FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com JANUARY 9, 2014 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11 THE COURIER/File photo The Scobee Diner site in Little Neck has been vacant since the beloved eatery closed in 2010. SCOBEE A MEMORY Variance approved, facility planned BY MELISSA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) has approved a variance that would pave the way for a new building at the former Scobee Diner site in Little Neck. The variance gives new owner Lion Bee Equities permission to move the vacant restaurant’s parking lot to the back of the property, converting some spaces in a residential zone to commercial spots. Lion Bee Equities offi cials say the move, adopted by the BSA on December 10, will improve safety and decrease traffi c near the 252-29 Northern Boulevard site. The variance was given the green light last summer by Community Board 11 and then-Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. Larger plans for the Great Neck-based company include demolishing the diner and transforming the site into a two-story mixed commercial and community facility with a CitiBank on the fi rst fl oor and a dentist’s offi ce on the second. There will be 17 parking spaces in the new lot, including one handicapped space. Scobee closed in 2010, when restaurant owners failed to reach agreement on purchasing the property from the landowners. The plans now go to the city’s Department of Buildings for review. The department recently approved permits for E. Gluck Corp., a Long Island City-based watch manufacturer, to move into the long vacant site of the former Leviton building along Little Neck Parkway, according to Community Board 11. ST. JOHN’S HOSPITAL SITE SOLD BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com The former home of St. John’s Hospital will soon be transformed into a mixed-use building. Real estate company Massey Knakal announced it handled the $47 million sale of the 90-02 Queens Boulevard building in Elmhurst, together with a fi ve-story parking garage located at 87-28 58th Avenue. “For the fi rst time, Queens is beginning to see a trickle-down effect of rising rents from primary neighborhoods, like Long Island City,” said Stephen Palmese, senior executive vice president of sales for Massey Knakal, who handled the sale together with company partner Thomas A. Donovan. “This is similar to Williamsburg’s effect on Bushwick. As a result, secondary markets, like Elmhurst, which also have great transportation, are experiencing strong increases in residential rent.” St. John’s Hospital closed its doors in 2009 after Caritas Health Care, which ran the hospital, fi led for bankruptcy. Brooklyn-based developer 89-52 Queens LLC then purchased the property and was the most recent owner up until the sale. Approved plans from the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals Photo Courtesy Massey Knakal Real estate company Massey Knakal handled the $47 million transaction for the sale of the former St. John’s Hospital building in Elmhurst, together with a fi ve-story parking garage. show the new owner intends to convert the 266,322-square-foot former hospital into a mixed-use building with retail space on the ground fl oor and lower level, medical facilities on the second fl oor and residential units on the remaining fl oors, according to Massey Knakal. The 86,400-square-foot parking garage, located behind the building, contains 290 parking spots. “This property is located across the street from Queens Center, which is one of the top grossing malls in the U.S.,” said Donovan. The property is also located across the street from the Queens Place Mall and near four major expressways. Is your bank closing your business account? Recently, a bank announced that they’re shutting their doors to their small and mid-sized business customers. At Flushing Bank, we focus on creating long-lasting relationships with the businesses in the neighborhoods and local communities we serve. We are a local community bank that provides businesses with the expertise, products and business banking solutions they need and deserve, and we‘re ready to provide them to you today. As a Flushing Bank business customer, you will quickly learn that we’re small enough to know you, yet large enough to help you. For more information, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or go to www.FlushingBank.com. Don’t forget to ask about our Free Business Checking Nexus7 32GB tablet offer. From Forbes.com March 18, 2013. © 2013 Forbes.com LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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