FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com december 18, 2014 • The Queens Courier 3 THE COURIER/File photo The city has moved forward with plans to turn the T Building into affordable housing. Plans resume to turn historic T Building into affordable housing By Eric Jankiewicz [email protected]/@EricJankiewicz A proposal to turn the historic T Building on Queens Hospital Center’s grounds into 206 units of affordable housing has resumed after several years of missteps and controversy, according to local leaders and a politician. As part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing initiative, the city has restarted the process of turning the former tuberculosis center in Hillcrest into a residential building. But plans to do something with the medical building go back to at least 2012 when the Queens Hospital Center worked with a nonprofit human services agency to develop the dilapidated 10-story building on its campus into 251 units of affordable housing. Community leaders and politicians like state Senator Tony Avella killed that plan, along with others. “The new proposal is much better than the original proposal,” said Avella, who has been working closely with the community and city officials to develop plans. “Are there still things that have to be worked out? Of course. We want some more details. And we will continue to crystalize the plans.” The city’s plans for the building are still in the early phases, and the city hasn’t publicly released any details. But, according to Avella, the new proposal addresses all of the issues raised by the community – from preserving the historic building to making sure that the community is comfortable with who the new residents will be. During a recent Community Board 8 meeting, board members expressed concern over plans to make 75 of the apartment units into studios that will be occupied by hospital patients who are discharged and have nowhere else to live. “It makes no sense,” said Maria Deinnocentiis, a community board member. “We said we needed affordable housing, not this. I’m worried that these homeless people will be there so close to our schools and children.” But Avella confirmed that the city and a private consulting firm they hired, Dunn Associates, would do a rigorous background check for the hospital patients who become residents. Plans haven’t been finalized and it might be more than a year before any construction starts. “I was the one that led the fight to kill the original proposal,” Avella said. “They learned that they have to talk to the community and that’s what they’re doing. We’re approving a general theme to work out. It’s a step in the right direction.” Councilman Vallone to introduce legislation for no-fly zone for drones BY ERI C JANKIEWI CZ [email protected]/@EricJankiewicz City Councilman Paul Vallone is calling for a nofly zone for unmanned aircraft, or drones, over New York City. Vallone, with the support of nine other council members, will introduce a bill on Wednesday that would empower local authorities to better enforce the Federal Aviation Authority Law regarding drones. The bill, among other things, would make it a violation for drone operators to fly above four hundred feet in the air or out of the operator’s line of sight and to come within five miles of airports. “Drone technology is rapidly advancing and quickly becoming more available and affordable,” Vallone said. “New York City can regulate drones now without waiting for the FAA to update federal regulations or for a tragedy to happen.” Vallone worked with Queens District Attorney Richard Brown to write the legislation. The city currently has little guidance on how to enforce the relatively new trend of flying drones around the city for recreation. If the bill is passed, city authorities would have a clear set of guidelines to enforce the rules. Vallone began drafting the bill in July after two drones were seen flying near the George Washington Bridge, an act that would be a violation under Vallone’s bill, if it is enacted into law. “I believe that this bill takes a pragmatic and comprehensive approach to regulating unmanned aerial vehicles and will ultimately make our city safer,” Vallone said.
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