Death At Queens Construction Site

A laborer at a construction site in Long Island City was killed when his head was struck by a moving elevator car Friday afternoon.
A Department of Buildings spokesperson said a 34-year-old white worker placed his head through the vision window of the elevator door into the shaft while a car was either ascending or descending. Investigators are unsure why the man did this.
The incident occurred at the former Steinway Piano and Sterns warehouse on Ditmars Boulevard between 45th and 46th Streets. The property is now owned and contracted by Pistilli Realty. Construction was canceled while police and the Department of Buildings investigated the scene. The Department of Buildings has handed over the investigation to the US Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA), which could not comment at this time.
Published reports about this story incorrectly stated that the work permit for the site had expired. According to the Buildings Department, Pistilli Realtys permits to convert the warehouse into an apartment complex are up-to-date.
Pistilli Realty could not be reached for comment.
"Obviously this is a tragedy and we are all very concerned about it," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who has acted as a mediator between Pistilli Realty and the community. "We want to make sure this doesnt happen again." Vallone said, aside from the OSHA and police investigations, he would also conduct his own. The councilman, who noted that he passes by the site on average three times a day, also stated that he has never received complaints of nor seen any safety violations at the construction site.
Controversy over the site has not been relegated just to labor issues. Some community residents have also complained about the realty companys residential plans. They are angered that Pistilli, though it has not formally declared its intentions, has stated its preference to turn the site into condos instead of senior citizen housing.
Vallone, who has worked with Pistilli and the community on a solution, said that he would ensure that what is built benefits the community. The councilman stated that Pistilli Realty has agreed verbally that the development will be condominiums with a number of units set aside for senior citizens. He also hopes to have a community center and additional parking built on the site. The councilman did admit that new housing does strain the school district, but believed the development should move forward, while also stating the problem of overcrowded schools should be addressed.
"It [senior housing] would have less impact on the community," said a member of the Ditmars Boulevard Homeowners Association, wishing to remain anonymous. The member said that senior citizens are the ideal demographic because they do not have children who would have to be absorbed by an already overcrowded school district. Also they are less likely to have cars, so finding parking would not become cumbersome.
"At the end of the day, this abandoned warehouse will be turned into attractive housing and a large majority of the community supports this," said Vallone.
What to build on the property has been a long-standing issue in the mostly one- and two-family house community. The property, whose address is 45-04 Ditmars Boulevard, was initially zoned for manufacturing and was formerly the Steinway Pianos building and later a Sterns warehouse. In recent years, developers have wanted to turn the property into apartment complexes.
In 1998, SteelTex Realty LLC wanted to purchase the property and intended to make it an "80/20" residency, a form of low-income housing. However, residents complained that renters would not have the same consideration for the neighborhood that homeowners do. Through the mediation of Peter Vallone Sr., who was the councilman at the time, Nikos Kefalidis, a principal at SteelTex, rescinded, agreeing to sign a "declaration of restrictions" that would rehabilitate the property as an independent-living residence for persons 62 and older. The City Council then re-zoned the property for residential use.
However, Kefalidis later died in the SwissAir Flight 111 plane crash in 2001, before securing enough money for the purchase. The parcel of land was instead sold to Pistilli Realty.
When the Ditmars Boulevard Homeowners Association got wind that Pistilli Realty might turn the residential property into condos, they argued that the company was obligated, under the declaration, to build senior housing. However, Vallone Jr. said that, since SteelTex never purchased the parcel of land, the declaration was not binding.
"Ive spoken to the City Councils and mayors attorneys; its not legally enforceable," said the councilman.