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From the
Real Deal:
Queens dominated the list of New York’s biggest projects in March.
The borough took six of the top 10 spots on the list, three of which were part of a large new mixed-use complex replacing a derelict shopping center in Far Rockaway. The others were located in Springfield Gardens, Astoria and Forest Hills.
From
DNA Info:
Six long-abandoned apartment buildings on Hollis Avenue could become affordable housing for homeless veterans despite locals protests, officials said.
“We are working on making this permanent affordable housing for veterans as part of the national effort to end homelessness for veterans,” said a spokeswoman for the Human Resources Administration in an email.
The spokeswoman did not elaborate on the proposal, which was first reported by the Times Ledger, and did not say how many people would live in the complex or when it would open.
But locals, who for several months have been holding protests in front of the Hollis development, which is located between 202nd and 204th streets and has approximately 120 units, are upset that the administration did not discuss the plan with the community.
“We need our civic, faith-based and community leaders to stand with us to send a loud and clear message that the reported proposal for the property will have a negative impact and we as a community will not be silent about our displeasure,” state Sen. Leroy Comrie wrote in an email sent out to residents last Saturday. “We are calling on the City to respect the voices of our community.”
The property, which belongs to Rita Stark, have been deteriorating for more than 20 years, attracting squatters and drug users. But in April the buildings were leased to The Bluestone Group, a private investment firm, based in downtown Manhattan, according to local elected officials.
Since then, the property has undergone substantial renovations. Bunk beds, which can be seen through the windows, were placed inside.
From
DNA Info:
Residents and elected officials worry that six long-abandoned apartment buildings on Hollis Avenue in Hollis will be turned into a homeless shelter or transitional housing.
Locals became suspicious after bunk beds, which can be seen through the windows, were placed inside the buildings between 202nd and 204th streets, which have undergone substantial renovations in recent months.
“Who furnishes their apartment building with the same bunk beds in empty rooms?” asked Community Board 12 Chairwoman Adrienne Adams, who has protested with a group of residents in front of the development every Saturday.
Local Councilman Daneek Miller said that the landlord, Rita Stark, who inherited a number of properties in Queens from her late father Fred in the late 1980s, allowed the complex to deteriorate for more than 20 years.
From the
Daily News:
For the first time in decades, a new store is opening at the barren Far Rockaway Shopping Center.
Food Dynasty is replacing the smaller Associated supermarket that had anchored the ailing strip mall. And local officials are hoping the large, bright store will pave the way for new tenants and big improvements.
The $2 million-plus renovation included a virtual gutting of the store, expansion into a former storage area, new roof, floors and refrigeration system.
Rita Stark, the owner of the shopping center, said she is in negotiations to rent out other storefronts that have been shuttered for years.
Stark is a controversial figure who has baffled real estate experts and civic leaders by allowing many of her properties to remain vacant over the years.
The Far Rockaway Shopping Center was once filled with home improvement stores, restaurants, a laundromat and other businesses. It is now empty except for a dry cleaner, a drug store and the supermarket.
After repeated complaints from Community Board 14 and elected officials that the site was deteriorating, Stark agreed to clean up the shopping center, which had filled with abandoned cars.
