Rally To Save Neighborhoods

Members from 15 civic associations across northeast Queens rallied in front of a newly constructed three-story brick single-family home in Bayside to protest the growing number of non-contextual developments and to champion a new zoning study seeking to preserve their neighborhoods character.
"Whats happening here is happening in every community in Queens," warned Paul Graziano, an urban preservationist and consultant, who was also joined by Simeon Bankoff of Historic Districts Council, a non-profit preservation and advocacy group.
He spoke to a crowd of more than 50 December 13 at 221st Street and 39th Avenue on the steps a new house, which he said was a perfect example of a growing trend among developers to raze single-family homes and erect, as preservationists prejoratively refer to them, "McMansions" cheaply constructed, monolithic-size homes that do not fit the context of a neighborhood.
Graziano said the ability for planners to tear down homes and replace them with mutli-family dwellings dates back to 1961. At the time, bracing for a population explosion and having disinclination for spot zoning, City Planning zoned many neighborhoods in Queens for much higher densities than was actually on the ground. He also attributed the problem to lax enforcement by the Department of Buildings.
In an effort to preserve the character of neighborhoods like Bayside, College Point and Flushing, Graziano was commissioned this summer by Councilmanic District 19 to examine northeast Queens neighborhoods zoning regulations, to determine if any houses have restrictive deeds, and to evaluate land for historic district designation.
He showed his six-month, $16,000 study, which includes his recommendations for re-zoning, to City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden Thursday. He hopes to convince City Planning to down-zone and believes his survey will expedite the process. Graziano cited encouraging action by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when he recently announced re-zoning for parts of Staten Island and Throgs Neck. A similar announcement is expected for College Point.
Graziano also announced how he has targeted 25 neighborhoods in northeast Queens for historic district status. This designation is the most powerful tool in preserving a neighborhood, he said. Once designation is bestowed all development must be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. However, Queens has a paucity of historic districts, 5 out of 83 citywide. The majority of historic districts are in Manhattan, which, Graziano said, shows a bias toward suburban neighborhoods. Three weeks ago Douglaston Hill, which has been fighting for designation since 1989 and is in the national and state historic district registries, was turned down by Landmarks.
"According to Landmarks, we dont have history," said Graziano. "Im from Queens. I have lived here my whole life. I am glad we have a separate history from Manhattan."
His sentiment against overdevelopment and preservation seemed to be enjoyed by many Saturday morning.
As Graziano spoke along the busy 221st Street, car after car drove by honking in solidarity with the protesters. One driver even slowed his car, rolled his window down and yelled, "I hate these houses."