Vacate Order Lifted from Sunnyside Building; NYSC Reopens

The sidewalk around the building at 39-01 Queens Blvd has been closed off with caution tape (Queens Post Photo)

Jan. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The Department of Buildings (DOB) lifted a vacate order this afternoon that had been slapped on a Sunnyside building Sunday.

The vacate order, which was put in place after a piece of concrete fell from the 39-01 Queens Blvd. building, was lifted since the building owner put up a sidewalk shed to protect pedestrians from falling debris.

Tenants — including New York Sports Club and the Dollar Tree — were given permission to reopen.  The New York Sports Club reopened at 4 p.m.

Sunnyside Community Services, which had to close its Queens Boulevard entrance while the order was in place, is back to business as usual except for its pre-K, which is expected to reopen no later than Monday. The non-profit was able to remain open all week since its 39th Street entrance was not impacted.

The vacate order was put in place after a two-foot-long section of concrete fell from the front of the building’s façade.

DOB inspectors were called to the scene early Sunday morning and found additional cracks in other areas of the two-story commercial building. The DOB issued a vacate order and the building was cordoned off with caution tape.

The inspectors also issued a violation to the building’s owner, Rhodes Management, for failure to maintain the building’s facade, as well as an order to install a sidewalk shed in front of the building to protect pedestrians.

Once the shed was installed, the DOB lifted the vacate order. The interior of the building was at no time unsafe.

“The safety of our tenants, their visitors and the community at large is our primary concern,” the management company said in a statement. “As soon as we were informed of the vacate order, we immediately moved to install a sidewalk shed.”

“Further, our engineers are acting expeditiously to investigate the allegations regarding the façade. We will make repairs as recommended by our construction professionals.”

Sunnyside Community Services’ Pre-K entrance on Queens Boulevard (Photo: Queens Post)