CB 11 to Vote on Controversial Huang Development on Nov. 5

Community Board 11 will decide during its Nov. 5 meeting whether to grant a variance to a controversial developer that would allow him to complete four homes being built in Bayside.

One of the homes is located at 39-39 223rd St., while the other three are at 39-01, 39-15 and 39-19 Mia Drive. The properties are being developed by Tommy Huang, who was convicted in 1999 of creating an oil spill in the basement of the historic RKO Keith’s Theatre in Flushing.

Susan Seinfeld, district manager of CB 11, said the board’s East Flushing/North Bayside committee recommended during a meeting on Monday that the variance should not be granted to Huang.

The full board will vote on the variance during its Nov. 5 meeting. Seinfeld said she expected a number of residents to speak out against the property during the meeting.

“The adjacent neighbor to the development had damage to her property,” Seinfeld said. “There has been discussion about how there never should have been a fourth house to begin with and there have been complaints about shoddy work and numerous violations.”

The homes were originally built based on approval from the city’s Department of Buildings. But a stipulation for the property was that a lot at the development would be considered a “through-lot,” which would require for a road to be on the other side.

This would allow the developer to not comply with rear yard requirements typically associated with developments similar to Huang’s in terms of size.

But the DOB later reversed its decision following a court case involving St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children, Seinfeld said. A similar lot at St. Mary’s property was deemed not to be a “through-lot.”

The DOB then withdrew its permits for the Huang houses. Now, the developer must either remove a portion of one of the four homes to allow for a rear yard or obtain a variance that would not require a rear yard.

CB 11 will vote on whether to grant that variance to Huang during its November meeting.