of those upper crust words at them.

Queens Crapper said...

Brother, read the rest of the story. They had problems obtaining permits. They plan to start work soon. It doesn't explain the presence of a tractor trailer in the driveway though.

Anonymous said...

Can we get an update on this story in 6 months, see if construction has actually started? Every so often there's an article on here that promises change is coming soon, but never a follow up. Still wondering how those pollarded trees from last spring are doing.
Also, it's hysterical how many people post angry comments before actually reading the entire post.

Anonymous said...

Believe me, everybody reads, but interprets differently. Crappy's just not used to criticism. And regular writers get more points, especially if they spew reams of vulgarity to make their point. The article was poorly investigated and the lead photo should have been the "now" photo. It wasn't just the truck they were complaining about in the article but the general condition of the house and property in the link photo. It is abhorrent and the van should be removed; DOB should either issue the permits or deny them but do something. As is always the case, the Councilperson who was elected to resolve these, what should be minor disputes, is doing even less than DOB. Email that person en mass and be persistent. Fire them at the ballot box if necessary!

Queens Crapper said...

No, most definitely people do NOT read. They glance at the headline and look at the pictures and take to their keyboards. This is a pretty known fact. Just look at any clickbait article on Facebook or twitter.