8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 6, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Corona celebrates opening of aff ordable senior housing
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
City offi cials, community stakeholders
and prominent local politicians, including
Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
Offi cials cut the ribbon on a new aff ordable senior housing development in Corona on May 30.
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Borough President Melinda Katz and
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez, heaped praise on the ambition
and execution Hellenic American
Neighborhood Action Committee’s
(HANAC) new Corona Senior Residence
during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on
May 29.
Th e fully occupied eight-story development
includes a mix of 67 units of aff ordable
housing, 21 of which are set aside
for formerly homeless seniors. Th e building’s
specs also include cutting-edge “passive
house” design that uses up 90% less
energy than traditional construction and
a 60-student Universal Pre-K program on
the fi rst fl oor.
“Th is is a perfect example of when government
works,” Katz said during her
remarks.
Th e building, with its modernist, asymmetric
facade of wood textures and silver
siding, represents fi ve years of planning
and collaboration from city agencies. It’s
the fi rst aff ordable housing development
to go up in Corona in over 30 years.
For all the marveling over the building’s
impressive design during the event, the
ribbon cutting also served as a reminder
of the looming problem of senior housing
in the borough. While Ocasio-Cortez
called the development a “socially,” “environmentally”
and “economically” innovative
project, she also didn’t shy away
from pointing out the tremendous need
for aff ordable housing for Queens’ senior
population.
“Today, we have 67 units. But there
were 35,000 applications,” the congresswoman
said. “It shows that we have a lot
of work to do.”
A 2016 study found that 34,000 seniors
were on waiting lists for aff ordable housing
out of the 200,000 city-wide.
Th e development came as the result of
an upzoning, a process that oft en encounters
community resistance. But the project’s
architect Jack Esteron, who was
involved from the get-go said it went
smoothly.
“Th ere was very, very little pushback in
the community, which is actually surprising
because I’ve worked on a lot of projects
that involve rezoning that are controversial,”
said Esteron, of the Th ink!
Architecture and Design group.
All of the building’s units are for tenants
at 40 to 60 percent of Area Median
Income. Th e housing lottery gave 50 percent
of those tenants preference based on
their proximity to the Community Board
4 area.
Th e $36 million project was developed
out of the Willets Point Community
Benefi ts Agreement. It included funding
of $14 million in city subsidies, including
$9.7 million from HPD’s Senior
Aff ordable Rental Apartments program. It
also received a $12.8 million low-income
housing tax credit subsidy and a $12.7 million
construction loan from Chase Bank.
“Senior sustainability is about a willingness
to persevere,” said resident Maureen
Reardon in her remarks during the ceremony.
“I would never have thought that a lottery
would change my life this way,” she
said.
Two heinous rape cases rock southeast Queens
BY EMILY DAVENPORT AND
ROBERT POZARYCKI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
One suspect has been arrested and
another remained at large as of press
time on June 5 in two separate, horrifying
rape cases in southeast Queens over
the last week.
A Rosedale man remains in jail on
high bail for allegedly raping a 78-yearold
woman in her home early on Sunday
morning, June 2. Meanwhile, detectives
are pursuing a suspect who raped and
beat a woman for six hours inside a
Laurelton home back on May 30.
In the Rosedale case, Ryan Bayard,
30, was arraigned before the Queens
Criminal Court on charges of fi rst-degree
rape and fi rst-degree criminal sexual
act. He is being held on $250,000 cash
bail or bond and is due to return to court
on June 28.
If convicted, Bayard faces up to 25
years in prison.
“Th e victim in this case should have
been safe in her home. Instead, she was
violently awakened by an attacker, who
allegedly held a pillow to her face and
viciously sexually assaulted her repeatedly
while saying vile things,” said acting
District Attorney John M. Ryan. “Th e
defendant allegedly showed not an ounce
of mercy to this woman, who was old
enough to be his grandmother. Now
in custody, the defendant will be held
accountable for this horrifi c crime.”
Charges say that at 6:45 a.m. on June 2,
Bayard allegedly broke into the 78-yearold
victim’s home, located in the vicinity
of Brookville Boulevard and 148th Street
while she was sleeping.
Th e victim allegedly awoke to Bayard
standing above her and placing a pillow
over her face. Bayard then allegedly
raped the victim, repeatedly telling her,
in sum and substance, “I like old ladies.”
Bayard allegedly committed other acts,
including forcing his genitals in the victim’s
mouth, and saying, in essence, “just
cooperate and let’s get this over with.”
Bayard then fl ed the scene and the victim
was taken to local hospital where
she was treated for her injuries. Police
released a photo of the suspect to the
public on June 3, and he was ultimately
arrested later that day.
Regarding the Laurelton incident,
cops are looking for Michael Hosang,
53, who allegedly brutalized the 29-yearold
woman inside a home near the corner
of 224th Street and 130th Avenue in
Laurelton between 6 a.m. and noon on
May 30.
Law enforcement sources said Hosang
allegedly raped the victim multiple times
and punched her repeatedly, causing at
least one facial fracture.
Citing police sources, the New York
Daily News reported that Hosang and
the victim were “acquainted.”
Th e woman was able to escape the
ordeal, authorities noted, by jumping out
of a window; she was treated for her injuries
at a local hospital, the New York Post
reported.
Hosang, meanwhile, allegedly fl ed the
residence inside a red Chevrolet pickup
truck.
Police described Hosang as a black
man standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall and
weighing 200 pounds, with a bald head
and brown eyes. Th e pickup truck which
he drove had a Florida license plate reading
JZEY32.
Call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
with information about the case.
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