Bowling for housing and parking

Queens Chronicle

Community Board 7 on Monday approved plans for a nine-story residential building at 30-05 Farrington St., replacing the legendary Whitestone Lanes.

The push for the proposed nine-story apartment building is being led by Marco Macaluso Jr., the owner of Whitestone Lanes. His attorney, Eric Palatnik, spoke on his behalf at this week’s CB 7 meeting.

“Mr. Macaluso [Sr.] built this building with his blood, sweat and tears, by the skin of his teeth some 40 or 50 years ago — you never thought he’d be here today asking you to rezone the property,” Palatnik said. “It wasn’t his intention. Bowling alleys were the newest, biggest fad at the time — tells you how long ago it was.

“They’re not a fad anymore. It’s over, and they are over, too, and they know it.”

Plans for the new building were first reported in June; publicly available documents filed with the Department of City Planning proposed that the site be rezoned from an M1-1 zone to an R7A zone to construct a nine-story building with 413 units, 113 of which would be affordable, and 200 parking spaces below ground. It also included plans for publicly accessible outdoor space.

But First Vice Chair Chuck Apelian said Monday that through discussions with the board’s Land Use Committee, the Macalusos and the developers, the group had “come to an agreement” on an alternative plan: Instead, the building would have no more than 350 units, 91 of which would be affordable, and at least 300 parking spaces.

Given Whitestone Lanes’ location right off the Whitestone Expressway and that it is lined by two narrow streets — Farrington Street and Linden Place — traffic congestion was a significant concern for board members. With that in mind, Palatnik said while cars will be able to enter the garage both on Farrington Street and Linden Place, they can only exit on Farrington Street, heading northbound. Those entering on Linden Place can only be heading southbound, and from either direction on Farrington Street.

Arguably the largest change from the previous plan, however, was that instead of outdoor space, complete with benches, tables and the like, the board put forth the idea for a “parking garden,” which would add 35 more parking spots and be filled out with plenty of plants, trees and other greenery. It would sit in back of the building along Farrington Street.

Apelian said it was board member Arlene Fleischman who first articulated the committee’s hesitations toward open green space. “Arlene voiced concern that in this climate, in this environment of homelessness, of migrancy and other things that have taken place, that improper use would take [the] place of this altruistic idea of creating a public access area,” he said. A parking garden was proposed as an alternative.

The end of Whitestone Lanes?

From the Commercial Observer:

Whitestone Lanes, a more than two decade-old beloved Flushing, Queens, bowling alley which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week may be shuttered and pinned for a major development.

Mar Mar Realty, a family business that owns the property and the bowling alley business, has listed the one-story, 37,000-square-foot building at 30-05 Whitestone Expressway and a 43,000-square-foot parking lot for $60 million.

The building, between Linden Place and Farrington Street, sits on an 80,000-square-foot site. Pending a Department of City Planning zoning change from manufacturing to commercial and residential use, the site could accommodate a 386,000-square-foot mixed-use development, according to Cushman & Wakefield, which is marketing the property. The bowling alley was once called the “holy grail of bowling” in a New York Times article. It was also featured in an episode of the Netflix show Daredevil, according to IMDb.

The $60 million figure is based on a price of $155 per buildable square foot, listing broker Stephen Preuss of C&W told CO. He added that that is a bargain considering that Long Island City, Queens, sites are asking $250 per square foot.

As for why Mar Mar Realty is selling the site, Mr. Preuss said: It “is a private family that has owned it for decades. They are looking to exit that market and cash out.” A representative of Mar Mar Realty declined to speak to the Commercial Observer.

Justice is served

From the NY Post:

A former correction officer who was facing up to 25 years in prison for shooting two men outside of a Queens bowling alley was acquitted of double attempted murder and assault charges.

“His defense was one of self-defense,” said Michael Iavecchio’s trial attorney, Stephen Worth, after a jury cleared his client of all charges on Monday night.
Iavecchio, 55, was working as a security guard at the AMF bowling alley on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights on Feb. 6, 2010 when he asked Justin Donaghy and Gerard Hourigan to leave the building.

“There was a videotape of the crime which showed the two men attacking him one at a time,” said Worth, who proved that Iavecchio’s actions were justified because, “He was worried they would overpower him and take the gun.”

Forest Hills woman attempted contract killing

From the NY Post:

A Queens housewife angry at her cheating husband has been charged with attempting to hire a hit man to rub him out for $2,000, The Post has learned.

Veronica Escalona, 54, of Forest Hills, allegedly sought the help of a yellow cabby, who began helping her to secretly stalk her estranged husband, Ramillo, 49, after he arrived in Manhattan by commuter bus at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, sources said.

When Escalona mentioned to the cabby that she wanted her spouse dead, the cabby immediately approached two cops at the Port Authority, who in turn arranged to have an undercover detective pose as a hitman.

“She told the cabby, ‘I want him dead,’ and the cabby says, ‘Well, I can get that done for you for $2,000.’ He then went right to the police and was she was later introduced to an undercover who agreed to the hit,” said a source.

On Wednesday night, she repeated the overture to the undercover cop inside the Leisure Time Bowling Alley, telling him that she wanted her husband rubbed out – and providing him photographs and a $500 deposit.

After the Manhattan DA's office reviewed the evidence, she was locked up – and she later made a videotaped admission to her role in the crime, source added.

Woodhaven Lanes to become furniture store

From the Daily News:

A historic Glendale bowling alley that closed amid teary farewells in 2008 is slated to become a furniture showroom this fall.

Bob's Discount Furniture, a chain known for its ubiquitous and lively TV ads, is slated to open at the site in November with about 65 employees, said company spokesman Eric Montague.

The recently unveiled plan will outfit the brick box once known as Woodhaven Lanes - a pin paradise for 50 years - with arched entryways, metal roof panels and newly planted trees.

"Our plan is to take it, rehab it, make it very attractive for the neighborhood," Montague said, adding that plans also call for canvas awnings, split-face block veneer and windows.

He said the company's lease will run at least 10 years.

More charter school shenanigans in SE Queens

From the Daily News:

Students at Merrick Academy charter school - housed in an old bowling alley in Queens Village - must cross busy Jamaica Ave. for recess in a nearby park because there's no gym or playground.

They also must get used to water leaking into classrooms when it rains and wearing winter coats inside when there's no heat.

There's also another potential problem - one many parents may not know about: Merrick has served as a source of campaign funds and patronage for one of its high-profile board members - State Senate President Malcolm Smith.

Smith was one of the founding members of Merrick and was on its board from the time it moved into the alley in 2001 through June 2007, records show.

During that time, the K-6 charter school - run entirely with public money - has written at least three small checks to Smith's campaign.

A state controller's audit in 2006 noted slack fiscal controls and singled out a $140 check written by a school employee to attend the fund-raiser of an unnamed state senator.

The Daily News discovered there were actually three checks - all written out of Merrick's checking accounts - to Smith's campaign: $65 in 2003, $140 in 2004 and another $140 in 2005. At the time, Smith was on the board.

While Smith was on Merrick's board, an architect did "preliminary drawings" regarding turning the bowling alley into a school. That architect also was working on one of Smith's personal properties at the time, records show.

The same architect was also later hired to design a home owned by another Merrick board member and Smith ally, Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks.

Shooting outside Jackson Heights bowling alley

From the NY Times:

A retired New York City correction captain working security at a Queens bowling alley shot and wounded two men during a violent confrontation early Saturday morning outside the alley, the authorities said.

The retired officer, Michael Iavecchio, 54, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after the 1:50 a.m. shooting outside the AMF 34th Avenue Lanes, at 6910 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, the police said.

The two wounded men, both 29, were in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens on Saturday, the police said. The police did not identify them.

The violence unfolded after Mr. Iavecchio, who was armed, asked the men to leave because they were smoking cigarettes in a vestibule, according to the police. Mr. Iavecchio then escorted the men outside, where the ensuing fight and shooting were captured on a surveillance video, a law enforcement official said.

According to the official, words were exchanged and the two men “put their hands” on Mr. Iavecchio. He pulled out a .380-caliber Ruger pistol, but the men “go back at him and he shoots,” the official said.

Mr. Iavecchio fired two shots; one bullet hit one of the men in the chest and the other hit the second man in the stomach, the police said.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was still open, said that detectives were conferring with prosecutors from Queens County, and that it was unclear whether the two wounded men would also be charged with a crime. Detectives at the 115th Precinct station house were reviewing the video. The official added that Mr. Iavecchio had an active and unrestricted license to carry a concealed weapon.

The Daily News reports that the smokers were also arrested.

Boy scout leads effort to repair VA bowling alley

From the Daily News:

To become an Eagle Scout, an ambitious Long Island teenager is spearheading the rejuvenation of a neglected World War II-era bowling alley at a veterans health care facility in Queens.

Alfred Russo, 16, of Garden City, decided to spruce up the six lanes in St. Albans after troop leaders warned that sending care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq would be too costly.

"I wanted to do something that would be meaningful to me," said Russo, whose 91-year-old grandpa, Glen, fought in World War II. "I wanted to respect the veterans because they served this country."

Tucked in the basement of a building that also holds an auditorium and outpatient clinic, the bowling alley dates to the center's origins as a naval hospital.

It welcomed veterans until the late 1990s, when a leaky roof led to flooding that warped the wood floors and damaged a gutter.

Facility officials learned a few years ago that replacing the machinery would cost $150,000. But since the ball returns and pin-setters still work, Russo is focusing on less-expensive repairs.

He led a team of volunteers that journeyed to the alley Nov. 27 to sand the gutters, scrub balls and pins, mop the floors and clean out closets.

Donors, such as the Maple Family bowling-center chain, are chipping in by sending cash, shoes and pins for the effort.

Secret Prohibition-era bowling alley uncovered

From Scouting NY:

We recently purchased a building in Queens, and while clearing out the basement we discovered a two lane manual bowling alley in very good condition. We did some research and this basement was most probably a club during the prohibition era. Would you or someone you know be interested [in the space]?

A hidden prohibition-era bowling alley? Yes, definitely interested. I took a trip to see it today – Just incredible:

According to the owner, the bowling lanes were hidden under boxes and boxes of junk. After researching the property, the owner now believes the basement was a speak-easy club during the Prohibition Era, with two bowling lanes to entertain customers.

I understand the building is in Ridgewood.

Report says IBZs are undermined

From Crain's:

Dozens of hotels, superstores and other non-industrial businesses are encroaching on areas the Bloomberg administration set aside to protect the city's dwindling manufacturing base, a new report charges.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's five-year-old industrial policy prohibits residential conversion in 16 outer-borough Industrial Business Zones to help stave off increases in real estate prices that could threaten manufacturing. But the report by the New York Industrial Retention Network alleges the protection has been undermined because at least 39 sites in the IBZs are being used for non-industrial purposes.

Among the non-industrial businesses are two bowling alleys, an art gallery and several bars in a Williamsburg IBZ and a shopping center in East Greenpoint.

The report shows that industrial rents in the outer boroughs have doubled since 2000, to $18 per square foot, and argues that for IBZs to truly be effective, they need to be reinforced through zoning that restricts non-industrial use. The escalating rents, not just globalization and regulation, are driving companies out of the city, the report argues.

“We are losing the next generation of small, creative industries that are vital to the city's economic diversity and the renewal of its middle class,” said NYIRN Executive Director Anne Seifried. “It's frustrating to see a preventable situation continue unchecked.”

24-hour Queens

To celebrate their 24th anniversary, the Queens Courier is profiling our 24-hour city and the people who work at all hours.

Bowling Alley

Printing Press

Diner

Sanitation Worker

First Responders

Sushi

Bridge Workers