FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 13, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 21 ‘INHERENTLY UNSAFE’ Bayside residents bash mayor’s rumored plan to legalize illegal conversions BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected] @smont76 A Bayside lawmaker and local leaders spoke fi ercely last week against rumors that Mayor Bill de Blasio is considering legalizing basement apartments throughout Suozzi refl ects on a ‘sobering’ fi rst 100 days in Congress BY GINA CONTEH [email protected] @QNS Thursday, April 13, marks Congressman Tom Suozzi’s hundredth day in offi ce, and he says the experience thus far has been “sobering and humbling.” Suozzi made the remark during a conference call with local reporters last Friday, April 7. Th e former Nassau County executive, who was elected last November to succeed Steve Israel in the Th ird Congressional District seat covering northeast Queens, northern Nassau and northwest Suff olk counties, said that, while he enjoys his new title, he misses the direct impact he had on people’s lives in his former positions. Suozzi serves on the House Foreign Aff airs Committee, the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. In these positions, he has already met with diff erent diplomats and representatives from the Middle East, North Africa and the entire continent of Africa. Suozzi also is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services. He serves on the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee as well as the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to launch an airstrike on Syria last week, Suozzi voiced his support for the bombing, which was in retaliation for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons during the nation’s ongoing civil war. “I support what the president did,” Suozzi said. “But if he wants to move forward he has to have a strategy that’s a long-term strategy.” Suozzi says one of the biggest issues of being in this new position is the lack of time to sit down with colleagues and fi nd a common ground. He serves as vicechair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 40 Democratic and Republican lawmakers striving to pass bipartisan legislation in Washington, D.C. According to Suozzi, the Problem Solvers Caucus didn’t do much when it was fi rst created but now it is very active. He hopes that the caucus’ eff orts will result in major bipartisan legislation to reform taxes and rebuild infrastructure. Suozzi said he’s working hard to improve the communities in and around the borough of Queens as well. As a co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, Suozzi stated that he has made signifi - cant strides to reduce the airplane noise of planes traveling to and from John F. Kennedy Airport. “People’s health is being impacted,” Suozzi said. According to the congressman, the Quiet Skies Caucus is attempting to get funding to conduct a study on the impact of airplane and helicopter noise on people’s health. Suozzi has also arranged a meeting with Delta Airlines in order to discuss new technology to reduce airplane noise. In an ongoing eff ort to connect with people of Queens, Suozzi plans to have a town hall every month from now until the end of his term. On April 17, Suozzi will be opening a satellite offi ce in Little Neck on Northern Boulevard. He will be hosting a town hall meeting in Little Neck on April 19 as well. File photo/Courtesy of Suozzi for Congress the city. According to state Senator Tony Avella, the mayor fi rst spoke several years ago about moving to legalize basement apartments. Now, Avella charged during an April 7 press conference at his Bayside offi ce, the mayor is returning to the idea as a way to combat the city’s aff ordable housing crisis. “Th ere’s a reason basement apartments are illegal,” Avella said. “Th ey are inherently unsafe.” According to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), under current regulations, the cellar of a one-or-two family home cannot be lawfully rented, nor the basement of a two-family dwelling. Th e basement of a one-family dwelling can be lawfully rented, should the space meet a number of conditions. Avella, who is challenging de Blasio in his bid for re-election, went on to suggest that the move may also be an eff ort solve the city’s homelessness situation, “that de Blasio himself is mainly responsible for,” he said. Th e state senator was fl anked by representatives from Queens community boards and civic groups who echoed the senator’s concern. “Th is is really becoming a big issue in our area,” said Christine Haider, chairperson of Community Board 11. “If the mayor puts this plan in, it’s really going to ruin the quality of our lives.” Beverly McDermott, president of the Kissena Park Civic Association, raised health and safety concerns. Last December, the city held a campaign in Flushing and Middle Village — the two neighborhoods which account for the highest number of illegal conversions in Queens — to educate the public on the unsafe conditions in many illegally converted dwellings. “Th ere is nothing safe or healthy about living in a basement,” McDermott said. “Most basements, even the best ones, especially in the Flushing area, have dampness, which is not healthy … It is not a reasonable way for people to live.” Linda Valentino, president of the Holliswood Civic Association, spoke of infrastructure, stating the change would alter zoning regulations for the worse. “I don’t want to see the neighborhood changed,” Valentino said. “Queens is overpopulated at this point. To bring in any more people, and basically double what is already here, is basically insane.” “We’re sending a message to the mayor here today,” Avella continued. “Don’t try and revive this idea, because we’re not gonna stand for it.” Melissa Grace, deputy press secretary at the mayor’s offi ce, said de Blasio is looking into the feasibility of a pilot program in Brooklyn. “Any legalization of basement apartments would be based on their meeting safety codes to protect residents,” she said. “A multi-agency working group, including HPD, DOB, FDNY and DCP, is working with Councilman Rafael Espiñal and multiple community groups active in East New York to study the feasibility of a basement legalization pilot program in that community.” Photos by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS State Senator Tony Avella speaks at the April 7 press conference.
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