Puerto Rican State of Mind

A parade-goer’s face is framed by the multitude of Puerto Rican flags during the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Photo by Andrew Schwartz

COMMUNITY BELLEVUE PLAN GETS SUPPORT

In the fight between the city and the community over the future of the Bellevue Hospital Psychiatric building, East Side elected officials have backed local Community Board’s plan.

Right now, the building, at 492 First Ave. and East 29th Street, is a homeless intake shelter.

The city is entertaining a proposal to convert the nearly 400,000-square-foot facility into a hotel, while Board 6 and other community groups want to ensure that the space is used as a direct medical facility.

Every East Side city and state legislator, as well as Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Borough President Scott Stringer and City Comptroller and mayoral candidate William Thompson, have endorsed the community’s proposal for a new medical facility in a signed letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Last year, the city approved a rezoning plan that designates the area for medical, scientific or institutional uses, according to the letter.

“The [rezoning] plan’s specific criteria for facility use in this area clearly did not intend this site to be used exclusively for a hotel and conference center,” the Congresswoman wrote in the joint letter.

Maloney and the elected officials who support the board resolution noted that the neighborhood has a shortage of nursing homes, sub-acute rehabilitation facilities and assisted-living housing.

“At a time when the need for such services is growing, this is disturbing and presents a clear void to be filled,” Maloney wrote.

A ‘LANDMARK’ BILL

As landmark groups try to expand the Lexington Avenue Historic District, Council Member Jessica Lappin introduced a bill that will ensure proposals are acted upon.

One of the first steps in landmarking buildings is to send the Landmarks Preservation Commission a “Requests for Evaluation” (RFE) form that outlines the proposed district. The legislation would give the committee that acts on those requests 120 days to report to the full commission.

Last year, the State Supreme Court directed the commission to do just that; Lappin’s bill would enforce the ruling.

“Proposals are allowed to languish, possibly leading to the irreplaceable loss of city landmarks,” said Lappin, who chairs the Land Use subcommittee on landmarks.

Missing evaluation proposals are a notorious problem for landmark advocates, according to Seri Worden, executive director of Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.

“Often times you don’t really hear one way or another,” Worden said. “That could lead to the demolition of a building without knowing if the Landmark Commission is investigating it.”

Given the glut of proposals the commission has to consider, Worden said her group understands that the commission is understaffed and has difficulty processing proposals in a timely fashion.

“We really would support better funding for LPC for them to handle this type of increased work load,” she said.

LIGHTS OUT FOR 86TH ST. DUANE READE

At the request of Council Member Dan Garodnick, the Department of Buildings issued a violation to the Duane Reade at 125 E. 86th St. for its illuminated marquee.

The marquee is a leftover from the days the building was home to a movie theater. The illuminated sign was considered illegal but was not caught because it fell under a self-certification policy.

Garodnick wanted the sign removed because illuminated signage creates an unfair competitive advantage for other businesses and clutters the streetscape, he argued. In May, Garodnick and fellow East Side Council Member Jessica Lappin allocated $215,000 to the East 86th Street Merchants & Residents Association for “beautification” of the East 86th Street corridor.

“The 86th Street corridor is a valuable part of the East Side, but it is in need of a facelift,” Garodnick said in a statement. “Implementing more demure signage that meets the city’s requirements will improve the appearance of this area and make it even more attractive for shoppers.”