Senator Avella and Residents Ask “What’s the deal?” with Abandoned Property

Queens, NY – Today, State Senator Tony Avella and Whitestone residents stood at the corner of 14^th Avenue and Totten Street in the 11^th Senatorial District to call on the Mayor of the City of New York and the Department of Buildings (DOB) to investigate the status of a local property that has been “under construction” for over a decade.

Residents who brought the matter to the Senator report that construction began at this location years ago, but suddenly stopped and has since been abandoned. The property is currently in an unhealthy and unsanitary state, creating a breeding ground for rodents.

The property, which is listed as both 168-08 14^th Avenue and 14-05 Totten Street, first received a DOB permit for construction in 2004. The permit was subsequently renewed in 2008 and 2013 leading neighbors and the Senator to wonder why the City continuously renewed permits for a house that was clearly sitting idle while nature ran its course on the abandoned structure. The structure also received ten DOB Enviornmental Control Board violations, some which are still open, and has had 16 complaints from the community.

“The fact that a property can sit idle while in a state of construction, with a number of violations, and still have its permit renewed over and over shows a clear dereliction of DOB’s duty to monitor these properties. I wonder how many other properties throughout the city DOB has allowed to be “under construction” for over a decade without showing any signs of actual construction. The Mayor and his administration owe it to the community to make sure that all construction sites are safe and actually being worked on to maintain quality of life in neighborhoods. Shame on DOB for allowing this to happen,” said Senator Avella.