Sunnyside Post

9-story apartment complex meets zoning code

May 24, By Christian Murray

The NYC Department of Buildings has reviewed the plans for a 9 story building that is being constructed on 43^rd Street and has concluded that they meet zoning code.

Joe Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, reached out to the DOB 10 days ago and called on the city agency to review the proposed plan to make sure the building would not exceed the maximum height requirement.

Conley said the review had been completed and the plans meet zoning requirements.

Construction on the 43^rd Street complex (located between 43^rd and Skillman Avenues) began two weeks ago. When it is completed, the building will  be 9-storys high, consisting of 38 rental units and 17 parking spaces.

The site is zoned R 7A, which comes with a maximum height of height of 80 feet. The plan does not exceed that limit, since the floor heights are well below 10 feet, Conley said.

The developer, Hooshang Nemat, said, “the DOB sent us a letter and said we are perfectly fine in terms of height and density.”

The DOB, however, issued a stop work order on the site on May 21.

Nemat said the stop work order was issued because he didn’t have a shoring permit. “We were approved for excavation and foundation work—but didn’t realize we had to get a shoring permit,” he said.

Shoring is used to protect a building while a column or wall is removed.

Nemat said that construction workers won’t return to site until the first week of June. By then, he said, the shoring permit should have been obtained.

By Sunnyside Post on May 24, 2013. 19 Comments
Posted in General News

Sunnyside Gardens Park hosts Memorial Day Fair tomorrow–May 25

The 2011 Memorial Day Fair

UPDATE: THE EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN: IT WILL BE ON SUNDAY, MAY 26.

May 24, By Bill Parry

Sunnyside, Queens: This Saturday is the Memorial Day Fair at Sunnyside Gardens Park and its organizers have grown obsessed with the weather.

“I’ve been watching the long-range forecasts for the last month,” said Julie Simonsen, a Sunnyside Gardens Park member and event organizer.

Another organizer, Dawn Sweetman, said: “Last I saw there’s a 50% chance of showers,” she said, adding: “I hope it just blows over.”

The Memorial Day Fair draws nearly 1,000 attendees each year and it’s a major fundraiser for members of Sunnyside Gardens Park. “We’d hate to have to push it back to Sunday’s rain date because fewer people would attend,” Simonsen said.

Fundraising is essential, since members—with help from sponsors–bear the cost of maintaining the private park.

“It was built in 1925 so infrastructure is an ongoing and costly issue,” said Simonsen. “Fundraising is extremely important to keep the park in great shape and safe for the children,” she added.

The Memorial Day fair gets underway at 12:15 pm with a flag raising by members of the Armed Forces.

Over the course of the afternoon, there will be arts & crafts (including kite-making), a kiddie nail salon, face-painting and temporary tattoos.

A Dixie land band will perform–while Silly Billy the Clown, who appears regularly on David Letterman’s show, will wander the grounds. Entertainers from the Big Apple Circus will join in the fun. There will be a bouncy house and rock climbing.

For the adults there will be plenty of wine and beer along with a big barbeque. “We went big with the barbeque,” Simonsen said, adding, “We bought 500 burgers. That’s why we’re concerned about a washout.”

Admission to the event is free. For the first time credit and debit cards can be used to purchase food and children’s items.

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DETAILS: The event starts this Saturday, May 25, from 12: 15 through 5:00pm at Sunnyside Gardens Park. The park is located at 48-21 39th Avenue.

Rain date:  Sunday, May 26.

By Sunnyside Post on May 24, 2013. 7 Comments
Posted in General News

Woodside man kidnapped and held ransom in Sunnyside torture chamber

38-09 43rd Avenue

May 23, By Christian Murray

Sunnyside, Queens: The horror movie played out in a Sunnyside warehouse.

In April, a Woodside resident was walking down Roosevelt Avenue and was picked up off the street by three men and held in a de facto torture chamber in Sunnyside for over a month, according to the Queens District Attorney.

Pedro Portugal, 52, was forced into a sports utility vehicle and was then carted off to a warehouse located at 38-09 43rd Avenue, where the men were holding him for a $3 million ransom.

Portugal was held into a small room at the Sunnyside warehouse from April 18, 2013, until May 20, 2013, during which time a group of masked males burned his hand with acid, threatened to cut off his fingers and kill him. They punched him in the face and body, causing him to lose teeth and suffer multiple bruises, swelling and substantial pain to his face and body, according to the District Attorney.

One of the men allegedly then ordered Portugal to call his mother in Ecuador and request $3 million in ransom from her, which would be delivered to a person named “Tito.”

“This is a terrifying story of a businessman allegedly being forcibly abducted off the streets of Queens County in broad daylight and being beaten and held against his will,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.

Pedro Portugal, 52, was initially approached on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights by Eduardo Moncayo, who called out Portugal’s name and displayed what appeared to be a New York City Police Department badge.

It is alleged that Moncayo and an unapprehended man grabbed Portugal by his shoulders and forced him into the vehicle.  Once inside the vehicle, Moncayo and two unapprehended men punched Portugal in the face and body and placed a mask over his face to obstruct his vision.

As Portugal entered the vehicle, one of the men lifted Portugal’s shirt, held a knife to his stomach and ordered him not to move or else he would be stabbed.  When the vehicle then allegedly proceeded to drive off, Portugal’s leg was allegedly hanging outside the vehicle.

The district attorney has brought charges against Moncayo, 38, of 700 New York Avenue, Lyndhurst, New Jersey; as well as two other men. They are Christian Acuna, 35, of 108-27 38th Avenue in Corona; and Dennis Alves, 32, of 24-16 84th Street in East Elmhurst.

The police discovered Portugal on May 20, 2013, when a detective entered the Sunnyside warehouse and observed Portugal with his hands bound with cloth.

The police observed Christian Acuna fleeing the warehouse and apprehended him on the corner of Skillman Avenue and 39th Street.

Acuna and defendant Dennis Alves kept watch of Portugal at the warehouse during the day while the Moncayo watched him during the night.

In statements made to police, Acuna said Alves  hired him to watch Portugal at the warehouse for $800 per week.

Alves allegedly told police, “I didn’t treat him bad. I told him it was just business.”

The three defendants are presently awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on criminal complaints charging them with first- and second-degree kidnapping and first-degree unlawful imprisonment.  If convicted, the defendants each face up to 25 years to life in prison.

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Other coverage

By Sunnyside Post on May 23, 2013. 36 Comments
Posted in General News

Sunnyside/Woodside parents protest potential cuts to after-school programs

May 23, By Bill Parry

Sunnyside, Queens: Hundreds of enthusiastic children, accompanied by their parents, packed the main room at the Sunnyside Community Services Center on Tuesday to make it clear that they are opposed to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed cuts to after-school programs.

The cuts would eliminate the free after-school program at PS 150 and would lead to the program at PS 199 being slashed by 20%. The cuts would affect about 800 Sunnyside and Woodside families.

Across the city, 37,000 after-school seats are on the chopping block—following the Mayor’s budget that seeks to cut the program’s funding by $66 million.

In this neighborhood, Sunnyside Community Services, a community based non-profit organization, administers the after-school programs. It receives funding from the city to pay for full-time staffers and to cover overhead costs.

The programs provide elementary students at PS 150 and PS 199 with homework help and a range of activities between 3 pm and 6pm, Monday through Friday.

The attendees on Tuesday were urged to send a protest letter to the Mayor or voice their outrage through social media campaigns. Many were told to work the phones in an effort to save the programs.

Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer fired up the crowd.

“We should be having a rally to expand these programs, not to save them,” Van Bramer said, adding that it’s the fourth year in a row that the Mayor’s budget has called for the elimination of these programs.

Van Bramer declared the programs as essential, arguing that they help children with their studies and keep them safe after school. “I hope to anger and motivate people that these programs should never be pawns in a budget negotiation,” he said.

Several local parents testified as to the importance of the programs.

Deborah Gody, a single mother of four, said, “These after school programs mean everything to me; if they were eliminated I’d have to quit my job and go on welfare.”

Sandra Fenton-Boyle, a married mother of three, pointed out that after-school programs should never be confused with babysitting. “It allows my husband Ed and I to work and build a better future for our family.”

Fenton-Boyle drew some of the loudest cheers of the event when she closed her speech saying, “When I win the lotto, the first check I write will be to Sunnyside Community Center!”

SCS executive director Judy Zangwill addresses the audience

By Sunnyside Post on May 23, 2013. 21 Comments
Posted in General News

Sunnyside mural to be painted to beautify 48th Avenue

Corner of 48th Ave and 42nd Street

May 21, By Bill Parry,

Sunnyside, Queens: An internationally acclaimed artist who lives and works on 40^th Street will be painting a mural on a Sunnyside building next month that’s been targeted by graffiti vandals for years.

Mark Salinas, the artist, will start painting the mural at 42^nd St. and 48^th Ave. on June 8 with the help of local teenagers.

The mural will be based around a theme of Rise-N-Shine. “It’s also a play on Sunnyside,” Salinas said, referring to the name of the neighborhood and the need to revitalize the 48^th Avenue corridor that is full of abandoned stores.

“The idea came to me while I was taking part in a [Sunnyside] cleanup day last year,” Salinas said. “We were covering up graffiti and I started thinking of creative ways of improving things through neighborhood beautification.”

The artist enlisted members of the Sunnyside/Woodside Boys & Girls Club to help out.

“My thought was, if kids are involved in the creative process, their friends may stay away from tagging it,” Salinas said The project is funded by the Queens Council on the Arts, a non-profit group that dispenses $300,000 of grants each year in increments of $1,000-$5,000 per project throughout the borough.

The mural project has the support of Sunnyside Shines. “It’s outside the BID so I couldn’t help with funding,” said Executive Director Rachel Thieme. However, “I was happy to help point him in the right direction in finding the building’s owner.”

Paint for the project will be donated by Gleason’s Paints in Woodside, while Papa John’s will send pizzas to feed the kids.

Salinas has lived in Sunnyside for the past 15 years and has recently accepted an Artist Residency at Cite Internationale in Paris for the summer of 2014.

Wall as of May 20

By Sunnyside Post on May 21, 2013. 35 Comments
Posted in General News

Community Board calls on Dept of Buildings to review 9-story development plans

41-18 43rd Street

May 20, By Christian Murray

Community Board 2, which represents Sunnyside and surrounding neighborhoods, has requested that the New York City Department of Buildings review the developer’s plans pertaining to the nine-story residential building that is being constructed on 43rd Street in Sunnyside.

Joe Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, reached out to the DOB last week calling on the city agency to review the proposed plan. He said it appears that the developer’s 9-story plan might be in violation of zoning regulations.

The site is zoned R 7A, which comes with a maximum height of height of 80 feet. Experts say that the typical floor height is 10 feet, which indicate the plan might be in breach of zoning regulations.

The community board did not get to see the plan ahead of time– since it only reviews landuse applications when a developers reports that he/she does not meet code and seeks a waiver.
Since Sunnysiders learned of the scale of the development, the Department of Buildings has been flooded with phone calls from upset residents.

By Sunnyside Post on May 20, 2013. 34 Comments
Posted in General News

Sunnyside Gardens sidewalk tag sale draws plenty of residents/vendors

May 19, By Bill Parry

More than 120 homeowners set up rickety tables throughout Sunnyside Gardens yesterday as they peddled their goods as part of the first community-wide sidewalk tag sale.

The biggest cluster of vendors was located on 48^th Street, followed by 46^th Street. However, there were residents selling their wares throughout the district, which stretched from 43^rd to 49^th Streets, between Skillman and 39^th Avenues.

While an afternoon shower sent buyers and sellers scrambling for cover at one point, the organizers and participants viewed the event as a success.

“For a first event, I was very pleased” said Patricia Dorfman, who organized the community tag sale with fellow Sunnyside Gardens resident Dorothy Morehead. However, “I guess I would have liked more people to have been involved.”

Meanwhile, Morehead said the event was going great until the rain started. However, she said, “It was well worth doing.”

Bargains to be found

While the sellers were able to get rid of items they no longer needed, bargain hunters had a field day. Neal Sugarman, a sax player for the Dap-Kings (a successful funk band), bought a bike for just $35. Dorfman found a leopard print coat for just $2.

As expected, young parents saw the greatest benefit.  “There was one couple expecting a baby in October,” Morehead said. “They filled their car with baby stuff like strollers, clothes and toys.”

Some owners were surprised to find buyers for unusual items. At 39-58 46^th St., Michael Beck sold a German hand cranked grain mill.

Meanwhile, Joe O’Sullivan, who lives across the street from Sunnyside Gardens Park, sold a refrigerator, a portable air conditioner and even a small window for a grand total over $700.

“The funny thing is I gave away a lot of stuff right before I learned about the sale,” O’Sullivan said. “It was a good day — can’t wait to do it again.”

However, Kathy Sullivan, who was combing through the items, said the event was also about connecting with neighbors. “To me, it was another example of what makes Sunnyside such a powerful community,” she said.

By Sunnyside Post on May 19, 2013. 24 Comments
Posted in General News

Sunnyside pub owner opens new bar in Long Island City

Pat Burke, at the Courtyard Ale House

May 17, By Christian Murray

The owner of a popular Sunnyside pub is expanding his bar/restaurant business by opening a gastropub in the heart of Long Island City.

Pat Burke, 39, who owns the Courtyard Ale House on Queens Blvd, is in the midst of establishing an up-market pub at 47-10 Vernon Blvd, in Hunters Point. The pub, to be called Woodbines, will represent Burke’s fourth establishment in New York City.

Burke, who is from County Cork, bought the Courtyard 14 years ago.

Four years ago, Burke then ventured into Manhattan and opened an establishment on 9^th Avenue, called the Brickyard Gastropub. Last year, he moved into Williamsburg and converted an old building into a pub, calling it the Kent Ale House.

If all goes to plan, Windbines will be open by August.

Burke has named his Long Island City pub after the cigarettes his grandfather smoked in Ireland.

“We want a bit of an older-styled place,” Burke said, adding that the interior would feature “distressed wood” to create a comfortable atmosphere. He said the exterior of the pub would be changed to reflect that feel too.

He said Woodbines would offer 16 craft beers and a high-end bar menu.

But Burke’s Long Island City business will be under constant surveillance by its neighbors—since it adjoins a residential area.

Windbines location in Long Island City

The bar/restaurant owners before Burke—who ran Lounge 47– had a torrid time with some of their outspoken neighbors.

The previous owners were denied the use of their backyard space after a rash of complaints—including video footage.

Burke told Community Board 2 last week that he would not use the backyard space and agreed to clip back his weeknight hours from 4 am to 2am.

Furthermore, he told the community board that he has spent $28,000 on soundproofing the premises, which he was not required to do.

Nevertheless, Burke is excited to be venturing into Long Island City.  “Looking at the neighborhood and all the new residents…it’s a great opportunity.”

By Sunnyside Post on May 17, 2013. 13 Comments
Posted in General News

Revamped Lou Lodati Park to open in June

Lou Lodati Park, located on Skillman Aveune (41st to 43rd Streets)

May 17, By Christian Murray

It’s almost time to let the dogs out.

Lou Lodati/Tornsey Park, which has been undergoing renovation for the past year, is expected to reopen in early June.

The revamp is finishing well ahead of schedule. The Parks Department broke ground in September and anticipated at the time that it would take a year to complete.

The upgraded park will now include a dog run—for both big and small dogs—as well as new planting beds throughout the site.

The Parks Department has also resurfaced the existing asphalt which will contain separate areas for a softball/baseball field, volleyball/ecuavolley and basketball courts.

The renovation was largely the result of a grass-roots campaign by the Sunnyside United Dog Society (SUDS)—and its leader Rick Duro—who pushed for nearly a decade for a dog run and park upgrades. The group’s goal became one of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s campaign promises when he ran for office three and a half years ago.

“I keep on my desk a list of things that I pledged during my campaign,” the councilman said last year.

“When SUDS first approached me… it spurred in me the desire to fix the entire park,” he said, adding that the revamp will be a great asset to the community.

The dog-run advocates, who formed SUDS in 2001, have had many setbacks in pursuit of their dream over the years. Their initial design plans were voted down by the community board, and then when the amended plans were finally approved and the funds allocated in 2007—-the city budget cuts railroaded them.

The revamp comes at a cost of $1.4 million and was funded through allocations from Van Bramer and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

By Sunnyside Post on May 17, 2013. 39 Comments
Posted in General News