Ramp removal planned on Clearview

From the Queens Chronicle:

The New York State Department of Transportation plans on closing the two pedestrian ramps under the Long Island Rail Road trestles on the east and west sides of the Clearview Expressway in Bayside.

“The ramps are underutilized and in poor condition,” the agency said in an advisory. “A recent inspection of these ramps has indicated that they have exceeded their service life.” They will be closed on Friday and removed at an undetermined date.

According to Auburndale Improvement Association First Vice President Henry Euler, who heard about the plan at a Community Board 11 meeting, the agency should have reached out to community members before making any decision.

“They said, ‘Oh, people could walk to Corporal Kennedy Street or Francis Lewis Boulevard,’” he told the Chronicle. “Well, that’s kind of a far trek to take to get from one side of the tracks to the other. In our community they should have things available for people for their convenience.”

Someone's dumping tires along the Clearview

From the Times Ledger:

Stacks of abandoned tires have been seen littering the side of the highway around 73rd Avenue and Clearview Expressway in recent months.

The Department of Transportation, which believes this is the work of one outfit dumping entire truckloads at once, has been regularly required to haul the garbage away. The city agency has been quick to remove the tires, diligence which was praised by City Councilman Barry Grodenchik (D-Oakland Gardens) and state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) at a Tuesday news conference.

“The area alongside the Clearview Expressway is protected parkland, and no part of New York City, least of all our parks, is to be used as a private dump,” said Grodenchik, referring to nearby Cunningham Park. “As a community, we spend a lot of time and effort keeping our parks and neighborhoods beautiful, and this illegal tire dumping is an affront to our work.”

Hardhat required when living near golf course

From WPIX:

Julio Rosario and his father-in-law Anthony Dolce live next door to each other on a nice block in Bayside, Queens. They’ve got the beautiful public Clearview Golf Course across the street.

A nice life, right? It would be if golfers could hit straight.

“Ever since we moved we’ve been getting pelted by these golf balls. On average, at least 20 a week,” Julio told me. “My car is damaged multiple times over the years, my house, my fence.”

And he’s worried every time his little kids have to go out.

Anthony told me, “I’ve had windows broken on my truck. On my wife’s jeep and now she has a dent on the roof of her car.”

Julio says the NYC Parks Dept. is giving him a hard time when he complains. It won’t cut down trees, claims it doesn’t have room to put up a net and told him if golfers cause damage, he’ll have to find them himself and pursue litigation himself.

Queens gas station perps caught

From the Queens Courier:

A wild chase ended in the capture of two men wanted for several gas station robberies in Queens.

Police spotted the suspects driving the wrong way down the Clearview Expressway early Wednesday morning, April 3, said the NYPD. Refusing to pull over, the alleged robbers eventually ditched their vehicle and ran into nearby Kissena Park.

One suspect was quickly arrested and a gun was recovered in the vehicle.

An extensive manhunt, reportedly involving a police helicopter, was launched for the second man. He was found about an hour later hiding in a parked car on Moline Street off of Braddock Avenue.

The two men arrested allegedly robbed four gas stations and one grocery store in March and early April, according to police.

More cars blocking sidewalks

From Douglaston Patch:

Community Board 11 members are complaining that auto dealers along Northern Boulevard have been parking their merchandise along sidewalks in Bayside.

Board member Henry Euler said he has noticed vehicles parked along the sidewalk near the Clearview Expressway service road, forcing pedestrians to step into the road.

“People have to walk out into the street on the Clearview,” he said during CB 11’s monthly board meeting last night. “It’s dangerous and it’s got to stop.”

Bill Conway, of the 111th Precinct’s community affairs department, said police officers cannot ticket the auto dealers unless the vehicles on the sidewalks have license plates.

“We cannot write summonses to vehicles without license plates,” he said. “We can operate an aggressive towing operation, but we can’t do it on the fly.”

Conway said the precinct is keeping its eye on the auto dealers and that a future towing operation is a possibility.

Throgs Neck Bridge work to commence soon

From the Queens Gazette:

Bronx-bound motorists should be aware that the Cross Island Parkway (CIP) ramp leading vehicles onto the Throgs Neck Bridge from Queens and Long Island will close for approximately five weeks starting Thursday, July 16.

The closure is necessary to accommodate ongoing rehabilitation work on the 48-year-old bridge's Queens approach.

The Clearview Expressway, or the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, is the alternate route for traffic to and from the bridge.

There will be more than 40 signs regarding the CIP ramp closure on various roads in the region. In addition, notice of the closure will be posted on the Bridges and Tunnels Special Traffic Advisories link at mta.info.

To minimize impact to motorists, the work zones are arranged to allow for three lanes open in each direction during peak traffic periods.

The Throgs Neck Bridge Queens-side work has been coordinated with construction on the neighboring Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which is currently undergoing work on its Bronx approach. The Throgs Neck Bridge work will not affect access to the Little Neck Park playing fields, and construction lighting will be positioned to avoid residential disruption.

Traffic at Whitestone intersection a chronic problem

When a car slammed into the side of a building at Utopia Parkway and 19th Ave. in Whitestone several weeks ago, local residents weren't surprised.

For years they have been calling for a traffic signal - or at least a four-way stop sign - at the busy intersection.

Residents demand traffic light in dangerous street corner

City Councilman Tony Avella and concerned neighbors gathered at the spot Monday to demand action from the city.

"Time and time again I have asked for a light at this intersection and it's been denied," Avella said. "They do traffic studies and say there isn't enough traffic volume and not enough accidents."

But Avella and others said numerous fender benders there aren't reported.

The spot is particularly hazardous for senior citizens who live in nearby Clearview Gardens and walk to shops along Utopia Parkway, locals said.

"Once we formed a human chain and stopped traffic. They put in a bike lane, and that only made it worse," said Bonnie Honya, who lives in the neighborhood and runs a senior citizens' program at Clearview Gardens.

City Transportation Department officials said the agency is starting a new traffic study of the area that should be completed by mid-December.

"In an effort to calm traffic, we have in recent years narrowed Utopia Parkway and installed bike lanes to enhance safety," an agency spokesman said.

How exactly does a bike lane enhance safety in a high traffic area? If anything, it puts bikers in danger.

Cell tower surprises Bayside

“Danger -ous, attractive nuisance, it’s a legal term and if you want to know how it came about, just look at that,” said Community Board 11 member Jerry Iannece.

He pointed to a T-Mobile cell phone tower that suddenly appeared in the parking lot behind the minimart on 35th Avenue, between the Clearview Expressway and 205th Street, in Bayside last week.

Janet McEneaney, president of the Northwest Clearview Civic Association, is furious. The tower has a Department of Buildings’ permit, but is freestanding. “What’s going on? The community board heard nothing, and they’re very upset, too,” she said.

Iannece and McEneaney are surprised that permission was given for this tower without any community review or input. “It’s freestanding. As I understood it, that requires scrutiny from the community,” Iannece said

The land is owned by Donald Anzlome, of Glen Head, L. I., but when contacted, he had no comment, either on how the structure came to be, or whether he was receiving rent for it. “I can’t take this call at this time,” he said.

McEneaney has been contacted by residents and civic leaders from hers and nearby civic associations. “These are going up all over. We will be T-mobile Land,” she said, adding her concern about the long- term impact of these towers. “Our children are being used as guinea pigs.”

Cell Tower’s Location Questioned In Bayside

Bayside vs. car dealerships

For years...some dealerships have held more cars on their lots than they are authorized to accommodate. As a result, the cars are often parked along sidewalks, blocking passers-by and forcing them onto the fast-moving traffic along Northern Boulevard and the Clearview Expressway.

Cars Bumper to Bumper, and Consternation, Too

“We’ve been trying to work with the dealerships for many years,” said Henry Euler, a lifelong Bayside resident and a community board member. “They don’t cooperate with us. They’re not good neighbors.”

Nothing hinky going on here...

Asbestos truck overturns on Clearview
BY Joe Gould and Kerry Burke
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

A massive container truck overturned in Queens Sunday, spilling bags of hazardous asbestos across the highway - then the driver climbed out of the rig and fled on foot, cops said.

The tarp-covered 14-wheeler flipped over onto the driver's side as it was exiting the Long Island Expressway just before 2 p.m., witnesses and cops said.

The truck's driver cut the turn to the ramp onto the northbound Clearview Expressway too tightly and tipped, spilling more than a dozen bags onto the highway, cops and witnesses said.

The unidentified driver climbed out of the wreck and fled before Emergency Service and haz-mat units arrived to clean up the loose asbestos, authorities said.

"It's very dangerous when it's airborne," trucker Vinny Chieffo, 50, said of the toxic material. "A truck like that shouldn't be carrying asbestos, not with just a drape over it."

Workers with the Department of Environmental Protection, clad in blue moon suits and gas masks, gathered the debris on the roadway, which was shut down from 73rd Ave. to Northern Blvd. for more than four hours.

One Fire Department official speculated the driver was "illegally dumping." "Why else would the driver run away?" said the official, who did not want his name used.


Update: The driver, identified as Artur Gaska, 39, initially fled but returned and was arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident, the police said.

Nice, eh?

Why So Quick To Rezone?

Dear Editor (Queens Ledge):

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has presented to the New York City Planning Commission a proposal that would make some notable changes to the zoning text.

The proposal consists of six parts. It is my understanding that the AIA had originally submitted over thirty changes, however, the Planning Commission would only consider the six parts.

Five of the six parts propose changes in higher density neighborhoods zoned R6 through R10)”. Among the changes being considered are changes that concern increased lot coverage on small corner lots, a change that concerns maximum base height of a building and a change that concerns the construction of multi-family buildings on small lots. In Bayside, there is an R6 type zone along Northern Blvd, from the Clearview Expressway to the Cross Island Parkway. Bell Blvd has a similar zoning designation along much of the business area.

The remaining part of the AIA plan proposed change in lower density neighborhoods. This part of the proposal would waive certain side yard requirements in R3-1, R3-2, R4 and R5 zones. That would mean that houses could be built closer to the property line in many cases.

The AIA claims that these changes will allow them to build better building. However, many civic and community leaders view this effort as an attempt by this organization to pass changes beneficial only to themselves an many other developers.

Many parts of this proposal seem to be a step backward from progress already made in curbing overdevelopment and inappropriate development in our communities. I believe that the public wants to move forward in preserving the character of our communities, not slide backwards because of self-serving interests.

Much progress has been made in recent years in contextually rezoning large areas of our city.Many more neighborhoods are eagerly awaiting rezoning including Auburndale, North Flushing, Waldheim, Hollis Hills and Oakland Gardens right here in Northeast Queens. The City Planning Commission is also considering zoning text changes that deal with yards and street trees in an attempt to increase the greening of our neighborhoods. All of these changes are positive ones. We do not want to impede this progress.

This AIA proposal seems to be moving through too fast without proper consideration from community boards, civic associations and the public in general. The proposal was certified by the Planning Commission on October 29, 2007, and the public input part of the process closes January 8, 2008. The proposal has only come to the attention of most community groups during the las few weeks. Why the secrecy? Why the rush?

I agree with those leaders who call on the AIA to withdraw this proposal at this time so that the various parts can be studies and evaluated properly by community groups and other. We should no be rushed into considering passage of this proposal without carefully examining its impact. The AIA has an obvious bias to lobby for changes in its own interest, but we need to make sure that the parts of any proposal for change are in the public interest rather than in special interest. If these changes proposed by the AIA are truly as worthy as they claim, then they will stand up to the test of scrutiny by the public and others.

Sincerely,
Henry Euler
Bayside

Clearview Crap

A 1-family house surrounded by lush greenery on a corner lot next to the Clearview Expressway in Bayside? We can't be having that.
Now that's more like it. Let's take a closer look.

207-01 & 207-03 42nd Avenue

A myriad of complaints; only 1 ECB violation.

Thank goodness they came to their senses, removed the trees and put a concrete pad in its place. Notice that now even the street trees are gone.
Now we have a "clear view" of both the front and side. These are supposedly two 2-family homes. Those must be some pretty large families...

Bad Bad Bayside

This area of Bayside was originally known as Bayside-Flushing when it was developed a century ago. 45 years ago, the neighborhood was bisected by the Clearview Expressway. Because of its R3-2 multifamily zoning, a few brick boxes were built on its edges. However, the integrity of the area became more severely compromised in the first few years of the 21st century, as fly-by-night building operations demolished beautiful free-standing houses originally lived in by actors, producers and celebrities of the early 20th century for more Queens Crap. These multifamily disasters would be next to each other on 208th Street between 42nd and 43rd avenues were it not for the one nice house still standing in between them. The tragedy of all of this is that within six months of these buildings being approved, this area of Bayside was rezoned for single-family detached zoning which probably would have saved them from being destroyed in the first place. The house below belonged to Vincent Aderente, an artist who designed the historic murals in the Flushing Post Office. I'm sure that if he saw what replaced his house, he'd be painting something that would reflect that crappiness! - P.D.G.


Update, 1/22/09: Vincent Aderente's grandson has informed QC that the house depicted is not the one that he grew up in and that it still stands. Sorry for the mistake. - QC