By Stephen Stirling
City Councilman Tony Avella (D−Bayside) led a protest outside a North Flushing home Tuesday where he said a developer is making a “bizarre” attempt to “beat the clock” on a forthcoming rezoning.
Avella and more than 30 North Flushing residents rallied outside of a Tudor home at 166−43 26th Ave., where a tenant said the owner, Paul Rufino, recently began excavating with little notice. Avella said Rufino had been negotiating with his office and area residents over plans to construct an eight−family home on the property.
Now, with the North Flushing rezoning plan expected to go into effect April 14, Avella and residents of the area said he is trying to complete enough construction on the property to get his plans grandfathered into the new rezoning.
Under the new rezoning, the property would lose a commercial overlay with an adjoining property at 25−60 Francis Lewis Blvd., which Rufino also owns. The overlay allows for commercial and residential uses to be constructed on both properties.
One tenant, who said she is friendly with Rufino and owns a personal training studio on the 25−60 Francis Lewis Blvd. property, said she was baffled and dismayed by the sudden construction.
“The owner called me and said they’re going to be digging around the house,” said the tenant, who asked not to be named. “He didn’t say what he was doing. He just said he had the permits.”
Frightened, the tenant said she moved her 4−year−old son and husband into her mother’s house Monday night.
“I made the choice to leave. I can’t stay there. How does he expect my 4−year−old to live there with all of the fumes and dust from the construction?” she said. “This is not right.”
What Rufino is constructing remains unclear, however. Calls to his cell phone were not returned for comment.
City Department of Buildings records show applications were made to create commercial storage space and a health care treatment facility at 25−60 Francis Lewis Blvd., but have not been updated to include any construction on the 26th Avenue property.
Avella said he believes Rufino is somehow attempting to build enough of his project to have it grandfathered into the new rezoning plan, although he remains unsure of how he would do this.
“This is one of the most bizarre cases I’ve ever seen. He seems to be trying to beat the clock,” Avella said. “I can understand how the rezoning would cost him some money, but wow. I don’t see how you can show your face in the neighborhood ever again if you do this.”
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e−mail at sstirling@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 138.
