The corner of 51st and Roosevelt Avenue, where the 17-story development is slated to go (Photo: Queens Post)
Oct. 4, 2019 By Christian Murray
Community Board 2 rejected a developer’s plan last night to construct a 17-story, 90-unit building on Roosevelt Avenue.
The board voted against the proposal arguing that was out of character with the area and put additional pressure on nearby services.
The developer, Peng Li of HW LIC One LLC., plans to build two structures on the corner of 51st Street and Roosevelt Avenue—with one being a 17-story mixed-use building and another being a four-story community facility, likely to be a school. The 90 apartments will all be rented at market rate.
Li needs the Board of Standards & Appeals to grant him a special permit before he can move ahead with the development. The site is located in the flight path of LaGuardia Airport and the proposed building exceeds the permitted height in the flight path by 50 feet—or about five stories.
The community board’s vote is non-binding and the BSA will make the ultimate decision. The BSA has a history of approving projects rejected by board. For instance, the BSA approved a variance in 2016 that made way for a 17-story hotel at 32-45 Queens Blvd.– despite the objections of the board.
The Roosevelt Avenue development is slated to go where the blue-colored J & Sons Supply building once stood, flush against the elevated 7 line. The building was recently demolished.
The development meets all City Planning zoning requirements—in terms of height, bulk and property use. The only area where it does not comply is in terms of the flight path.
However, Li has received a declaration from the Federal Aviation Administration saying the building would not pose a danger.
Rendering. This is a photograph of the only rendering provided as part of the BSA application (Queens Post)
The community board’s rejection comes three days after Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer wrote a letter to the chair of the Board of Standards & Appeals calling on the agency to vote against the plan.
“A seventeen story building is out of character for this area and would tower over the rest of the neighborhood,” Van Bramer’s letter reads. “This building would be three to four times larger than any other nearby structure….A structure of this size does not belong.”
Van Bramer is unable to stop the development since it is a BSA matter, unlike a rezoning that goes through the City Council. For instance, Van Bramer came out against the hotel project on Queens Boulevard too, which the BSA ultimately approved.
The architect, Wilson Chao of Studio C Architects in College Point, said that they designed a 17 story structure in order to maximize the amount of square footage permitted by City Planning. They could not yield, he said, the same square footage with a shorter building and comply with zoning code.
The board’s rejection letter will be sent to the BSA and be reviewed at a hearing. The BSA has not yet scheduled a hearing date.
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20 Comments
This is to reply to Sunnysider:
It appears You do not live homeless shelter . Let ME tell you a few things . These people have no respect to our property . I live on 53 St and its becoming a ghetto. They have fights and screaming matches at 2:30in the morning . They sit on whosoever porch and smoke pot with baby in strollers . They throw their coffee cups or liquor bottles all over . Shall I continue OR do you get the picture. Come & stay on our once lovely block & see what rif rafs stay in that Quality Inn aka as shelter for homeless. They have the money for expensive cell phones clothes & hair weaves BUT they dont pay their rent.So perhaps you like for them stay in your home and deal with the horse crap we homeowners deal with every day!!!
Maybe people should take the hint.
Goway!
as long as it’s not a hotel because look what’s there on 54/and queens Blvd.. and when they c/the homeless situation nobody would want to rent or live there.. it’s disgusting what’s happening to our neighbor..
Oh please.
This disgusting vile hate towards the homeless is completely unacceptable.
85% of homeless are only temporarily homeless. These are people who suffered from a sudden economic calamity and need help getting back on their feet.
These are people who are your neighbors, people who go to your church, people who grew up here, people who have children that attend your child’s school.
The alternative to them sleeping in a shelter is them sleeping on the sidewalk.
The frequency I see hate towards the homeless here is disgraceful and people who do this should be ashamed of themselves.
As a real estate broker, it amazes me that most of the decisions pertaining to real estate is done by people behind a desk, rather than those who understands basics economics. When a new residential construction comes into an area, it enhances that community.
Right now the area is full of 75+ year old buildings.
Lets not forget, it also helps to create construction jobs, as well as, it brings in additional business to local shops and vendors.
Will those construction jobs go to American union workers or?
Make it bigger
Peng Li invite our councilmam and his spouse to China all expenses paid and have him make a speech in China and pay him for that as well and your project will be built . This is the way he dances, the negotiations have begun he threw the first stone, Mr. Peng Li he is waiting for you to comeback to him with your most generous gift and offer.
Disappointed that Van Bramer considers himself a leftist but is very bad when it comes to housing.
We need more housing, not less.
We need more affordable housing, not this. “The 90 apartments will all be rented at market rate.”
Unfortunately, policy basically makes mass below market development nonviable. This is mostly due because concerns of housing affordability is in conflict with people’s hate towards high density tall construction.
If you let developers build 25 story buildings but 75% had to below market rate developers WOULD go this route.
Who makes up the BSA ?
How are they appointed ?
Shame that there is far too much
out of our “the voters and tax payers” hands !
Thank u mr developer!! Anything to raise them property values. Build build build!.
This is just a motion for Jimmy to save face. This building will be built and it was probably Jimmy who approved it behind closed doors.
NYC has a desperate housing shortage. I’m not clear why some pandering politicians align themselves with the NIMBY crowd when NYC really needs additional dense housing. Hopefully this gets built and is one of many new developments along this underutilized corridor.
Van Bramer job killer wood prefer to see an empty lot than homes and community facilities.
He can be against it but his opinion and ability to do anything about it is non existent
The area attracted a lot of trash-disguised-as-human recently, does anyone think that this kind of better development can help eliminate it or increase it?
17 story building there would be a great move for the neighborhood and would revitalize that crappy section of Sunnyside and the Blvd. It would create new character, rather than the dark, dank,deary section.
JVB to the rescue. Whats in it for him?
Mr. Peng Li, the JVB dance has begun. He’s waiting for your next move. Mr. Peng Li invite him and his husband to China, wine and dine him, Take him to see the terracotta soldiers, make it look like he’s there on a fact finding mission, yeah a Chinese Chamber of Commerce mission and it will be built.
Thank you! We don’t need it.