Saturday, February 3, 2024
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
IBX DOA
The success or failure of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s marquee transit proposal, the Interborough Express (IBX) connecting Brooklyn and Queens by light rail, is centered on a short, skinny tunnel underneath a Queens cemetery that the MTA says requires the line to be routed away from existing railroad tracks and onto the street.
Based on a long-time dream of transit planners and aficionados, the IBX would utilize existing railroad tracks called the Bay Ridge Branch, which were built for the Long Island Rail Road but have long since been used only by freight, and only about one round trip per day at that. The 14-mile spur runs from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Jackson Heights, Queens; Hochul first proposed reactivating the line for passenger service back in 2022.
The project is set to bring rail service to several transit-starved neighborhoods and connect to 17 other train lines, while providing a crucial new link for Brooklyn and Queens residents to move between boroughs without having to take a train through Manhattan first. Hochul has described her vision for the IBX as a “transformative” investment in expanding the city’s transit.
After undergoing a “feasibility study,” the MTA opted not to endorse building a subway along the right-of-way. Instead, the MTA endorsed building light rail, which it has never constructed before in New York City despite being in many cities around the world; the agency said this would be $3 billion cheaper (the overall plan is projected to cost $5.5 billion) without sacrificing speed or capacity.
The basis for that claim lies buried among the dead beneath All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens, just across the way from the M train’s Metropolitan Avenue terminus. The cemetery opened for business in 1852, and today its 225 acres are the final resting place for 540,000 people, including the grandparents, parents, and older brother of former President Donald Trump.
Also underneath All Faiths is a short tunnel, about 520 feet in length and 30 feet in width, that freight trains under the CSX banner travel under en route to and from Bay Ridge. The MTA says this tunnel is too narrow to add in passenger tracks alongside the freight ones, and expanding it would be prohibitively expensive and require disturbing final resting places above it.
That, in effect, kills the possibility of using subways on the corridor, the MTA claims. Instead, light rail can be routed out of the railroad right-of-way and onto busy Metropolitan Avenue, turning left on 69th Street before returning to the Bay Ridge Branch tracks after two-thirds of a mile.
This is never going to happen.
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
MTA B13 reroute makes a transit desert on purpose
A Glendale resident voiced her concern about the MTA’s proposed Brooklyn Bus Redesign that would impact the B13 route that runs through Queens during last week’s Community Board 5 (CB 5) meeting at Christ the King High School in Middle Village.
During the meeting, a letter from Glendale resident Deloris Bachmann was read in which she stated that the proposed changes along the B13 line would make it harder for her and other senior citizens who use that line to go anywhere.
“This is a hardship for the many senior citizens and handicapped people who live in my neighborhood, not to mention an inconvenience in bad weather,” Bachmann said in the letter. “Without reliable bus service, how will be able to shop, visit doctors, go to Wyckoff Heights [Medical Center], visit friends, go to church or the library?”
The MTA revealed their Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign back in December that proposed the B13 reroute to the Ridgewood Reservoir and Cypress Avenue, which would eliminate stops along Cooper Avenue, Fresh Road Pond Road and Gates Avenue.
“Queens is already a transit desert — why create another?” Bachmann said in her letter. “This plan may look good on paper, but the MTA has not considered the welfare of those who live along that line.”
CB 5 has reached out to the MTA in the past regarding the MTA
Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign and getting reliable bus service to
the Ridgewood Reservoir. In their letter to the MTA, CB 5 stated that the residents will be
negatively affected by the proposed changes.
“The currently proposed B13 Bus route change is very likely to negatively affect bus riders in parts of Ridgewood and Glendale, Queens, who would, if the plan is adopted, lose helpful transit links to areas north and south of where they live,” the letter read.
CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano told QNS that MTA needs to find a solution that would benefit both parties.
“They gotta find a way,” Giordano said.
Sunday, December 4, 2022
The night the traffic lights went out in Middle Queens
Following rampant power outages in his district on Nov. 30, Councilman Robert Holden released a letter calling for a meeting with NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and OEM Commissioner Zachary Iscol to discuss what caused the outage and what steps could be taken to prevent it from happening again in the future.
Holden expressed concern over the city’s failure to swiftly address the Nov. 30 outages in Maspeth and Middle Village in which thousands of residents lost power for as long as five hours. Traffic in the area was drastically affected by this, according to Holden, as the outages occurred during rush hour.
According to Holden, additional police officers were not deployed to the 104th Precinct until the end of the outages. Holden cited a desire to know what caused the outages and delayed response, as well as wanting to know how outages like this will be handled in the future.
“The areas affected routinely suffer due to overhead lines that cannot handle rain storms,” Holden said. “The transformers on Eliot Avenue blow often, including last year on Election Day. After two conversations with Commissioner Iscol, I still did not understand what additional resources our district would be receiving, nor what the emergency response was other than ‘monitoring the situation.’ It was only after 10:00 p.m. did the 104th Precinct receive additional police officers. Considering heavy rains and strong winds were forecasted, it would make sense that the Office of Emergency Management and NYPD would have coordinated for expected power outages in Queens.”
Holden said he wanted DOT Commissioner Rodriguez to take part in the
meeting so his office could discuss plans for when a large amount of
traffic lights go out. Holden is hopeful that such a meeting could help
ensure each department is better prepared for the next massive outage.
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
The Department of Transportation Alternatives undermines community plan for Citibike racks
The Department of Transportation plans to bring Citi Bike to Maspeth and Middle Village this summer but the agency is coming under fire from Councilmember Bob Holden for dismissing the community’s input as to the workings of the plan.
Holden, who penned a letter to Queens DOT Commissioner Nicole Garcia Friday, argues that the DOT is not paying attention to residents who have been calling on the DOT to preserve parking spaces by not putting the docking stations on the roadway.
The DOT announced February that Citi Bike was coming to the Middle Village/Maspeth area this summer and released a map that included 52 station locations, with as many as 34 stations to be installed on the street—likely to take as many as 100 parking spaces. The other 18 stations/docks planned are to be on sidewalks.
The Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA), a local civic group, was alarmed by the DOT’s plan and the potential loss of parking. The organization, with the help of Holden, came up with a detailed proposal that called for the relocation of the 34 station/ docks planned to be placed in the streets to avoid any loss of parking.
The DOT notified Holden and the JPCA on June 22 that it had reviewed the organization’s suggestions and would make changes to seven of the stations—but the remainder of the plan would remain in place. (click for JPCA proposal and DOT response)
“I ask you to revisit your rejection of the Juniper Park Civic Association’s suggestions…,” Holden wrote. “Your response to our community’s suggestions seems dismissive, to say the least. Sadly, this is not a surprise.”
The DOT, in a letter written by Garcia to Holden on June 22, said it “took a hard look at each suggestion and where feasible incorporated changes into the updated plan.”
Christina Wilkinson, secretary of the Juniper Civic Association who drafted the proposal, said that the Maspeth/Middle Village community simply cannot afford to lose parking.
“We are a transit desert, and many people rely on vehicles,” Wilkinson said. “We don’t want residents and business owners looking for parking to be inconvenienced.”
“We want Citi Bike, but in a way that enhances our neighborhoods.”
The association’s plan would comprise of 43 stations in total, down from the DOT’s 52.
Wilkinson said that she put the plan together based on her knowledge of the area and after researching the DOT’s Citi Bike guidelines. She said her goal was to preserve parking spaces while making the bike share program a success.
Holden said that the DOT has not listened to local residents who he says know the area best.
“It is greatly frustrating to repeatedly meet with the DOT and have civic leaders and residents offer sensible solutions, only to be turned down each time,” Holden wrote. “The Queens DOT makes a show of community meetings but is indifferent or even hostile to real community input.”
“The options suggested by the JCPA seem very reasonable, well thought out and worth exploring.”
The JCPA’s plan calls for the elimination of 11 of the roadside stations. Wilkinson said many are not needed since the area isn’t as densely populated as other New York neighborhoods.
The DOT, however, said that the 11 were needed to ensure “equal access to the bike share network.” The DOT typically aims to have a station every few blocks within a coverage district. The idea is to have a station within a 3-to-5-minute walk from one another.
The DOT rejected about 15 other suggestions—that involve moving the stations to the sidewalk– on the basis that tree pits or fire hydrants were in the way or the sites weren’t big enough. However, Wilkinson argues the Citi Bike docks are modular and the size of the docks can vary according to the space.
So much for the city's claim of transportation equity, at least they are not being shy about the spite racks anymore.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
City contractor insurance company stiffs homeowners following reckless infrastructure repairs
After a major construction project along 74th Street and Penelope Avenue in Middle Village damaged multiple people’s property, local residents are calling on the city to look into why some homeowners were compensated and others were not.
Construction began in 2016 to improve stormwater drainage and upgrade the city’s infrastructure system. The $32 million project, contracted by CAC Industries Inc., consisted of replacing the water main, reconstructing sewers, installing catch basins, manholes, sidewalks, roadways and more.
The liability insurer for CAC Industries, Travelers, settled 11 claims from homeowners concerned about property damage after construction ended in 2020. However, an additional 13 claims were denied, leaving homeowners with thousands of dollars in damages that many cannot afford.
Councilman Robert Holden got involved and sent a letter to the Department of Design and Constriction (NYC DDC), which previously oversaw the construction, to ask them to audit the project.
“My constituents deserve more transparency and an understanding as to what evidence was used in denying or approving the claims of homeowners,” Holden said. “Auditing the 74th Street sewer project will not only be useful to the homeowners who suffered property damage but will also help ensure future projects are conducted more responsibly.”
A DDC spokesperson told QNS that they plan to respond to Holden’s letter after reviewing the project and subsequent claims.
One resident, Danny O’Neill, was previously compensated for damage to his water heater but denied payment for cracks sustained to the front stoop and his home’s foundation.
“There was massive machinery here every day, pounding the ground over and over again. Our houses were rattling and shaking,” O’Neill said.
After incessant pounding, O’Neills water heater burst. CAC Industries
took responsibility and O’Neill was compensated $1,000 for a new water
heater. However, O’Neill’s damaged front stoop, only a few feet away
from the construction, was not covered.
Saturday, March 19, 2022
The D.O.T. is inducing Citibike on Maspeth and Middle Village.
The draft plan for Citi Bike stations in Maspeth and Fresh Pond Road has been released! NYC DOT representatives presented the plan to Queen's Community Board 5's Transportation Services and Public Services Combined Committees. If you'd like to send feedback regarding the draft plan, please send an email to bikeshare@dot.nyc.gov.
This is not going to go well Ydanis.
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Unlicensed driver kills man with SUV by Metropilitan Ave. mall
A pedestrian was fatally struck by an unlicensed SUV driver in Middle Village Thursday night.
The victim, a 57-year-old man, was on the roadway in the vicinity of Metropolitan Avenue and Rentar Plaza when he was hit by a 2007 Cadillac Escalade driven by a 46-year-old man, according to police.
Police responded to a 911 call at around 7:45 p.m. and upon arrival, found the victim lying on the road with body trauma.
The victim was transported by EMS to NYC Health & Hospitals/ Elmhurst where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the Escalade, who is from 75th Street in Middle Village, was arrested and charged with driving without a license.
Monday, November 1, 2021
Gang brutally beats up boys and steals their bikes at Atlas Mall
WARNING, GRAPHIC: 5 boys viciously attacked by gang of 10+ grown men at @ShopAtlasPark. Bikes were stolen. @NYPD104Pct @NYCMayor @QnsBPRichards @CBSNewYork @NY1 @NBCNewYork @ABC7NY @fox5ny @PIX11News @nypost @NYDailyNews pic.twitter.com/s19YRJJSBs
— Juniper Park Civic (@junipercivic) November 1, 2021
Sunday, October 3, 2021
Middle Village event space fight and drive-by shooting revisited
A pleasant weekend evening in the borough of Queens devolved into another incident of the gun violence that is still persistently casting it’s shadow on the streets of New York City. This time the violence came to Middle Village, where a shuttered commercial property that once was home to a hardware store that went out of business 2 years ago.
In recent days, or maybe longer according to area residents complaints, the vacant property has been re-appropriated as a pop-up event space for DJ and bottle parties where high end booze is consumed in mass quantities. Basically these are glorified but unregulated nite clubs, no different than the speakeasies of the last 20’s this nation went through last century. From the looks of this place, the entrance to the event space was in the back.
The local area newspaper Juniper Park Civic immediately had the scoop, naturally because it’s base is right there where the incidents occurred. The Civic also updated their tweets to include a DOB record of a violation given for a complaint over a month earlier for illegal partying in the former hardware store.
Given that this was another incident adding to the city’s continuing gun crisis and increasing rise in unabated shootings in the face of the equal rise in gun possession arrests, compounded by the fact that a building landlord would flout regulations and violations by continuing to permit illicit parties in his space, it would be wholly inconceivable if this wasn’t picked up by all the major local newspapers and news websites and even the other Queens weekly periodical newspapers.
But it was conceivable. Because despite the severity of the crimes committed and of gun violence being a daily occurrence in the five boroughs, the NY Post didn’t cover it, the NY Daily News didn’t cover it, Gothamist didn’t cover it, QNS, Queens Chronicle, Queens Post and Ridgewood Post didn’t cover it. Hardly any local Queens blog covered it (sans Queens Crap, which my ally and original Queens Crapper dutifully posted Junipers tweet immediately with a deliciously sardonic headline).
New Bad Update:
A few nights after the Queens Chronicle article about the community's complaints about the closed business cum pop up nite club, another illicit party went on with total impunity.
Saturday, September 25, 2021
A great job by all agencies involved!
— Juniper Park Civic (@junipercivic) September 25, 2021
This is the location:It appears the shooting happened here after a chase from the club. https://t.co/65f4QMNRHv
— Juniper Park Civic (@junipercivic) September 25, 2021
I really hope everybody got checked for vaccinations...for their safety- JQ LLC
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Bike riot kids harass woman and monopolize the street
Apologies for the "hidden" video but YouTube slapped an age restriction on it because of the language.Police Activity @CitizenApp
Juniper Blvd N Yesterday 6:07:18 PM EDT
This culture of reckless stunt street biking is getting more obnoxious and dumber every day.
Saturday, July 24, 2021
Middle Village man savagely beaten down by gang of teenagers by Juniper Park
This is the moment a vicious teen mob beats up a man walking his dog in a Queens park, disturbing new video shows.
The sickening attack happened at around 9:55 p.m. Friday in Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village, according to police.
At least 100 teens were hanging out in the park — drinking, smoking and playing loud music when the man was attacked, according to GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels who was alerted to the incident by residents who he said are now asking his group to step up patrols there.
The young mob can be seen closing in on the victim, who puts up his dukes as his dog barks in protest to protect its master.
“Give him a shot! Give him a shot! Give him a shot!” one teen implores, the terrifying video shows.
“Yo, what the f–k!” shouts a stunned onlooker as the unidentified victim is pummeled on the pavement.
Sunday, June 20, 2021
Driveway Jimmy
Talking to voters at the early voting site in Middle Village. Great response in the blazing sun! Thanks to Ashton Potter for holding it down for #TeamJVB! pic.twitter.com/VSrYoqRULN
— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) June 20, 2021
Jim is one step away from squeegee wiper
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Queens tenants living in hell sue landlord
Have a tenant horror story for you. Tenants at 84-53 Dana Court in Queens have been living in disgusting squalor for months thanks to their negligent landlord who has let garbage pile up inside and outside the building and refuses to address the rats, cockroaches, mice infestations as well as water damage and mold. Mgmt company has also been harassing tenants, sending them fake bills for rent. One tenant’s daughter is actually afraid to go in the hallway because a rat once bit her. Tenants believe landlord just wants them out.
The landlord, Highpoint Associates run by Donald Ammons, who has been on the Worst Landlord List multiple times, fired the super back in September 2020 and now garbage continues to pile up inside and outside the apartment, causing a rat infestation among other issues. The landlord has racked up more than $800,000 in fines and fees, according to our calculations, and over 400 building violations. The tenants have sued the landlord for repairs and have a court date on Friday, May 20. 6sqft covered this landlord before here. Tenants are willing to talk to you and show you the building this week ahead of the court date. Thanks.
Best,
Seth Hoy, Director of Communications
Legal Services NYC
40 Worth Street, Suite 606
New York, NY 10013
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Middle Village nursing home withheld shots from patients because of state regs
A Queens nursing home in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak withheld potentially lifesaving vaccines from rehab patients, leaving a city councilman’s 96-year-old mother and others to catch the contagion.
Dry Harbor Nursing Home in Middle Village — where 44 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since Dec. 22 — vaccinated its long-term residents shortly before Christmas, but not patients admitted for short-term care after being discharged from hospitals, Councilman Robert Holden told The Post.
Holden’s mom, Anne, and others finally did get shots in a second vaccination round on Jan. 13, but it was “too little, too late,” the furious Queens Democrat said.
Anne Holden, 96, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday and admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Queens, where she remained on Saturday.
“If she had gotten the shot before Christmas, she would have been eligible to get the second shot in January. The earlier the better,” Holden said.
“They knew the numbers were going up,” he added. “They should have done more –inoculated everybody as quickly as possible to stem the outbreak.”
Dry Harbor staff told Councilman Holden that it was following a state policy that gave priority for the vaccines to permanent nursing-home residents.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Feds come for militia minded internet troll in Middle Village for posting ideas on social media
A reputed Proud Boys member was arrested Tuesday night in Queens after federal authorities tied him to a series of online posts threatening to send an armed caravan to Washington D.C., according to news reports.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Middle Village resident Eduard Florea, 40, after searching his home on 76th Street near Elliot Avenue, the New York Daily News and NBC4 New York reported.
Florea was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, a law enforcement source told Patch.
He is expected to appear in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday.
Florea is not believed to have joined the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol last week by pro-Trump extremists, law enforcement sources told NBC4 New York.
But he has purported ties to the Proud Boys, a far-right group that reportedly helped lead the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol, according to ABC7 New York.
Florea has previously been arrested on weapons and domestic abuse charges.
When a Proud Boy got taken, I didn't say anything because I'm not a Proud Boy...
When a Progressive got taken....
Update: The suspect is quite the influencer
The Proud Boys typically move around public demonstrations like a small army, flooding entire blocks in their trademark black and yellow colors. But on this day, their strategy was to avoid detection. Their self-styled “chairman,” Enrique Tarrio, had ordered the Proud Boys to go “incognito” and dress in plain clothes, so while they were central to the planning, inciting, and execution of the insurrection that led to five deaths, their role was not immediately obvious from the video disseminated from the scene.
In a stream from before the rally, Joe Biggs, a former InfoWars staffer who led the Proud Boys in Tarrio’s absence, reiterated the plan for the group not to wear their traditional colors.
“We will not be attending D.C. in colors. We will be blending in as one of you. You won't see us. You'll even think we are you,” Biggs said. “We are going to smell like you, move like you, and look like you. The only thing we'll do that's us is think like us! Jan 6th is gonna be epic.”
Partly because of this, the group has mostly evaded scrutiny for the violence at the Capitol—which came as lawmakers were scheduled to convene and certify the results of the 2020 election, affirming Joe Biden as the winner and Donald Trump the loser.
Tarrio
himself was not present: He was arrested on his way into D.C. earlier
in the week and charged for a misdemeanor for his alleged role tearing
down Black Live Matter signs from a Black church in December. During the
arrest, police discovered two high-capacity magazines, emblazoned with
Proud Boy insignia, and charged him with an additional felony. Upon his
release, a judge ordered him to stay away from D.C.
Sunday, November 8, 2020
Arbitrary fines from pandemic guidelines are crippling small businesses
Business owners already struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic are getting hit again, this time with summonses and fines for not following COVID guidelines.
Lorraine Gericke, manager of Best Tress Hair Salon, was told by a city inspector she was doing it all wrong, using a notebook to write down customers’ temperatures and information for contact tracing.
“They’re slapping us with a $1,000 fine, which is so unfair,” she told CBS2’s Dave Carlin.
The penalty of one grand is because they did not use city forms instead.
“We were not aware that we needed these,” Gericke said.
Yi Qiang Chen learned he needed a paper displayed on his Jade Bamboo restaurant storefront indicating maximum capacity.
“I’m angry but I cannot do nothing you know,” he said.
He says the inspector told him, and just one day later, another inspector returned and fined him $1,000.
“They don’t give me the time to do that, you know,” Chen said.
On one block of Dry Harbor Road in Middle Village, Queens, at least four business were hit with fines and, in some cases, multiple fines.
Louise Fawcett, of Matson’s Delicatessen, has five documents displayed on her deli’s door, but she says she was fined $1,000 for not having a thermometer.
“You have to have one that’s non-contact,” Fawcett said. “I ordered it online the day before they gave me a summons.”
“Give them a warning,” New York City Councilmember Robert Holden said. “No, they won’t do that.”
CORONAVIRUS: NY Health Dept. | NY Call 1-(888)-364-3065 | NYC Health Dept. | NYC Call 311, Text COVID to 692692 | NJ COVID-19 Info Hub | NJ Call 1-(800)-222-1222 or 211, Text NJCOVID to 898211 | CT Health Dept. | CT Call 211 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Sunday, October 25, 2020
BLM retreats upon the singing of the National Anthem
Hilarity ensued:
After scurrying away, the 90% white gentrifier crowd proceeded to the Metropolitan Avenue train station, which is odd since they allege to have so many members in Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale who would not require a subway ride in order to return home.
Let's also see what Mr. Moses has to say to the organizer of the counterprotest.#BackTheBlue #supporters followed the #NoRoomforRacists marchers to the Metropolitan Avenue Train Station #Queens #Protests pic.twitter.com/n23pGCrFsu
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) October 24, 2020
I really don't think newspaper reporters are supposed to "respectfully disagree" with interviewees, but there you have it. So, let me explain how the Queens BLM people work, and why there is confusion about who did what...The rest of my interview with Mike Papa during today’s protests #news #Queens pic.twitter.com/vefQYtXbHN
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) October 24, 2020
The Queens groups coordinate with each other and promote each other's events. So, one group puts it out there and the others recruit their own members to attend. They also promote them via the centralized BLM Instagram account for greater exposure. Case in point: the dopey Ed Mullins mistaken identity/flag burning party was technically promoted under Bayside BLM (the evidence of which they have since deleted), but it was mostly attended by other groups. In fact, it met at the Jefferson Street station, which is weird for a march led by a Bayside contingent but quite convenient for RTU members who wanted to participate.
Now, considering there are multiple groups involved, there should be a HUGE turnout for these events. But the most they have ever scraped together is a few dozen people. And it's mostly the same people at each event.
You'll also notice the language in the screenshot above endorsing flag burning. These folks are anarchists, not activists. Please don't be fooled. The language they use on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook is about destroying the government and causing chaos. And guess who stands with them?
#Queenscouncil candidate @JuanArdilaNYC proudly showcases his stance on #racism as he prepares to face-off against @BobHoldenNYC in 2021.#protest #protestphotography #photojournalism #photooftheday #photography #postthepeople #actvistny #BlackLivesMatter #queens pic.twitter.com/JOziYxU6un
— Dean_Moses (@Dean_Moses) October 25, 2020
Clown shoes, bro.
Update:
QNS came out with their report written by Angelica Acevedo.