A neglected Flushing lot that had turned into a junkyard has been cleaned up after pressure from an elected official and a civic leader.
Last Friday, state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Peter Brancazio, president of the North East Flushing Civic Association, met with representatives of the departments of Buildings, Sanitation, Finance and Fire to discuss the lot at 24-19 Francis Lewis Blvd.
As a result, the FDNY issued a notice of violation for rubbish found in the Dumpsters on the lot and the DOB transferred oversight of the property to the Padlock Enforcement Unit, based on illegal commercial use in a residential district.
Since the area is zoned R2A, a violation was issued for a defective fence allowing unauthorized access and storage of fully loaded Dumpsters and a commercial truck filled with steel beams.
Shortly after being contacted by the city, the owner cleared the lot.
Brancazio brought Avella to the location in December, showing a portion of the fence had collapsed, making the litter-filled property even more visible. Although both men are happy the city finally took action, they say more needs to be done.
“The truck, debris and kitchen sink are gone,” Avella said. “Now we need to focus on getting the fence removed and clearing the weeds and turning that lot into something appealing to the community.”
Brancazio says he’s glad the city has finally taken some action on the lot: “We are still not done yet, but this is dramatically better than the situation was a week ago.”
Avella has formed a task force of area civic groups to help identify similar offending sites and push the city to take action.
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