Scores of residents attended a rally Thursday that state Senator Tony Avella and the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners’ Association held against a single-family home they allege will be turned into an illegal hotel on 156th Street.
“We will not stand by and watch this property be turned into an illegal hotel that disrupts the lives of each and every one of the residents in this neighborhood,” said Avella before a crowd of about 80 people. “The work that was approved for this site authorizes a single-family residence only, but all signs point to a hotel.”
Paul Graziano, a local urban planner and consultant who is heavily involved in the efforts against the house, said that much of the suspicion stems from the interior design of the house, which he believes indicates the house’s true intended purpose. Graziano alleged a room situated in the center of the first floor seemed positioned as if to host evening musical events, and that that a half-wall built into the home was designed to serve as a reception desk for the residence.
“Single-family homes do not have a reception areas,” Graziano said.
There were so many people at the rally that the crowd spilled onto the street of the otherwise quiet neighborhood, with onlookers peering into the commotion to view signs with messages such as “single-family only” and “enforce zoning.”
“Definitely there’s something up here, and that’s why I’m concerned,” said Tom Otto, a neighborhood resident. “I wouldn’t want to see this happening here, or anywhere else for that matter.”
Members of the homeowner’s association have said that if the building department were able to inspect the building, the issue would be determined much more easily. According to a report by the city Department of Buildings under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, investigating illegal conversions can be a challenging process because inspectors can be denied access to a property by its owner. The inspector would then have to get an access warrant, which can be difficult to nearly impossible to obtain.
Avella said that this issue has spurred him to introduce legislation which would require anyone who applies for a construction permit to allow the Department of Buildings access to the property whenever the agency should request it. According to Avella, if access is not granted, building permits for the any application will be revoked.
The association has been circulating information that says the three-floor home, which is at 35-20 156th St., will be renovated to have 14 bedrooms and eight bathrooms to accommodate visitors at an illegal hotel. The owners of the home, however, maintain that they will be living there with their own extended family of nine people.
In a released statement, the family said that although original plans for the home had 14 bedrooms, they sent in an amended plan on April 15 to reduce the number of bedrooms to ten which was rejected by the Department of Buildings.
Robert W. Wong, an attorney whom the family retained Wednesday night, said that his clients are recent immigrants from China, some of whom do not speak fluent English and cannot understand why they are under so much scrutiny. He said that he is looking to meet with members of the association and Avella to straighten out the situation, and that his clients have good intentions which have been distorted by outside assumptions.
“Ms. Yang together with her family are hardworking Chinese immigrants from the Fouzhou province of China,” Wong said.
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