Neir's gets five more years

 

QNS

Neir’s Tavern, the historic bar in Woodhaven, signed a new lease on Thursday, ensuring the tavern will tack on at least another five years onto its 191-year run in the neighborhood.

On Thursday, Oct. 29, the landlords, Ken and Henry Shi, and the tavern’s owner Loycent Gordon signed the five-year lease inside the bar, located at 87-48 78th St. The lease allows for an additional five years after the current lease ends in 2025.

The oldest bar in New York City has been the recipient of a great deal of community support, dating back to January, when the landlords threatened not to renew the lease to Gordon. The call to preserve the historic ale house – which was once used to film a scene in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas – made it’s way to the mayor, who came out in support of Gordon and Neir’s Tavern.

 On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio again showed his support by attending the lease signing. Several lawmakers, including State Assemblyman Mike Miller and City Councilman Robert Holden also dropped by to see the bar, which first opened in 1829, into the future.

“We could all do something for the comeback of Neir’s Tavern and also for the comeback of the city of New York,” Gordon said. “We all can do something, and I think this is an opportunity to start over. This is a new lease on life. This is an opportunity in the middle of a pandemic. We have an opportunity to start over and strive to create connection and not division.”

The bar also received support from small business advocates, including Thomas Grech, the CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Jonnel Doris, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, and Raquel Olivares, the executive director of the Woodhaven Business Improvement District.

Riis Park Beach Bazaar is getting cancelled

Rockaway Times

 

Riis Park Beach Bazaar (RPBB) immediately helped revitalize Riis Park when it secured a lease to run the concessions at the park that offered little to visitors for decades. That was five years ago. Since then, the group has offered a wide variety or food vendors, beach rental equipment, live entertainment and even year round indoor dining (in pre-Covid times). Many locals have found employment with the company as well.

And now the lease is up. The five-year lease is due to expire November 1, just a couple of months from now. The lease does not have a renewal clause and NPS says the “park plans to release a competitive solicitation in early Fall 2020, to lease facilities at Riis for similar purposes.”

Chalk up another bust for this hipster culture entrepreneurial collective. Thanks for the memories

Shalimar Diner closing forever on Sunday

From the Queens Chronicle:

After more than 40 years in Rego Park, the Shalimar Diner will close its doors for good on Sunday.

The Shalimar Diner, located at 63-68 Austin St., is the latest eating establishment to close in the borough. In recent years, the Scobee Diner in Little Neck, the Palace Diner in Flushing, the Future Diner in Fresh Meadows and the Flagship Diner in Briarwood have all gone out of business.

In July 2016, Shalimar owner Chris Karayiannis told the Chronicle “I don’t know how long I can last,” in response to the rising costs of running a diner.

One waitress said that the rent was raised and that the landlord offered a 20-year lease but a deal didn’t happen.

It’s a far cry from 1977, when The New York Times mentioned the Shalimar Diner in an article titled “Diners Strike It Rich.” Diners were growing in appeal to families and not just truckers and taxi drivers.

According to the article, “on weekends, hundreds of people form lines in the diners’ parking lots from Rego Park to Bayside to Douglaston.”

NYCDOT helps close diners, too.

Empty hotel sitting in Kew Gardens

From DNA Info:

A controversial 20-story hotel in Kew Gardens that was completed months ago but never opened is now up for lease, according to a broker.

Initially the tower at 123-28 82nd Ave., just off of Queens Boulevard and across the street from Queens Borough Hall, was supposed to open as The Queens Savoy Hotel and Residences by the end of last year or early this year, Steve Papas of Forge Realty, which owns the building, told DNAinfo New York last September.

But the 95,000-square-foot building featuring 84 hotel rooms, 38 apartments, a fitness center, commercial space and 44 basement valet parking spots, has been sitting empty for months.

The hotel building, which is being watched by a security guard, is now for lease, according to Heritage Realty Services, which is marketing the property.

“The entire building is for lease,” said Mary Anderson-Gallagher, managing director at Heritage, adding that said she was not aware of what happened with the initial hotel deal.

Anderson-Gallagher said that Forge Realty is looking for a long-term lease. There is no set price and the owners are open to negotiations, she said.

Well I think we all know what this means by now.

Slumlord arrested, sued

From New York Magazine:

Even in a city filled with bad landlords, Steven Croman stood out. A regular on “worst landlord” lists, his company would buy up Manhattan apartment buildings, then push for tenants in rent-regulated apartments to leave, either by buying out their leases or, tenants said, harassing them until they left. Then, once he deregulated the rent-stabilized apartments, he would charge much higher rents. But this morning Croman was charged with 20 felonies, including grand larceny, falsifying business records, and a scheme to defraud; he faces up to 25 years in prison.

That’s not all the bad news for Croman: The Times reports that the New York state attorney general’s office also sued Croman today, seeking to force him not just to give up his real-estate business, but to pay millions of dollars in restitution to tenants and penalties. In its lawsuit, the attorney general’s office, which investigated Croman for nearly two years, accused him of harassing and coercing “countless working-class and low-income families out of their longtime homes.”

Glassy project will kick Buks to the curb

From QNS:

An entire block in Rego Park will be transformed into a 100,000-square-foot retail and medical office building by RJ Capital Holdings.

Located at 98-81 Queens Blvd., the building will take over Ohr Natan Synagogue, the site of the former Trylon Theater. After the theater closed down in 1999, preservationists tried to petition synagogue owners to retain some of the theater’s architectural features. The building was renovated in 2005, removing many of the historical features, according to a blog post by a local historian.

Ohr Natan Synagogue’s lease expires in February 2017 and Rabbi Nahum Kaziev said that talks between him and RJ Capital Holdings have dissolved, according to the Commercial Observer. The synagogue also acts as a community center for the large Bukharian Jewish community that resides in Rego Park and Forest Hills.

The moral of the story is that karma is a bitch.

UPDATE: Maybe they'll stay, but they probably won't.

Home Goods to replace Bay Terrace Barnes & Noble

From the Times Ledger:

The Bay Terrace Shopping Center will be losing its Barnes & Noble bookstore, which has called the Bayside commercial center home since 1993.

In its place, Bay Terrace owner and caretaker the Cord Meyer Development Company has signed with HomeGoods store, a company owned by TJ Maxx, on a new lease, but said it could not disclose the exact timeline of the move.

HomeGoods did not return requests for comment.

The new HomeGoods store should be expected to occupy the 25,000-square-foot commercial space by early 2016, Cord Meyer Leasing Assistant Joy Mangone said. Renovation of the space is not expected to incur any major reconstruction at the shopping center.

Barnes & Noble Vice President of Development David Deason said the decision to close was beyond the company’s control and a matter of cost for renting the space.

CB7 gives ok to tow pound

From the Queens Courier:

Community Board 7 gave the NYPD its blessing Monday night to sign a 20-year lease on a tow pound previously under a temporary agreement to operate at 31-22 College Point Blvd.

After hearing both sides of the debate, the board voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the tow pound stay, with 29 votes supporting the long-term arrangement and 14 votes against.

The tow pound appeared on the lot in 2013 to the chagrin of College Point residents, who feared that the facility would increase traffic and weaken streets already riddled with potholes and deteriorating roads. The area also hosts a new police training academy which opened in January.

With an average of 40 to 50 cars towed into the facility daily, the tow pound is estimated to generate additional traffic of around 60 cars per day including cars towed and employee vehicles. The location has on-site parking for employees, and can accommodate 157 cars.

Despite area residents’ initial reservations, police say they have not received any complaints in the two years of the tow pound’s operation in College Point.

Owners Jerry and George Filippidis, brothers who are both residents of the area, assured board members that they were trying to consider the good of the neighborhood by choosing the relatively lower traffic tow pound than a big box retailer.

Bye, bye, NY Times?

From the Queens Tribune:

The New York Times Company may be looking to buy out its lease on the 500,386 sq. ft. printing facility in College Point, according to sources close to the negotiations.

Prior to the construction of the nationally distributed newspaper’s current headquarters at 620 Eighth Ave. in Manhattan, both corporate and printing operations were housed in its Times Square facility, until 1992, when the Times announced plans to lease the 31-acre property from the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

As part of a 35-year lease agreement, the City and State granted tax incentives, reduced energy costs and other benefits worth a total of $29 million, according to the Times.

How sweet it is!

From the Daily News:

Fans of a beloved Queens bakery that was facing eviction won’t need to bid farewell to their favorite custom cakes and croissants, at least for now.

The owner of Bonelle Pastry Shop — which was told to vacate its Ascan Ave. spot in Forest Hills at the end of 2014, after more than 20 years in the neighborhood — is in negotiations to stay, according to supporters in the community.

“Bonelle is not being evicted and has been given a fair rent increase on their existing lease,” said Josh Peskay, who helped organize support for the bakery when word of its closure spread last November.

An outcry from neighbors and help from the new Dunkin’ Donuts next door may have convinced landlord Chaim Babad of Real Estate Management Co. to reconsider. Babad and Bonelle owner Rahita Ravel could not be reached for comment.

Petition started to extend lease of Sunnyside Theater

From Sunnyside Post:

A petition has formed and a rally is being planned as local residents try to save Sunnyside Center Cinemas from the wrecking ball.

An online petition started Wednesday that has already garnered more than 240 signatures. Meanwhile, Ty Sullivan and Jon Stork, two local activists, are already planning to hold a rally outside the theater that is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 21 (details to come).

The petition—called “Save the Sunnyside Theater”– is addressed to the property owner/developer John Ciafone. It reads, in part, “Save the movie theater from demolition and have a new lease extended.”

Meanwhile, Sullivan is reaching out to the media and various community groups as he plans the rally. He is designing posters, fliers and launching a social-media campaign to generate community interest.

This activism comes at a time when Ciafone has just offered the owner of the theater Rudy Prashad a six month extension to his lease. After the six months, he would operate on a month-to month basis.

Prashad, however, seeks a longer lease claiming that he has organized movers and contractors to remove all the seats from the theater as required. Furthermore he has already told his staff about the upcoming closure.

Ciafone was nonchalant about the “Save the theater” petition. “I could get a petition going with just as many signatures from people wanting affordable housing,” he said.

Broadway Stages kicking out Sunnyside Center Cinemas

From the Sunnyside Post:

Sunnyside Center Cinemas will be closing its doors on January 4 after screening movies in the neighborhood for decades, the theater’s owner said Sunday.

Theater owner, Rudy Prashad, said he was informed last week that the property owner Broadway Stages was not renewing his lease. His lease ends December 31 but he has been given to Jan. 10 to clear out of the building.

Prashad said that he had been going back and forth with the property manager for months as he wondered what was happening to his lease.

Prashad said that he would like to thank the residents of Sunnyside for their patronage over the years and plans on showing a free movie before he leaves.

With Center Cinemas gone, Broadway Stages is now trying to lease the air rights to a developer to build residential apartments above the ground-floor retail space.

The owner plans to keep the retail space while leasing 52,000 square feet of air rights to a developer. The developer would have to pay a ground lease of $750,000 per year for those rights.

Broadway Stages plans to keep PJ Horgan’s as an on-going tenant, said Evan Daniel, a broker for Modern Spaces, which has the real estate listing. Daniel said that PJ Horgan’s is the only business with an existing lease and is well regarded by the community.

No one but landlord wants bakery to close

From NBC:

Family-owned Bonelle Pastry Shop in Forest Hills is facing closure after losing its lease. Stacey Bell reports.

Barnes and Noble in Fresh Meadows to close

From the Daily News:

Barnes & Noble is closing one of its three Queens stores by the end of the year, officials said.

The book megastore, located near St. John’s University in Fresh Meadows, could not negotiate a new lease for its Union Turnpike digs.

“We had discussions with the property owner to try to structure a lease extension but were not able to come to an agreement,” said David Deason, Barnes & Noble vice president of development.

The big-box store opened 10 years ago. Local residents have heard rumors the site will be transformed into a T.J. Maxx clothing store.

Vixen vows not to vacate

From the Daily News:

The building is on the market, but the longtime owner of a Ridgewood jiggle joint says he will buy it — before developers swoop in and tell him to bounce.

“That building isn’t going anywhere,” Vixen nightclub owner Anthony D'Amico told The News. “As long as I’m there and my corporation is active, it’s a strip club. Once I’m done, they can turn it into a supermarket if they want.”

The 6,000-square-foot building at 60-07 Metropolitan Ave. has been up for sale since February, said Pat Castellar, the broker handling the transaction.

It has drawn interest from at least four city developers, the realtor said.

But D’Amico, 53, has the right of first refusal, and he said he’ll pay $1.3 million to keep his storied 21-year-old business alive.

Even if he fails to seal the deal, D’Amico says he has 10 years remaining on his lease, though the Daily News was unable to confirm the timeframe.

The landlord, Robert Jeziorski, did not return calls requesting comment.

...neighbors are hoping to say ta-ta to the rack shack, which they say blares loud music until 4 a.m. and produces a steady stream of drunks who urinate in residential walkways.
“I would be so elated if they left, and they’re just not going,” said Margaret Nanke, 75, who lives directly next door. “I hope he doesn’t have enough money to buy it.”

DeBlasio wants to help illegals get public housing

From Metro:

Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to give all New Yorkers access to a universal ID card, regardless of immigration status before the year’s end .

“To all of my fellow New Yorkers who are undocumented, I say: New York City is your home too, and we will not force any of our residents to live their lives in the shadows,” de Blasio said at Monday’s State of the City address.

The mayor first committed to the idea during his campaign to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who despite being a vocal advocate of immigrant communities never fully backed the proposal.

Supporters of the policy argue that a universal ID card benefits not only the residents who previously lacked access to certain services but improves relationships between city agencies and the immigrant community.

While the particulars of a universal New York City ID cards still need to be hammered out, immigrants previously lacking proper identification would gain access certain services mundane to New York City residents with government approved ID.

The new ID card could enable formerly unregistered residents to open bank accounts and sign leases, as well as apply for social services including public housing programs.

Yes, let's bend over backwards to help people who shouldn't be here in the first place.

Another bad deal from EDC

From DNA Info:

A "sweetheart deal" with one of Manhattan's most famous hotels could ultimately cost New York City taxpayers close to $350 million in lost revenue when its lease expires in four years, Comptroller and 2013 mayoral candidate John C. Liu announced Tuesday.

The Marriott Marquis in Times Square, a 49-floor hotel with famous curved, glass-enclosed elevators, will be eligible in 2017 to buy its property for the "fire-sale price" of just $20 million — a $173.1 million markdown from market value, Liu alleged.

"This is one of the worst deals since Manhattan was sold for $24," the comptroller said in a statement.

Under the terms of the new deal, the hotel avoided having to pay $172 million in rent it agreed to under the terms of the 1998 deal, Liu said.

The dispute's roots stretch to 1998, when the city's Economic Development Corporation allegedly encouraged City Hall to rewrite and shorten the Marriott's lease from 75 to 35 years, Liu said. The new terms sharply reduced the Marriott's rent payments — the hotel was still required to pay-off its back rent — and it permitted the hotel to purchase its location "for a song" in 2017, instead of 2057.

Liu is urging the city to renegotiate its lease with Marriott or find another tenant for the property.

The EDC seems to lose more money than it makes for the City. Why do we need them?

FEMA settles down in Forest Hills

From The Real Deal:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has inked a 200,000-square-foot lease at Forest Hills Tower in Queens for its New York City headquarters, according to a release from Muss Development, the landlord of the property. The lease encompasses 10 full floors that will be used by FEMA for administrative office space.

The lease spans the next several months, as the area recovers from the devastation left by Hurricane Sandy, and has options for short-term extensions. The financial terms of the deal were not mentioned.

Garden World not going anywhere

From the Times Ledger:

Seth Fiddle was visiting the Astoria Federal Savings bank right outside his job when he said he realized he was getting tired of the rumors.

The managing partner of Flushing’s Garden World overheard there that some customers believed his store would be changing ownership or closing.

“I just want people to realize that we are not going anywhere,” Fiddle said. “Things around us might be changing, but we are not.”

Fiddle said speculation over the one-stop gardening supermarket near the corner of Francis Lewis Boulevard and 46th Avenue accelerated when customers heard that its next door neighbor Waldbaum’s was closing its doors this summer.

He said once consumers got word of the incoming Korean cuisine supermarket H Mart as the grocery store’s replacement, some thought Garden World would also be headed for a shake-up in ownership or shutdown.

“It isn’t good to have rumors like that going around,” Fiddle said. “It affects a lot. If I thought a place was going out of business, what is the use of a guarantee on something like a shrub purchase?”

Garden World, a tenant of the property that also includes Astoria bank and Waldbaum’s, has a long history in the Bayside and Flushing area. The store holds a lease through 2030 on the property.

Flushing supermarket threatened with closure

From the Queens Chronicle:

The Key Food supermarket at 25-03 Parsons Blvd. in Flushing is going to close its doors at the end of June if an agreement cannot be reched on the lease.

The move is going to put a burden on seniors, who have mobility issues, and residents who don’t have sufficient transportation alternatives to carry groceries. It will also cut out a major source of American products that will be harder to find at nearby Asian markets, residents say.

Bosco Wong, the manager of the supermarket, said he learned about the closing three to four weeks ago.

“It’s very upsetting,” Wong said about the closure as he was putting prices on products. An employee of Key Foods for 38 years, he’s been a manager of the store for two months.

As for what will happen to the employees, Wong said that some will be laid off and others will be transferred.

He is unsure about what the future holds for him. “Hopefully I’ll be relocated.”

But he hopes the landlord will come to an agreement with Key Foods and stay open.