Jan. 3, 2024 By Anthony Medina Ridgewood Savings Bank, a mutual savings bank with 36 branches spread across the state, recently announced that it has appointed two of its bankers to senior roles and promoted more than a dozen staffers to serve in officer positions. The bank said the promotions reflect the diverse skill sets…
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Dec. 28, 2023 By George Peters Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes” initiative might sound promising, but for many New Yorkers, it raises a big question: are we turning our beloved city into a chaotic mess? While fostering economic growth is important, shouldn’t it come without sacrificing our neighborhoods’ character and residents’ well-being? Let’s take a closer look at some potential downsides of “City of Yes” that deserve more attention. Unchecked Development and Uncertain Futures: Imagine bustling massage parlors and late-night corner stores popping up on your quiet street corner. The “City of Yes” could turn peaceful residential areas…
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Dec. 28, 2023 By QNS’s advertising partner As the City’s Finance Commissioner during the Bloomberg Administration, Martha Stark helped bring a new level of transparency to the property tax system. For the first time, owners were notified of the process and information that was used to assess their property taxes. Now, as the co-founder of…
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Dec. 27, 2023 By Bill Parry A Far Rockaway man and his accomplice from Long Island pleaded guilty to a wide-ranging scheme to steal residential properties in Queens and Nassau County by filing forged deeds, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday. Russell Carbone, 69, of Beach Ninth Street, and Terrell Hill, 40, of West Hempstead, worked together to target homes where the owners died and their heirs had not taken title to them. To help find the properties, Hill, a landscaper, would alert Carbone, a disbarred attorney, to homes that appeared abandoned. Most of the properties turned out to…
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Dec. 26, 2023 By Christian Murray A row of stores on Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park are likely to face the wrecking ball, with a developer filing building permits last week to replace them with a 7-story apartment building. Humayen Khan, the Rego Park-based developer, plans to build an 88-unit development at 62-02-62-06 Woodhaven Blvd,…
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Dec. 21, 2023 By Christian Murray It’s pitched as an affordable apartment in Queens, yet the rent for a one-bedroom is $3,140 a month. NYC Housing Connect has opened a lottery for 16 “affordable apartments” inside a new 8-story, 51-unit development in Kew Gardens. The building, located at 81-07 Kew Gardens Rd., has been developed by FBL Development, and includes a range of amenities, such as a gym and a rooftop terrace. The units are designated for residents whose income falls within 130% of the area median income (AMI). The range accommodates potential tenants with incomes spanning from $107,658 to…
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Dec. 19, 2023 By Rachel Butler The leaders of a coalition of 14 eastern Queens civic associations announced their opposition last week to the Creedmoor Development plan that Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled Dec. 6 The group argues that the plan, which calls for 2,873 apartments spread across the sprawling Creedmoor Psychiatric Center site, includes residential buildings…
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Dec. 19, 2023 By Christian Murray The population of New York City has declined significantly since the pandemic, with Queens being no exception, according to a report released by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Monday At the beginning of 2020, New York City boasted a population of 8,804,190, marking a decade-long trend of a 7.7%…
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Dec. 18, 2023 By Bill Parry The city announced Monday that it has closed a deal with developer Slate Property Group and the nonprofit RiseBoro Community Partnership to convert the shuttered JFK Hilton Hotel in South Jamaica into 318 apartments of permanently affordable housing for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers. Construction on the project…
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Dec. 14, 2023 By Anthony Medina Concerns over proposed zoning laws and the influx of cannabis shops remained the top concerns among members of Community Board 5 at its year-end meeting Wednesday night. The board meeting, held at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, also focused on quality-of-life issues, with board members and the public wanting to address issues such as rats and trash. Members also discussed the return of local civic group meetings. Maryann Lattanzio, a board member, said that rats were running rampant in Maspeth. She said the rat problem has been an issue in Ridgewood…
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