LPC to hold hearing on aluminum house

From Brownstoner Queens:

The proposal to construct a residential development around a historic aluminum house at 39th Avenue and 50th Street, in the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District, is heading to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC schedule for September 24th features this item: “39th Avenue and 50th Street-Sunnyside Gardens Historic District… A playground with a one story building and pavilion. Application is to relocate an existing building to the site and construct new buildings.”

Sunnyside Gardens residents think the museum business is just a smokescreen for the residential development. Residents want a community garden at the site instead. The final word on the matter is up to the LPC — we’re curious to see how they’ll vote when it comes to an existing historic building, not necessarily contextual, moving to an underutilized lot.

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Doorman's SUV set on fire

From WPIX:

Former New York City Councilman, Eric Gioia, held his 10-month-old baby son in his arms and told PIX11 he’s grateful his wife and three small children escaped an arson fire early Sunday morning.

“We heard a big boom and I opened up his door,” Gioia said, referring to the baby’s second floor bedroom. “And I just saw this huge, orange ball of fire. So I jumped on top of his crib, called my wife, and told her to get the girls.”

Gioia’s family vehicle, a 2007 Mercury Mariner, was enveloped in flames in the driveway on 49th Street, near 39th Avenue. Police say an arsonist deliberately set it on fire, before starting four trash fires within two blocks of the Gioia home.

Two Sunnyside pols hit in less than 2 weeks...

This one was caught.

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Van Bramer's house burgled

"Friday, between 4pm and early Saturday am, there was a break-in at the home of Dan Hendrick and Council Jimmy Van Bramer in Sunnyside Gardens, Queens. According to police at the scene Saturday morning, the intruder came in the front door and went out the back. The back faces a common court with 47th Street and 39th Avenue, so one could escape from another direction than the street entrance used to enter the premises. The house is located in the 108th precinct.

Plain-clothed detectives combed the neighborhood today, knocking on doors to find out if anyone saw anything out of the ordinary in the time. The detectives were called in from other precincts in addition to those of 108 Precinct. They did not reveal if anything was taken.

There is currently a 24-hour surveillance in process, and a fingerprints expert, clad in a white jumpsuit, from the onsite Mobile Crime Scene vehicle, was there Saturday evening taking a thorough inventory of fingerprints from the house.

When we asked whether the door had a Medeco or other lock, the officer said, "I'm sorry, but I cannot discuss an ongoing investigation."

The 108 Precinct which includes an large area of Western Queens, is among the precincts city-wide with a low rate of crime." - anonymous

There's more of the story at Sunnyside Post.

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Rest in peace, Walter McCaffrey

From CBS New York:

Former long-serving New York City Councilman Walter McCaffrey has died at the age of 64.

Mr. McCaffrey died Wednesday morning at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to longtime friend Martin McLaughlin. He had recently been ill, but the nature of his disease was not specified.

Mr. McCaffrey, a Democrat, served in the City Council from 1985 until 2001. He represented the 26th District, which includes parts of the Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside sections of Queens.

He counted among his successes legislation that banned or restricted adult entertainment venues from residential neighborhoods.

Mr. McCaffrey also wrote legislation that mandated security cameras at automated teller machines.

After leaving public office, he started a lobbying firm, McCaffrey Group. Among its issues was the fight against congestion pricing.

Mr. McCaffrey was born and raised in Woodside.

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Quinn funds private park with discretionary funds

From Sunnyside Post:

Friends of Sunnyside Gardens Park, the fundraising arm of the membership-based park, received $25,000 through Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Those funds were for items such as “installing playground equipment and other recreational equipment.” Since 2010, Friends of Sunnyside Gardens Park has received $142,600 in city funds, most of it through Quinn. Park membership is not always open to all those who can afford the modest fees, such as with a YMCA or other non-profit. Members have to live in a geographical location to join.

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Sunnysiders hoping for more restful nights

From WPIX:

Learning to live with noise is part of life in the city.

But some neighbors got out their camerasafter the noise kept them up late at night along the MTA’s East Side Access project in Sunnyside.

Hear what they heard in the video story.

The MTA got their message.

Yes, they'll "see what they can do." They just might as well buy some earplugs.

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CB2 not too keen on aluminum house

From Sunnyside Post:

The plans to develop a site within the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District were greeted with skepticism by Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee last night.

The architects provided details on the developer’s proposal to construct an aluminaire house – made of metal – and eight accompanying residential units for the first time.

The development would take place on the corner of 39th Avenue and 50th Street, at the site of the historic Phipps playground. The Phipps sold the property in July 2007 to DBH Associates for $1.43 million.

The proposed residential units—which would be contained within one building– would be clad with terracotta-colored panels, with a brick pattern.

About 50 residents turned out for the committee meeting—many holding leaflets that read: “Say ‘No’ to unwanted development in our Community!” Meanwhile, a letter was circulating that had been written by Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer to the Landmarks Preservation Committee voicing his opposition to it.

Many residents questioned whether any type of development could take place on the property. Dorothy Morehead, who is a member of community board 2 and owns a real estate firm in the Gardens, said that the former playground is deemed “open space.” She said that she has never heard of a case where the Landmarks committee has permitted development on “open space”.

The house would essentially be a showpiece or a museum where people could visit. The Aluminaire Foundation, he said, would be leasing space on the site from the developer to keep it there.

The housing units—which would bring income to the developer through rent or condo sales—would act as a buffer between the aluminaire house and the historic brick homes in Sunnyside Gardens.

But Stephen Cooper, Co-Chair of the Land Use Committee, suggested that the aluminaire house – and accompanying units—were not a good fit for the Historic District. “The buildings [in the Gardens] are all essentially the same. They are brick, all two stories tall—essentially all the same look,” he said. “There is not a single aluminum house in the area.”

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Proposal to plop aluminum house into Sunnyside Gardens

Now
Coming soon?
Dear Residents of Sunnyside, Woodside & beyond,

There is an alarming proposal in the works that seeks to turn the historic corner lot at 39th Avenue and 50th Street into an out-of-place, post-modern housing development. This corner lot falls within the Sunnyside Gardens historic district and therefore all development proposals must be approved by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). As a smokescreen, the developers are also proposing to move a 1931 aluminum house onto the lot.

We are a group of concerned residents opposing this development. The manner in which this proposal is being rushed through without sufficient public notice is indicative of the developers' not having our community's best interest at heart. This development proposal runs contrary to the community's aim of preserving the corner lot from succumbing to over-development.

Our group has other ideas for this historic open space -- namely the transformation of it into a truly public community garden and green common, while preserving its existing structures and trees. Most of the parks in Sunnyside now are either concrete playgrounds serving primarily school children, exclusive gardens or private parks charging membership dues. We want to change this.

The development proposal is completely wrong for the historic district, and it's completely wrong for our community. But the Landmarks Law gives every one of us the right to voice our choice for our future, and we need everyone to exercise that right.

Right now there are 3 things you can do to help:

1. Please “Reply” to this e-mail to say you oppose this development.

2. There will be an unveiling of this development proposal this week at Community Board 2's Land Use committee meeting. If a lot of us show up and demonstrate our disapproval of the proposal, the harder it will be for the development to win the support it needs. This is not a public hearing and we may not get to speak, but a lot of disappointed faces in the audience will help convey our message.

The meeting is Wednesday, June 19 at 7 pm at the address below:

Community Board 2 office
43-22 50th St. off Roosevelt Ave., 2nd floor.
(Note - this is NOT at Sunnyside Community Services)

Worse still the LPC public hearing, may be scheduled for July 9. This gives us little time to organize our opposition so we want the hearing delayed.

3. Call and e-mail Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s staff to ask them to do everything in their power to delay the LPC's public hearing. Please leave a voicemail if there is no pick up.

Nick Gulotta, staff preservationist:
NGulotta@council.nyc.gov
718-383-9566, ext.5

Yours,
Cautley Garden
cautleygarden@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/cautleygarden/

Jimmy Van Bramer has a "staff preservationist?" Well, excuse me!

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