Trash piled high and deep outside Queens schools

From WPIX:

Some Queens neighbors are speaking up about trash piles near several schools.

They contacted NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm after trying to get things cleaned up.

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Someone took "Stars and Stripes Forever" a little too literally

Not sure if this is some kind of political statement or if the groundskeeper is just too lazy to replace the flag, but this beauty was spotted flying over the Newtown High School Athletic Field in Elmhurst.

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Update on Wendy's site

From Brownstoner Queens:

A 115-unit apartment building is in the works for the corner of Reeder Street and Queens Boulvard in Elmhurst. The site is right across from the new rental building known as The Elm as well as the Grand Avenue/Newtown R stop. DOB documents state that the building will include 27,801 square feet of commercial space, 26,273 square feet of community space, and 93,940 square feet of residential space. It’ll rise seven stories tall. The DOB disapproved a building plan earlier this summer and has not yet issued permits. We’ll letcha know when they do…

This is the Wendy's site. And if you know anything about the development that's occurred along that stretch, you know those new buildings are mostly empty.

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Details of shady Mattone deal being FOILed

From the Queens Chronicle:

Convinced that something is amiss in an Elmhurst real estate deal, community board members and civic association leaders are investigating the history of a 2.3-acre property located between the Queens Center mall and the Long Island Expressway, where the Mattone Group plans to build three restaurants: Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse and Joe’s Crab Shack. The Newtown Civic Association filed a Freedom of Information Request with the city’s Economic Development Corporation for all documents related to the site, last Wednesday. If the EDC’s records confirm their suspicions, the civic association will bring its findings to the city’s Department of Investigation.

Newtown Civic Association President Tom McKenzie, a longtime member of the Community Board 4 Planning Committee, remembers when the city sold the land, which was then a municipal parking lot, to the Mattone Group for $2.2 million in 2001.

Mattone signed a contract with the EDC, promising to build a movie theater on the lot within four and half years and to buy the dilapidated Elmwood Theater across the street and donate the proceeds to the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens, which operated nearby St. John’s Hospital. If those conditions were not met, the city would be able to buy back the property for $1.

Mattone had originally planned to have Loews operate the theater, but Loews declared bankruptcy and Mattone struggled to find a replacement. The lot has been used for commercial truck parking until recently, when Mattone erected a fence around the property. Mattone never purchased the Elmwood Theater and therefore no proceeds were donated to the Catholic Medical Center. The theater was sold to the Rock Church and St. John’s Hospital went bankrupt in 2009.

In 2010, the EDC issued an eviction notice and Mattone sued the city. The judge ruled in favor of the EDC, but Mattone appealed and reached a settlement with the agency for $3 million and signed a new contract with it on Feb. 6, 2013, modifying the zoning requirements so that Mattone could build the restaurants. The money went straight to the agency and the promises made to the community evaporated.

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Kids' community garden being sold out from under them

From the Queens Courier:

Residents and volunteers are asking the city not to squash their community garden.

Until last year, the vacant lot at Kneeland Avenue and Manilla Street in Elmhurst was growing weeds as tall as the average resident, attracting illegal dumping and unwanted vermin. After taking a look at the site, Young Governors, a teen community organizing program, got together and turned the lot into a community garden that is verdant with fruits and vegetables today.

But the garden the teens created side-by-side with residents is at risk of becoming a multi-family house since the property’s owner put it up for sale.

“What we need here in Elmhurst is a garden, not another high rise development,” said Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “We need a place for children to play. We need gardens where people can till and nourish and eventually eat the produce.”

The community hopes to get the opportunity to save the garden — or relocate it another area — with the help of the city.

“These volunteers literally have turned what has been an eyesore in Elmhurst into a project that is productive, into an area that is not only beautiful and prevents it from being a blight on our society, but has literally turned into a productive project that feeds people,” said Councilmember Grace Meng.

Volunteers go week after week to care for the crops. They have donated fruits and vegetables from the garden to the New Life Community Development Corporation, a local organization that helps people in need in the community.

Well then I'm sure Grace Meng and Toby Stavisky will find a way for the city to purchase the lot so that the kids can keep on farming and feeding people. It's not like there's any place left in Elmhurst that's undeveloped that it can be relocated to. The current lot has been empty and abandoned for DECADES, so it's interesting that the owner, Queens Blvd attorney John Blaha, suddenly resurfaced and is taking an interest in selling it now. Here's what's next door and what they have to look forward to:


Except it will be worse, since it's a corner lot that allows for more density.

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Developer looking to bail on St. John's project

The site has been "gutted to the steel and concrete" - but at least they put in new windows.

This can be yours for the low, low price of only $55 million!

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LIRR considering re-opening Elmhurst Station

From CBS New York:

The Long Island Rail Road’s Elmhurst station closed in 1985, when ridership was measured in the dozens, but the railroad thinks there might be a reason to reopen it.

LIRR President Helena Williams said there’s been early enthusiasm for the project, which would cost an estimated $30 million, but they want that yearning down in black and white.

So surveys will arrive in the neighborhood mailboxes in early July. It will be in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

“We need evidence that there’s true ridership,” Williams said

Williams said adding a new station to the Port Washington Line would not slow service, especially with improvements being made already.

Rep. Grace Meng said it’s a good fit for a vibrant neighborhood.

Rep. Joe Crowley joined Meng, saying it could be a boost to quality of life.

Not only that, think of the scads more development we can encourage!

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It earned its stripes

Miss Heather found a doozy of a house on Judge Street in Elmhurst recently. I wonder if the guy who painted Doughboy Park lives here...

I especially like the parking on the front lawn (illegal) where there is no curb cut (illegal). Take a look at Google Maps and see that the whole block is apparently doing it. Enforcement? Pshhhaw!

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Just what are they building at Wendy's?

Hi, just wanted to pass this further info along to you. One, the developers threw up a plywood construction fence yesterday that also extends halfway into the public sidewalk, I've attached two pics of it. I've sent a complaint via 311 about it, but that will probably go nowhere...

Also, the city approved merging both of the tax lots into one large tax lot now, Block 1549, Lot 28. Putting that in pulls up the old 85-15 Queens Blvd address, but the info field tells you it's been combined and a new address is issued.


Also, the old addresses of these two lots don't give any results on the DOB BIS system anymore (such as Wendy's old 85-07 Queens Blvd). The new address for the whole lot is now 51-35 Reeder St.

And BTW, the plan was resubmitted for that 7-story condo and is pending now under the new address on BIS. Also, it calls for over 325 parking spaces, both below ground and also an above ground, stackable car parking lot business in the the disapproved plans.

Who knows what is being resubmitted again. I even sent an email to the Queens Borough President's Office about this, twice, over a month ago and never received a reply back. I even dug through their useless QBP website and sent the same email to the QBP Planning Director, a J Choi, no reply either.

You know, a brother would start to think something's going on here!

Finally, using the City's Tax Map, you can see the old streams and other artifacts from the previous maps, listed as "Relics" on the tax maps or the old tax maps. You can check it out here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/property/property_info_taxmaps.shtml#.

Justin

325 cars?

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