Citibike found raped and left for dead in Elmhurst

Civic peeved about LLC's abandoned lot

Queens Chronicle 

What’s going on with the vacant lot on the corner of 154th Street and 11th Avenue in Whitestone?

That’s the question President of the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association and Community Board 7 Member Kim Cody has been asking since Lot 74 was last occupied in 2010.

Cody said that members of his civic have inquired about the lot, as well. “People are asking, ‘What’s going on with the property?’ over the years. All the sudden, it started overgrowing with weeds,” he told the Chronicle. “They go down there and check, and then they see this pile of junk in the middle of the lot.”

The site, which spans two addresses on the block, 11-10 and 11-12, was previously occupied by a fruit market and a deli, Cody said. Though the building on the lot was not demolished until roughly 2019, the lot itself has been fenced off since 2015.

The fence seems to have been ineffective. “Kids were still going inside the lot and stuff like this doing what teenagers do,” Cody said. “They were drinking and whatever the possibilities were coming apart.”

When the temporary, fabric fencing ultimately became tattered as a result of several storms, a chain link one was installed in 2019. Since then, no further construction has occurred, despite rumors that speculated otherwise.

Meanwhile, Tax Block 4538, Lot 74, has continued to deteriorate, and upset surrounding the site has only persisted. Cody said. “People would call up the civic association [and say], ‘We’re worried about rats or raccoons in there,’ and stuff like this,” he said. “There’s a public school right up the block, and it’s a commercial area, there’s delicatessens there and stuff, Chinese restaurants — there was a lot of concern about what was going on with the property.”

The property in question is, according to the Department of Buildings, owned by Andrew Lester of 11-10/12 154 St. LLC. Lester is currently the senior vice president of construction at Wharton Properties, a Manhattan-based, commercial real estate company.

Jamaica Avenue's million dollar pit of despair and graffiti

 

 Impunity City 

 On the day after the six-alarm fire that destroyed the homes above storefronts in Richmond Hill and taking pics of the charred windows on the buildings, strolling about 8 blocks east by Lefferts Blvd. there exists this unsightly gated wall protruding on the sidewalk next to a barber shop and a ministry. I call it a gated wall because it’s secured with a lock and chain.

 Unfortunately the wall itself wasn’t as resilient. As evident by this unsightly and hazardous profusion. Which is easily accessible to passerby, especially children.

 

Woodside church sells lot to pay off their debts

 

 Queens Eagle

A 126-year-old Catholic parish in Woodside is selling a vacant piece of land that could help the church overcome its mounting debts.

St. Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church has listed its half-acre lot at 39-53 57th Street for $6.25 million, and has tapped the brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield to facilitate the sale. 

The parish has accumulated significant debts while operating its community center, swimming pool and athletic fields over the past few years, Sunnyside Post reported. In July, the church laid off seven employees in the wake of a statewide shutdown and faced a $150,000 deficit at the end of August.

In July, St. Sebastian’s was named as a defendant in a Child Victims Act lawsuit filed by an anonymous plaintiff alleging that a former priest sexually assaulted him. Some neighbors have speculated that the sale is intended to help the broader Catholic Church pay off child sex abuse lawsuits, but the diocese that oversees Catholic churches in Queens and Brooklyn said that is not the case.

“The potential proceeds of this sale have not been earmarked for any specific purpose. This is simply a financially prudent decision,” said Brooklyn Diocese spokesperson John Quaglione. The church did not respond to requests for comment

St. Sebastian’s has been a vital part of Woodside since its founding in 1894. The current church building hosted its first mass in 1952 and the community center, open to all residents regardless of parish membership, opened its doors in 1968.

Queens Tourism Council Director Rob MacKay, a former St. Sebastian’s parishioner, said the church hosts family gatherings, community parties and local sporting events.

“It's kind of like family for many people,” MacKay said. “Even those who move away frequently come back for services and events. I have many great memories in that yard, such as barbecues and softball games, and I'll certainly miss it.”

MacKay said he hopes the property sale can pay off any existing debts and enable the parish to provide key community services in perpetuity.