Friday, October 6, 2017

No movement on Rockaway courthouse project after 5 years


From The Wave:

Concrete plans for the long-dormant courthouse on Beach Channel Drive hang in the balance as the back-and-forth between local residents and developer Uri Kaufman continues.

At a special Sept. 28 Rockaway Beach Civic Association (RBCA) meeting regarding the courthouse, members of the civic tore into Kaufman, president and CEO of The Harmony Group, as well as New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) reps in an effort to clarify future uses for the space and vent their frustrations about the deplorable conditions of the site and adjacent lot.

The historic building, which formerly served as a Municipal and Magistrate’s court, was built in 1932. Save for a brief use by an arts group in the 70s, the 24,000 square-foot building at 90-01 Beach Channel Drive has remained dormant since 1962.

NYCEDC stepped in in 2012, issuing a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the adaptive reuse and redevelopment of the Rockaway courthouse. According to NYCEDC, the RFEI aimed to assess options for the reactivation of the site that were “compatible with the existing neighborhood in order to ultimately improve the overall quality of life for the community.”

As reported by The Wave in 2012, “a proposal for the development of the courthouse into an ambulatory surgical facility was approved by Community Board 14, which allows the developer [The Harmony Group] to move forward with negotiations to obtain the property from the city.”

Fast forward five years and the space, to the surprise of some but not many on the civic board, has yet to go into construction or finalize tenants.

4 comments:

JQ LLC said...

I recall the big hubbub when this corpse courthouse was being considered for renovation. No surprise it's still the same, and rotting even worse in the outside just like that elderly care center that was on CBSlocal a few days ago and causing similar grief for home owners and residents.

A medical center and a deed controversy. This smells just like Rivington House. I admire the community there for being cynical and busting the balls of the shady developer and the more shady NYCEDC.

De Faustio wants 90 homeless shelters (the real affordable housing plan)to house a sliver of the percentage of homeless people built in the next half decade and this building probably looks like a candidate.

I cannot stress any harder that de Faustio has to lose and his deputy mayors and 300 staffers get fired and thrown out of the city so they don't get to their societal carnage in the private sector.

Nikki and even Bo sounds better right now, I just hope they will not grovel for REBNY and remember the working poor and middle class that are struggling and striving to cope these days in the 5 boroughs.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful old building...pity that it wasn't better preserved...thanks local government!

Anonymous said...

Tough sell. Everyone wants old buildings used and "maintained", but no one wants to pay for them. Unused for its intended purpose since 1962, it's not getting any fresher or cheaper for a developer or the taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Tough sell. Everyone wants old buildings used and "maintained", but no one wants to pay for them. Unused for its intended purpose since 1962, it's not getting any fresher or cheaper for a developer or the taxpayers.

bullshit. there is plenty of money to buy votes from union members with fat padded contracts,

build up democratic membership with subsidy programs for potential voters.

and of course, giveaways to developers.

something like this that helps building community but whose message and outreach is not controlled by the state for benefit of the state?

hell no.

any time they tell you there is no money it means they took your taxes and gave it to someone that benefits not you but them. a betrayal of trust.