BY LUKE TABET
Concerned Woodhaven residents want to know what repercussions, if any, a local landowner will face after his building collapsed last month, damaging the adjacent Volunteer Ambulance Corps and forcing residents to leave the Woodhaven Senior Center.
An abandoned furniture store at 78-19 Jamaica Avenue crumbled onto the street on April 12, crushing a minivan parked out front and shutting down a section of the road while debris was removed.
The 78-19 Jamaica Avenue LLC owns the building, according to the Department of Finance.
At a May 18 meeting of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA), many voiced their desire to see the landlord held responsible for alleged negligence that led to the vacant building’s collapse.
According to the Department of Buildings’ (DOB) website, the structure had 35 violations and a partial vacate order before the collapse.
An impending Environmental Control Board hearing will determine if the owner — who could not be reached — is at fault for the violations.
The Woodhaven Senior Center is currently covered by a tarp, which must be proven watertight before seniors will be allowed back into the building.
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