Real Estate Ads in the Queens Chronicle

Hey, maybe I'll move to southern Queens. There seem to be an awful lot of generous landlords there who offer free utilities & cable. One of the pads even comes with all the furnishings!

Dim bulbs at City Hall

A simple suggestion for greening the city comes from the Daily News:


Here's a bright idea: Turn off the lights!

Photo from Daily News

Bringing affordable housing to the Brig

Isn't it great that the city is creating new "affordable housing?"

City to build housing

To the Brig With You! Affordable-Housing Plans Progress Near Navy Yard

It's too bad that they are allowing the existing stock to disappear. One step forward - two steps back.

Drawing from NY Magazine's Daily Intelligencer

A 2nd Walk Through the Meadows, part 1

The Heads of State monument has been previously mentioned on Queens Crap, but since it's in Crappy's neck of the woods, he took a stroll down to the other end of the park for a closer look.
For anyone who doesn't know the story, a bus heading to the tennis center hit this monument last summer and knocked it over. After leaving it lying on the ground for months, the geniuses at the Parks Dept. decided to try to upright the monument. Well, when they did, a huge piece fell off. Good move, guys. Better yet, instead of taking the monument off to be repaired, they simple left it standing there with the huge chunk missing, a disgrace to the leaders it was meant to honor. Now it is one item on a long, long list of things that need to be repaired in Flushing Meadows Park.
Right on the other side of the tracks next to the tennis center, Crappy found a little gappy. This path leads right up to the high-speed, electrified LIRR tracks. Crappy doesn't want children or vandals finding their way onto the tracks, so he called 311. He hasn't been back to check on the status yet. At least the Parks Dept. is consistent in its neglect of Flushing Meadows Park. Their own offices are a disgrace just like the rest of the park.First stop on the Queens Crap Trolley: the rusty underside of the promenade. Is this the kind of image we want people to associate with the culture of Queens? Crappy thinks we can do a little better.

QC's 1st Walk Through the Meadows series:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
2nd Walk, part 2
2nd Walk, part 3

Is Pinky promoting park vandalism?

"Thank you so much for your website, I think you are doing a great job. I am writing to let you know that Councilman Dennis Gallagher becomes more unhinged by the day. I compained to him that my kids could use a place to play ball and it wasn't fair that the nicer fields at Juniper Valley Park are sitting there unoccupied and locked a good portion of the time. Councilman Gallagher blamed the two men who fix up the park for locking the fields without permission. I called the Parks Department and they said that the fields are locked to keep them well maintained and that permits were required for play. I went back to Gallagher to tell him what I was told, and then he blamed a baseball team that he used to fund up until last year.

He then told me, "Just cut the locks."

I couldn't believe that my own councilman would encourage people to break the law and vandalize park property, but I heard it with my own ears! I told some people about this and my friend notified the Parks and Police Departments."

Avella pool problem makes NY Times

Tony Avella has really been making waves over his swimming pool (pun intended):

Poolside, Ripples of Discontent

West Side wants lower density

Even parts of Manhattan are sick of oversized buildings:

Low & behold, W. Side rezone plan

"Under the plan, which must go through several levels of public review including the local community board and the City Council, building heights would be limited to 145 feet, or about 14 stories."

Meanwhile, Behold, a Mini-City Rises

"It’s Canary Wharf on the waterfront. Millions of feet of office space, thousands of apartments—Bloomberg’s developers dream big in the Far West Side"

Photo from NY Observer

News from Nassau

The NY Times examines overdevelopment in Nassau County, which sounds an awful lot like overdevelopment in parts of Queens County:

“There used to be a charming little house here on a heavily wooded lot, with pepperidge and cedar and some beech trees,” said Kevin Kobs, a longtime resident of the neighborhood who stopped to watch the last stages of the clearing and grading of a lot bought by a home builder last year. “They tore down the house, ripped out the trees, and now they’re going to put up one of these, these ...[pieces of Queens Crap!]”

Views Clash Among Neighbors as Builders Destroy Old for New

Photo from NY Times

Meanwhile, Nassau County has purchased Meyer's Farm in Woodbury, saving it from development:

Aid sews up future for farm

Similarly, the Klein Farm in Fresh Meadows would be a good buy for NYC.

Photo from Hours of Darkness

Sunnyside Gardens hearing

The Queens Chronicle covers the landmarking hearing over Sunnyside Gardens:

Landmarking Opinions From Both Sunny Sides

Meanwhile, the Crapper received letters from the pro-landmarkers who testified at the hearing.

Photo from Queens Chronicle

A crap above, part 3

Naturally, the house with the contracting van sitting in front of it is the one that has been crappified. Welcome to 68-16 60 Road, another street where the upward growth of one story rowhouses has begun. The vinyl siding on the side walls are a nice touch. According to DOB records, lots of required items are still open. Why? It's been 2 years.

See also "A Crap Above", A Crap Above, Part 2, and A Crap Above, Part 4.

Fresh Meadows rally report

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and the Rally went well with a fairly large crowd of 70 to 75 +/- people turning out by the scheduled starting time of 3 PM.
More people arrived as the rally was underway.

Neighbors from 185th Street brought a ladder so Councilman Tony Avella (and later others) could get a good look over the fence at the building under construction at 69-57 185 Street.

The first speaker, the Fresh Meadows Homeowners Civic Association, Inc. (FMHCA) President Jim Gallagher, addressed the orderly and well behaved crowd that had gathered. Mr. Gallagher then introduced one of the neighbors from 185th Street who spoke about some of the history regarding what the owner had initially told several residents of 185 Street; that he would be renovating the property and that he would be moving in with his daughter (he allegedly told some that he was moving there with his son) to occupy a two (2) family home there.

That is what he may also have led the people at Chase Home Finance, LLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, with whom he secured mortgages totaling over $700,000, to believe. In those mortgages he specifically agrees to "occupy the property" (which he never did) and use it as his "principal residence" (he didn't do that either) and he will "continue to occupy the Property and to use the Property as my principal residence for at least one year" (he didn't even get close on that one). The mortgages further state that the Borrower had an obligation to "Maintain and Protect The Property" and he agreed (by his signature) not to "destroy, damage or harm the Property" - "or substantially change the Property." Well, he not only tore down the house that was there but he ripped out the entire foundation. That's certainly not what the owner had agreed to.

Councilman Tony Avella was introduced next. He spoke about many of the issues that were of concern including:
1) The Department of Buildings handling of complaints, resolution of complaints, self-certification of plans, work continuing when contrary to the plans, Building Class & Use Group (1, 2, 3 family or 6 family?) and DOB's response to the concerns of local residents.
2) The telephone and cable lines that are obviously running into and through the building under construction which the owner said he had permission to do but which Councilman Avella reported that VERIZON informed his office that "the developer did not have permission to redirect the wires through the building."
3) Safety and Fire Department issues because the building will not face the street (it faces side of the home next-door), has only one (1) common front door for access and egress for a six (6) family, three (3) story dwelling, fire retardant materials for stairways and doors, sprinkler system, the access for a Fire Truck & turn around space, access to a Fire Hydrant, Fire escapes, etc.
4) Environmental issues including water & sewer (sewer plans need to be reviewed), other plumbing, and water runoff (especially important since most of the lot will be covered by the building, driveway and parking lot).
5) Size of yards - Side yards [one side has a driveway leading past the front entrance to six (6) parking spaces at the rear], front [distance from the street & sidewalk and line of sight past the neighboring homes] and especially the back yard much of which will be a paved parking lot for six (6) cars [1 parking space is required per dwelling].

Other issues that came up during the Q. & A. with those gathered and immediately after the rally included concerns about:

1) A six (6) dwelling building with three (3) bedrooms per dwelling (as per the plans) means that there will be an 18 bedroom building where a 1 family home stood before and if this building is not sold as is or as condos (another question which Councilman Avella is addressing with NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo) then the owner might rent these bedrooms out and if there were to be 2 people occupying each bedroom (like a college dorm for Queens College of St. Johns University) that would mean that there could be as many as 36 People occupying that structure.
2) The new roof - pitch, access, fire proof, etc.?
3) The basement - type and number of boilers & venting? Laundry room draining and dryer venting?
4) Per cent of lot coverage (80%) ?
5) Size needed for each of the six (6) required parking spaces and access to them and required distance from property lines?

I hope all our efforts will yield some good results. So many people contributed to making the Rally happen, including all those who took time out on such a spectacular day to stand together as members of a concerned community. It could not have happened without the united support of the neighbors on 185th Street, Jim Gallagher & the Board and members of the FMHCA, and Councilman Tony Avella. There's no way to tell what will finally happen - many outcomes are possible - we'll have to wait and see how all this plays out ... by coming together as a community and pressing the issues we at least have a chance to effect the outcome.

It has been said that BAD things happen when GOOD People see wrong things happening and do nothing. Those who have been involved in the planning and those who showed up for the Rally know in their hearts and minds that they are not standing idly by, they are doing something!!!

Events have been set in motion - departments and people have been put on notice - stay tuned for more !!!

Dim bulbs at the Parks Department

The Mets are getting a brand new stadium, meanwhile, the NYS Pavilion, et al, continue to deteriorate:

Park Tower FAA Bulb Blows Again

Pavilion tower's beacon burns out before storm

Yes, the light went out again.

Jamaica Avenue letters

Letters to the NY Times, Published: April 22, 2007

Seeing the Sights on Jamaica Avenue

To the Editor:

My mouth is watering for cheap West Indian takeout after David McAninch’s richly rendered stroll down Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn and Queens (April 15). But I am amused at the unapologetic ethnocentrism of calling it “A Road Not Taken, Much.”

The article describes the commercial blocks of Jamaica Avenue as a pulsing “Main Street, U.S.A.,” teeming with businesses and shoppers “conveyed from far and wide.” Yet the headline and the whole premise is that this is undiscovered territory, one of “a city’s less-traveled wards.”

Of course, I know what you mean. Even though I lived for six years in such a ward, in Yonkers, I know that you mean untraveled by people like us, Times readers. But can we still say things like that, in an age when we can’t say Columbus “discovered” America without using self-conscious quotation marks?

Ethan Feinsilver
Arlington, Mass.

•

To the Editor:

My earth science teacher in high school explained that Jamaica Avenue was situated on the geological terminal moraine, whereupon the glaciers of millions of years past deposited their detrita. This fact apparently accounts for the many cemeteries on the western end of the thoroughfare, since the ground was too rocky to permit much building. The steep incline at Miller Avenue (my best friend lived there) is also a product of the glacial refuse.

What was disappointing in “A Road Not Taken, Much” was the absence of the school where all this knowledge was imparted. Franklin K. Lane sits proudly and majestically, a representation of Depression-era government construction at its best, on Jamaica Avenue at Eldert Lane in Brooklyn. It is still beautiful after 70 years.

Estelle B. Wade
Upper East Side

Kosciuszko Bridge plan

NY1 reports that the Kosciuszko Bridge Could Face Renovation, Or Even Demolition In the Near Future.

In fact, the Bridge Plan Could Oust Family, says the Times Ledger.

Kosciuszko countdown

The long commute

Live in southeastern Queens and need to get to Manhattan? Good luck:

Queens residents face the longest average commute of the 231 counties in the country with more than 250,000 residents.

A COMMUTER'S 3-HR. NIGHTMARE

"It's a real headache right now. We have no choices but to take the bus," she said. "It's always crowded and slow . . . It can be up to a three-hour commute. Sometimes it's an hour and a half both ways."

This sounds like someone who'd be better off driving...

Meanwhile, MTA employees who get free MetroCards as part of their employment package, are taking cabs:

MTA WORKERS GO BY CAB

Photo from NY Post

Green giant

Yesterday was Earth Day and the mayor laid out his plans for the city's long-term sustainability, including congestion pricing:

"It will be a real problem for operations for trucking companies and shippers, including all the retailers in Manhattan, which is substantial," said ATA spokesman Clayton Boyce. "And all the people who get FedEx and UPS deliveries will have problems and will bear extra expense, so we definitely see problems with it."

Bloomy Lays Out Plans for the Future of NYC

Even if it passed, it is not likely to be in place for some time. City officials say they need a year or so to upgrade some mass transit options like express buses, because in many cases, New Yorkers drive into Manhattan from the outer boroughs because they have no viable public transportation in those areas.

Meanwhile, the NY Press reports that London's "model" congestion pricing plan had 5 major flaws:

1. The plan has done little to lower congestion in London
2. It is a financial boondoggle
3. It's unfair to the poor
4. People hate it
5. They'll get you anyway

Then there's the re-zoning and 10-minute-walk-to-a-park answers:

"The plan calls for zoning changes in many neighborhoods with access to public transportation that would allow for larger homes and a higher density of housing, although such changes are often resisted in those neighborhoods.

Bloomberg Draws a Blueprint for a Greener City

It pledges that every New Yorker would live within a 10-minute walk from a park, and it calls for small public plazas in each community board district that does not have a park."

Mayor unveils monster proposal to make our town more ecofriendly

The administration also proposed converting at least two dozen asphalt fields to synthetic turf, making the fields more inviting to a greater range of games.

'RAIL' BIG HOUSING PLAN

The mayor said his administration would consider constructing decks over rail yards, rail lines and, incredibly, even congested highways [for new housing].

And here we thought the 2030 Plan might actually be something revolutionary. Rather, most of it appears to really be the same old shit repackaged with a fancy label.

The entire 2030 plan may be viewed here.

Green Giant cartoon from AM-NY.

Crap in the yard, part 2

Here we have a strange plan for 53-51 63rd Street, Maspeth. A one-family duplex is being constructed in someone's side yard.
Plans for a garage on the premises were disapproved by the buildings department, which raises the question as to what the structure in the far left of the pictures is if not a garage.
Here's the original house, with its bars on the windows and gaudy balcony.

See also: Crap in the yard, part 1

Happy Earth Day

City streets will get a bit greener under Mayor Bloomberg's 2030 plan:

Bloomberg to plant the town green with 1M trees

NYC Pledges 1 Million New Trees by 2017

For the next 10 years, the city will plant 23,000 trees each year along city streets, to reach a goal of having a tree in "every single place where it is possible to plant a street tree," Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said.

MIKE: APPLE TO LIMB-ER UP

Mayor trumpets plan for city trees

A Shady Plan by the Mayor That’s Likely to Be Popular

Mayor's Earth Day Plan: Congestion Pricing, New Trees

Graphic from 1010WINS.com

New blog for central Queens

This website focusing on issues of concern to central Queens (Forest Hills/Kew Gardens area) was recently launched:

www.queenscentral.com

Check it out.

Deadbeat landlord ordered to pay tenants

After nearly two decades of living with leaks, cracks in the walls, windows that don't work, and other problems, tenants at 47-60 39th Place say their landlord is finally starting to make some repairs. But, they say, it's only because a judge ordered him to.

Read or watch the NY1 story here:

Judge Orders Deadbeat Queens Landlord To Compensate Tenants

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development says the building has received more than 130 violations for leaks in the ceilings, vermin, and obstruction of fire escapes among other things.