Avella sex offender legislation passes Senate

From Little Neck Patch:

The state Senate has passed a bill proposed by Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, that would speed up the risk level determination timetable for convicted sex offenders.

The legislation would ensure that offenders are officially categorized under the state's Sex Offender Registration Act prior to their sentencing or release from incarceration.

The state Senate unanimously voted in favor of the bill on Wednesday, but the state Assembly has yet to act on the legislation.

Gang takedown

From the Daily News:

Gang banging isn’t the same as in years past – there’s no more flagging, boasting colors to rep your set or even carrying your own handgun, police said Thursday.

The youngest gang member – a 16-year-old boy – arrested in a takedown of more than 50 people in one Queens neighborhood since October - was known to move guns between stash spots, police said.

Out of the 56 collared, 30 of them are known gangsters - about half Bloods and the other half Crips, cops said.

The investigation was part of the NYPD’s Strategic Prosecution Planning, where cops would pinpoint specific problems within an area - in this case, gangs and drugs mostly centered around the Ocean Bay Houses, Cruzado said.

Asians are largest immigrant group

From NY Magazine:

The big demographic discussion of the 2012 elections might be about how the parties can court America's growing Hispanic population, but in future presidential races, the conversation might center around the Asian vote. According to new research from the Pew Research Center, people from Asian countries now make up the largest group of immigrants to the Unites States, surpassing what had previously been the group with the biggest influx, Hispanics. In 2010, there were 430,000 Asian immigrants, versus 370,000 (or 36 percent of all immigrants versus 31).

Open door policy trumps law

From the NY Times:

To those who ask what right the government has to dictate to shop owners on a matter of this sort, the Council’s response was simple. Public policy, it said in 2008, is to “conserve energy, reduce peak power demands during hot weather periods and limit environmental pollution and local contributions to global warming.”

Yet enforcement of the law, signed by the mayor with little enthusiasm, has not been conspicuously vigorous. The Consumer Affairs Department, which has responsibility, says that last summer it conducted more than 500 inspections and issued warnings or violation citations to 199 stores.

A first offense brings a warning. A second offense carries a $200 fine, and subsequent violations within an 18-month period can bring $400 fines. For many stores, the penalties are no doubt shrugged off as the cost of doing business.

Ackerman thinks his constituents are stupid

From the Daily News:

BBW: Congressman Ackerman, you’ve been here 30 years. Can you define comity as it existed when you arrived versus how it exists now?

ACKERMAN: Your premise is that comity exists now. It may not be entirely accurate. It used to be you had real friends on the other side of the aisle. It’s not like that anymore.

Society has changed. The public is to blame as well. I think the people have gotten dumber. I don’t know that I would’ve said that out loud pre-my announcement that I was going to be leaving. [Laughter] But I think that’s true. I mean everything has changed.

SLA goofs on liquor license

From DNA Info:

The State Liquor Authority iced a liquor store’s plan to set up shop between two churches in Corona — in violation of state law — after congregants, church officials and local pols raised a furor.

Under the law, liquor stores and bars must be at least 200 feet from churches and schools, but Bao Liquors was looking to open up on 97th Street and Northern Boulevard, a block that is home to four houses of worship.

The application for the store, which moved from its former location at 98th Street, has now been put on hold as the SLA conducts an investigation.

The store sits directly between two churches — the Iglesia Biblica Cristiana and the Levantado Hombres de Valor, which have been open for years — and is on the same block as the Iglesia Adventista Hispana and the Pentecostal Church of Christ.

The store, a former bodega that has not yet opened, immediately drew fire from regular churchgoers when a sign went up last week indicating the shop was becoming a liquor store.

Horse riding school subject of complaints

From CBS 2:

In the midst of oppressive heat, a Queens neighborhood with a quaint view of horses has become overwhelmed by the smell of them.

Lynne’s Riding School in Forest Hills is a little stable tucked into a corner of the big city. They have been offering lessons for 65 years, but, lately, the old stable has been the subject of complaints from newer neighbors.

Vallone ordered to cough up correspondence

From Courthouse News Service:

On Aug. 10, 2010, Schoolcraft sued New York City, Marino, and several officers and doctors for nearly 20 claims, including false arrest, abuse of process, medical malpractice and negligence.

He sought $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

When discovery began in May 2011, Schoolcraft sought leave to add a free-speech violation to his complaint and to access correspondence between New York City Councilman Peter Vallone, D-Queens, and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Vallone, known for his vocal support of the NYPD, is not a party to the lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet turned down the new charge on June 13, but ordered Vallone to cough up the correspondence.

In the second half of the order, Sweet said Vallone could not quash the subpoena because he represented a different precinct than the one that Schoolcraft patrolled.

"With respect to Councilman Vallone's contention that the discovery requests are irrelevant because Councilman Vallone represents an area within the confines of the 114th Precinct rather than the 81st Precinct where plaintiff was stationed, it must be noted that the allegations in the complaint are not limited to the 81st Precinct," the order states. "Instead, plaintiff alleges that the policy about which he complained affected the entire NYPD, and Councilman Vallone's statements to the press concerning this policy suggest Councilman Vallone to be possession of information related to that citywide policy."

Documentary about Prospect Cemetery

From Curbed:

350-year-old Prospect Cemetery in Queens is the subject of a documentary that is getting the Kickstarter treatment this month, and the fund-raising campaign has been successful thus far. The documentary's director is Peter Riegert, who is an actor (Animal House, Local Hero) and Oscar-nominated director (By Courier). Riegert is making a documentary titled Prospect about the savior of the Prospect Cemetery from the encroachment of nature, neglect, and vandalism. As he says in his Kickstarter appeal, "we resist our mortality, but nature insists upon it." More than just a tale of urban reclamation, however, the documentary is a history of a small slice of Queens and NYC.

Bye, bye, Dutch Kills farmhouse

From the Daily News:

This is no joke. What's it take to get a Buddhist monk, Catholic nun, three real estate moguls, a home-schooled pre-teen, two infants, a corporate lawyer and a drenched Pomeranian on a farmhouse porch on a rainy day in a neighborhood half of New York City has never heard of?

A house. A house built in the 1860s that some say was the original farm in one of New York's oldest neighborhood.s More specifically, a house that could be torn down to make way for a multi-family apartment building or a small hotel.

Purchased in an estate sale for just over $1 million two years ago, 38-20 28th St. in the Long Island City neighborhood of Dutch Kills is slated for demolition sometime in the next 45 days. The plumber was there last week to turn off the water and gas. Owned by a family or entity in Brooklyn who just want to make a slight profit, the Dutch Kills farmhouse can be saved by someone who will pay a price.

"They will sell the house to anyone who can offer $1.5 to $1.7 million," says the owners' representative who wished not to be identified. "They paid over $1 million, put about $200,000 in the house, and would like to walk away with a little money."

According to the rep, they have a deal on the table for an alleged partnership that plans to share profits in a new 33-feet high structure containing several apartments or a 30-plus room hotel. The building plans are in accordance with the current zoning.

They are not in accordance with the desire of the current neighborhood residents. They point to the double-size lot, five-car garage that could be converted into an artist studio, large lawn that could become an urban garden or orchard, swimming pool or tennis court. They hope a buyer sees the value of owning a historic home just seven minutes to the 59th St. Bridge and Midtown Manhattan.

Upzoning. UPzoning! UPZONING!

Lancman calls for eminent domain at St. Saviour's

From The Forum:

Assemblyman Rory Lancman stepped into the City Council district of one of his rivals Thursday to advocate the use of eminent domain to buy the former St. Saviour’s Church property in Maspeth.

For more than five years, neighbors and parkland advocates have lobbied the city to turn the boarded-up property into parkland. It’s currently a dirt lot with a warehouse tucked in a corner.

Last week, Lancman and a few backers took the chance to criticize Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and the Department of Parks and Recreation saying they have failed to serve the neighborhood’s needs.

“What we’re looking at behind us is not just an eyesore and a terrible waste of resources, but a physical representation of a monumental failure on the part of government to take care of the needs of this community,” Lancman said, standing in front of plywood fencing surrounding the 1.5-acre lot.

Lancman is competing in a Democratic primary for the 6th District congressional seat against Crowley and Assemblywoman Grace Meng.
For the past few years, the owner of the property was unwilling tosell the land despite the $3.5 million dedicated to the prospect from Crowley and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

When Crowley pulled her portion of that funding and the Parks Department dropped its bid for the plan in November, some activists were furious.

Lancman cashed in on that sore spot by calling the press conference Thursday.

“The long and short of it is there was a window of opportunity when the city could have purchased this property and turned it into a park,” Lancman said. “And through a series of mistakes and omissions and just bad judgment the city failed to do so.”

Mirroring the call of about eight parks advocates and neighbors behind him, Lancman said acquiring this parkland would be a textbook case in which to use eminent domain despite its abuses elsewhere.

He pledged he would use the political leverage available to him to influence the city’s hand if he’s elected to Congress.

He also said he wouldn’t rule out using eminent domain on a federal level to claim the area as United States parkland.

From the Queens Chronicle:

Crowley’s campaign declined to comment, but wearing her City Council hat she has said numerous times that eminent domain could be troublesome for a number of reasons, including the fact that the city is authorized to pay no more than the appraised $5 million for the parcel.

She has warned that legal fees, the cost of also acquiring and knocking down the existing warehouse on the site and other things could push the cost millions higher.

Critics at the press conference expressed certainty that Maspeth Development Corp., which has been asking a reported $7 million for the site, intentionally threw up the warehouse in a deliberate effort to jack up the price.

Squatters make life hell in Ridgewood

From the Forum:

René Zupancic lives in fear of her neighbors.

“They throw everything out on the roof or out those windows. They throw used sanitary napkins along the road over here. They scream; they yell. They beat a dog up really really bad one time. They’re heroin users,” she said. “It’s terrible.”

On Cypress Avenue in Ridgewood, Zupancic and her brother live next door to an abandoned three-story building that a group of eight to 12 young squatters have claimed as their own.

For more than a year, she’s been forced to tolerate illegal neighbors who fight, drink, smell, shoot up and generally terrorize the neighborhood, she said.

Recently it’s gotten worse, she said, with the squatters getting more violent and rowdy, doing things like throwing a car mirror into oncoming traffic or abusing animals.

In desperation, Zupancic is reaching out to the local community board and anyone else who will listen.

“These people are roamers, and it’s bad enough that they’re squatting there,” said Gary Giordano, Community Board 5’s district manager. “It’s getting pretty crazy.”

Giordano said PSCH has abandoned the building and is in the process of getting it demolished but is held up in housing court.

Noise from sidewalk cafes a concern in Astoria

From DNA Info:

Astoria is becoming clogged with noisy sidewalk cafes that draw crowds of diners and bargoers to the neighborhood and make life miserable for locals, especially at night, some residents say.

The problem has become so bad in some spots that Community Board 1 rejected bids by two businesses at a meeting last Tuesday night to get outdoor seating, despite approving several other applicants for either renewed or new sidewalk cafes.

Dozens of sidewalk cafes on 30th Avenue, some of which stay open late in the evenings, have been attracting young and sometimes noisy crowds, turning longtime residents' lives into sleep deprived nightmares, according to residents.

"It is impossible to sleep at night," Karen Afrides, 54, who has lived on 36th Street off 30th Avenue for 20 years, said at a heated public hearing last Tuesday.

"Why is our quality of life diminished because some people want to have a good time? It’s not our good time."

Afrides, one of several residents who expressed their dissatisfaction with numerous sidewalk cafes and booming nightlife in the area. "We have to have our sidewalks back," she said.

City designs system to save developers money

From Crains:

In a move designed to streamline the hugely cumbersome process by which developers apply to get their projects approved, the Department of City Planning rolled out a new system that will make things easier, faster and more predictable.

"This is a total transformation of how we review all land-use applications," said City Planning Director Amanda Burden. "We think it will foster growth in the city and get projects in the ground faster."

Dubbed BluePRint, which stands for Business Process Reform, the new system will be used in what is known as projects' pre-certification review period, during which they undergo complex environmental and land-use analyses. That process can drag on for several years — if not longer. Following that, projects enter the formal city public review known as the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which typically takes another six months or so.

Deputy Mayor Robert Steel, who played a key role in the creation of BluePRint, announced its launch Thursday morning at a forum sponsored by the Association for a Better New York. The system will go live July 2, and by the time it is fully implemented in about two years, it is expected to allow City Planning to review two-thirds of all applications 25% to 50% faster than it does today. What's more, the streamlining is expected to save developers up to $100 million annually in various costs.

"Streamlining the review of development applications is exactly what New York City needs to build upon the economic progress we've made and help us prepare for the future," Mr. Steel said, in a statement. "More development means more jobs for New Yorkers, and BluePRint simplifies the way applications are reviewed so those jobs can be created as soon as possible."

Here are the NY-6 candidates in their own words

From WNYC:

The Democratic candidates running for Congress in the new 6th District in Queens took to the airwaves on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show on Wednesday. Their appearances occurred on the same day the New York Times published a piece that declared the race wide open. With less than a week to go before the election, the candidates reinforced their core messages, while trying to distinguish themselves from their opponents.

NYC gets money from congress for transportation projects

From NY1:

The city is getting more than $338 million from the federal government for its two main infrastructure projects.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney said Tuesday that the Appropriations Committee's budget for the 2013 fiscal year includes more than $123 million for the Second Avenue subway.

The amount represents the final funding of the government's overall $1.3 billion support for the project, promised in an agreement signed in 2007.

Meanwhile, the East Side Access project connecting the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central Terminal will receive $215 million.

MTA loses millions due to bus farebeating

From the Daily News:

THE MTA LOSES about $50 million in revenue each year to bus farebeaters — more than triple what it previously estimated, the Daily News has learned.

The staggering figure is partly the result of a new way the authority calculates fare-dodging, but also indicates that the longstanding problem has worsened because of lax enforcement, sources said.

The authority previously had estimated that bus farebeaters were stealing $14 million worth of free rides annually.

Gauging bus freeloading levels has been an inexact science. Drivers are supposed to keep tallies by pushing a button every time someone boards without paying. The authority also has used video to estimate the frequency of bus farebeating.

Alley Pond playground reopens after fire

From Bayside Patch:

The Alley Pond Park playground reopened late last week after having been shuttered in September due to an apparent act of arson.

Councilman Mark Weprin, D-Oakland Gardens, who obtained funds to repair the playground, joined Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski and local leaders Friday to reopen the site.

A total $175,000 was spent to replace the playground equipment, which was damaged during an overnight fire on Sept. 28.

City Department of Parks and Recreation officials believe that the fire was an act of arson, but no arrests have been made in the incident.

DOB catches a mad paver!

Complaint #1: CALLER STS A BLOCK WALL WAS BUILT TOO CLOSE TO THE SIDEWALK WITH NO PERMIT POSTED

Complaint #2: WITHOUT PERMIT, LANDSCAPING REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH OVER 200 SQUARE FEET OF CONCRETE. NO DRAINAGE INSTALLED

Result: 57-36 75 STREET

Woodhaven Blvd gypsy beggar

I suggest anyone who sees this woman, call 911. She is neglecting these kids. The one on the left is old enough for school yet apparently not attending one. I pulled this photo off the wall of the Glendale Civic Assn on Facebook.