OuterB on Queens Real Estate

The Jamaica Rezone has caused a lot of discussion and talk in various places. Basically:

• The City Council voted overwhelmingly for the rezone: a 45 to 3 vote
• This is the biggest rezoning in city history: 368 blocks
• Rezone will allow new office, retail and hotel development
• Buildings can reach a maximum of 29 stories high downtown and near the AirTrain

Here’s a roundup of headlines:

Big changes ahead for rezoned Jamaica [The Real Deal]
Jamaica, Queens Development and Rezoning [PlanNYC]
Rezoning Plan for Jamaica Wins Approval of Council [NY Times]
Council hopes zone change gives Jamaica facelift [Newsday]
Boos and bravos greet huge Jamaica rezoning [NY Daily News]

From The Real Deal:

The City Council approved, by a 45-3 count, the Bloomberg administration’s big plans to rezone and transform Jamaica, Queens. The administration’s Jamaica plan calls for rezoning 368 blocks to make room for new office, retail and housing developments. The council’s approval comes after two years of extensive negotiations and public hearings. The plan is part of the administration’s land-use strategy, outlined in its 2001 “Group of 35″ report, which calls for creating thriving mixed-use centers in all five boroughs through rezoning.

• City Council approves Jamaica rezoning [The Real Deal]

Once again, some in Fresh Meadows, Queens look backwards and away concerning pedestrian and bicycle safety. [Streetsblog]

Save the Elmhust Public Library! [Historic Districts Council Newsstand]

Storm damage in Queens is overlooked. [City Room]

There are ice sculptors in Long Island City. [LICNYC]

Sunnyside Gardens is getting a facelift; too bad the Queens Tribune can’t get some of their facts right. [Historic Districts Council Newsstand]

The 11434 gets new green buses. [The Progressive Southside]

It’s move-in day at 2 Court Square [Long Island City]

Jamaica rezoning - development foes Weprin, Genaro and Avella wish really hard that it wouldn’t happen, but admit it’s inevitable. [Queens Chronicle]

Kevin Walsh took some snaps in LIC, found a lot of old buildings to indicate that LIC isn’t going to hell in a handbasket after all. [Forgotten NY via LICNYC]

Photo credit: Meg Cotner

Let’s hope the rain doesn’t screw up the subways today; Wednesday was pretty horrific.  Be sure to listen to the Brian Lehrer Show today from 11:25-11:40am to hear the segment on Queens bloggers!  And, enjoy your weekend!  I’ll be running in Shea Stadium tomorrow morning to start mine off.
Casa Vizcaya is highlighted on Curbed, ignorant comments ensue. [Curbed]

A monkey got loose at La Guardia Airport this week. [NY Magazine]

Good news for Jamaica property owners - property values are going up due to rezoning. [Times Ledger]

$111million for park and playground upgrades in Queens! [NY Daily News]

Saltwater grass to vanish from Jamaica Bay by 2012, unless we do something about it now. [NY Daily News]

Astorians discuss development in their neighborhood. [astorians.com]

And since I’ve been gone, more links for you!

Here are some nice maps of new developments in Long Island City, Astoria, Whitestone, Fresh Meadows, and College Point. [StreetEasy]

Photo evidence that Bjork and/or Matthew Barney are in town. Whenever I think of those two, I am reminded of this McSweeney’s gem. [Curbed]

Sleaze Alert: Dennis Gallagher, a Queens Republican, has been charged with rape. Um, eeuw. [City Room]

There are over 22,000 public bridges in NY State. 2,000 of them are “structurally deficient”, which was the designation of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed this week. Three bridges in the city are rated as “poor” by the city, including the bridge at Willow Lake at 76th Road in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. [NY Times]

Mayor Bloomberg signed into law a new anti-graffiti law. [City Room]

Hats off to Chef Darren Lawless of the wonderful Il Bambino, to be the only Astoria restaurant to be included in NY Mag’s 2007 Cheap Eats issue. I can vouch for the deliciousness served here.  Other Queens eats include Burmese Cafe and Frisby in Jackson Heights and Little Pepper in Flushing. [NY Mag]

The trees might be gone at St. Saviour’s, but activists won’t give up on the site. [Times Ledger]

Douglaston House stays in its historic district. [Queens Chronicle]

Forest Hills preservationists are looking for buyers to save two of the century-old townhouses on the East side of 72nd. [NY Daily News]

Queens loves surfers!  Brings me back to my California roots. [nyc.24.us]

ConEd loves Queens… leasing 120,00 square feet of space in Jamaica! [Globe St.]

Apricots are available this weekend at the Sunnyside Farmer’s Market. [City Room]

NY City homeowners are approaching the highest rate of foreclosures in 10 years. Yow. Two of the worst hit neighborhoods are in Queens: Rochdale and Jamaica. But some agencies stepping up to try to help the situation, although it’s sort of a drop in the bucket. Last Friday, the State of New York Mortgage Agency unveiled a hefty program to help those people who risk foreclosure refinance their loans. This $100 million program is able to help 500 homeowners statewide. Not citywide, but statewide, 500 homeowners vs. the expected 14,000 homeowners in NYC by end of year. Counseling organizations are getting bombarded with calls, too. It’s a sorry state of affairs.

Related:
NYC Braces for Forecloure Surge [New York Business.com]
Home Refinancing Program Aims to Help Owners Stay Put [NY Times]

Astoria
House: 4 bedroom/4 bath Tudor
$899,999
Ditmars area
Sunday July 1, 1-3pm
NY Times Listing [Re/Max]

Briarwood/Jamaica
Co-op: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$145,000
Windsor Terrace, 170-40 Highland Ave., #405
Sunday July 1, 1-3pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times web listing]

Forest Hills
House: 3 bedroom/1.5 bath attached brick house
$629,000
67th Avenue
Sunday July 1, 2-6pm
NY Times Listing [Steve Elliot, Owner/Broker]

Jackson Heights
Co-op: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$285,000
The Madison, 35-06 88th St., #1c
Sunday July 1, 2-4pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times web listing]

Maspeth
House: 5 bedroom/3 bath 2 family Colonial
$699,000
60-28 59th Avenue
Saturday June 30, 1-4pm
NY Times Listing [laffey.com]

It should warm up by the weekend…perfect for open house hunting! Check out the listings below:

Briarwood/South Jamaica
Co-op: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$230,000
Green Briar, 85-15 Main Street, #10K
Saturday June 16, 12pm-3pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times Web Listing]

East Elmhurst
House: 4 bedroom/3 bath
$589,000
24-27 97th Street
Sunday June 17, 12pm-3pm
NY Times Listing [laffey.com]

Elmhurst
Co-op: 3 bedroom/1.5 bath
$310,000
94-11 60th Avenue, #2J
Sunday June 17, 12pm-3pm
NY Times Listing [Bellmarc]

Flushing
House: 3 bedroom/3 bath
$679,000
189-37 37th Avenue
Saturday June 16, 2pm-4pm
Sunday June 17, 2pm-4pm
NY Times Listing [Century 21]

Woodside
House: 3 bedroom/2.5 bath
$799,000
73-04 41st Avenue
Saturday June 16, 2pm-5pm
Sunday June 17, 2pm-5pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times Web Listing]

Nice little profile article in the Daily News about Amanda Burden, the city planner in charge of zoning in NYC. Zoning is a major deal anywhere, determining how much residential, how much business, and how much mixed-use development there will be in any given neighborhood, among other things. As a result, Burden works with the real estate developers, and the person in this position can be viewed as either a savior or the devil.

The article points out a number of big projects she’s in charge of, and mentions two in Queens: that in Jamaica, which consists of 368 blocks rezoned for hotels and high-rises near the Air Train transit hub to JFK, and via a lead picture, Queens Plaza in LIC. Sounds like she’s a pretty popular and successful part of the Bloomberg administration; take that as you will.

Related:
City planner Amanda Burden shapes the future of the world’s greatest city [NY Daily News]

Predatory lending leading to foreclosure is a real issue in southeast Queens, and in generally poorer neighborhoods. If you want to know more about this situation, want to know how to avoid getting in this situation, or are in need of help yourself, there’s a foreclosure town hall meeting happening this Thursday. According to the Times Ledger, “of the 20 zip codes in New York City with the most foreclosures for January through May, 16 were in Queens and 12 were in 114, an area that includes Jamaica, Hollis, Laurelton, St. Albans, Cambria Heights and Queens Village.”

Details of the meeting:

Forecloure Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, May 31
York College Performing Arts Center
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard
6:30 pm start

Thanks to the new Queens blog, [the progressive southside] for bringing this important event some attention.

Related:
[the progressive southside] - “blog dedicated to the progressive residential community of South Jamaica & Baisley Pond Park in Queens, NY.”
SE Queens foreclosures set stage for York [Times Ledger]
Predatory Lending and Its Common Practices [Mortgage News Daily]