Dec. 1, 2015 By Christian Murray
Another Queens Boulevard building is likely to be bulldozed.
The building that goes from 39-11 to 39-19 Queens Blvd is expected to become rubble, according to documents that were filed with the Dept. of Buildings this summer.
The building owner, Jerry Kahen, filed for demolition permits in July. He could not be reached for comment.
Kahen, who has developed buildings in Queens and Manhattan, bought the property under the corporate name Corona Group in 2008.
He has yet to file plans for a new building.
Community Board 2 noted in its December newsletter that the property is scheduled to be demolished, although it didn’t provide a firm date.
Many small businesses have struggled to survive in Kahen’s Queens Blvd building, since the location isn’t as well trafficked as other parts of Sunnyside. Former tenants included Dragon Puffz (a hookah lounge), Verdecchio Pizzeria and Chikuran Japanese Restaurant.
Xio Lounge, a night club, had occupied 39-19 Queens Blvd for about 3 years but was repossessed last year for failing to pay its rent. Many neighboring residents complained that its patrons would walk into their back courtyards to smoke pot and engage in lewd acts.
The 39-11 to 39-19 Queens Blvd. parcel was upzoned when the Sunnyside-Woodside rezoning went into effect after being approved by the City Council in 2011.
Prior to the rezoning, the property had been zoned an R5, which limited the height to 40 feet (up to four stories) and only permitted developers to build structures 1.25 times the size of the site area (click for old zoning map).
With the rezoning, the site was designated an R7A, lifting the maximum height to 80 feet (up to eight stories) and allowing developers to build 4 times the size of the lot area (click for current zoning map).
This dramatic upzoning applied to buildings on Queens Blvd from 39th Place through to 41st Street (2.5 blocks).
Parcel is now zoned R7A
Former zoning R5
