Photo: QueensPost
Aug. 19, 2012 By Bill Parry
When New York State legislators decided to shut down the OTB almost two years, the betting parlor at 44-05 Queens Blvd. closed and the property was put up for sale.
However, progress has been made toward finding a new occupant. The property was bought by Javier Morales, from Corona, 3 months ago and he has been renovating it since. He has already sunk $100,000 into fixing up the commercial space and patching up the apartments upstairs.
Morales has yet to select a commercial tenant, despite the property being in demand.
“I have already received 11 applications, but that’s from restaurants and bars. What I’m looking for is something professional or some retail business,” he said.
Bars and restaurants, he said, can create a lot of headaches with odd hours and security needs. Then there is the hygiene issue. A business like that, he said, draws cockroaches and vermin. “We’re hoping for something clean and professional,” Morales said.
Morales and his family own real estate in Corona, Flushing and East Elmhurst. “The Sunnyside area has an awful lot of potential,” his son Christian said. “It’s the next area to expand, and this was the right property at the right time.”
