By Ivan Pereira
A major house expansion project in Laurelton was halted by the city nearly half a year ago, but neighbors say what is left of the behemoth of a building is ruining the character of their block.
In December, the city Department of Buildings issued a stop−work order for 130−06 233rd St. when it discovered the owner and developer, Mansoor Mehdizadeh, did not have the construction permits to build a massive, three−story home on the property.
Although neighbors say no new work has been done since the stop−work order was issued, the uncompleted project continues to be a problem since its wooden frame, larger roof and fenced−in property make the house stick out among the one−story, brick, single−family homes on the block.
“My skyline view that I had upstairs, it’s gone,” said George Wiggan, who lives next to the house. “It looks like a hospital or hotel.”
The wooden frame of the house is several feet higher than the rest of the homes on the block and its area takes up most of the property’s lot.
Rohan Little, who lives in the adjacent home next to the construction site, said he is taking Mehdizadeh to Queens Supreme Court because the construction has been ruining his property. Little said when construction began at 130−06 233rd St. in April 2008, the building occupied part of his property.
“We don’t want it to be expanded, we wanted a nice lawn and backyard,” Little said.
Mehdizadeh, who runs the Jamaica−based Royal Holding Development Corp., could not be reached for comment. Little, who purchased his house from the developer in September 2007, said the developer has asked him to tear down and reconstruct his kitchen so the city could issue a certificate of occupancy for the construction project.
Little said Mehdizadeh wanted to increase the space between their houses without reducing the size of the constructed house.
“He has built so much that my house has to be pushed back,” Little said.
Mehdizadeh has been fined $2,500 by the DOB for failing to provide permits for the 233rd Street construction. The agency also issued four DOB violations in relation to the 233rd Street project, according to DOB records.
The area was rezoned by the city Sept. 4 to curb construction of buildings that were out of character with the neighborhood, according to community activist and Community Board 13 member Marq Claxton.
Richard Hellenbrecht, CB 13’s chairman, said the house was changed from an R2 zoning, which had no height limit, to an R2A, which limits single−family houses to a maximum height of 35 feet.
Hellenbrecht said the city should not have approved the construction project since the permits for the house were approved after the rezoning.
“They’re really supposed to put a clampdown on that,” he said.
Claxton, a City Council candidate, said he has heard hundreds of complaints from residents and has met with the DOB to try to resolve the situation. Although city regulations say that the DOB cannot force a developer to demolish an illegally constructed building, the community activist said he and several neighbors are considering taking civil action to force Mehdizadeh to do it himself.
“We’re going to do whatever is necessary to bring the entire block into compliance,” Claxton said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e−mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 146.
