Church Accused of 'Lawlessness' by CB Members

Church and City came to a head at a hearing on Monday night, with one Community Board 11 member calling for the church folks to tear down their own building.

A consultant hired by Korean Central Presbyterian Church located at 58-06 Springfield Blvd., had appeared before the board to garner a variance to permit the Church’s existing gym.

The Church claims to have discovered in 2009 the need for a Certificate of Occupancy for building additions completed in 1998.

A one story community facility is permitted by code, as long as the height does not reach 23-feet above the curb, according to Church consultant, James Chin. The height of the gym stands at 28 feet.

“How can you plead ignorance? You didn’t know the rules, the laws,” asked Board Member Frank Skala, adding “How come in 14 years no one realized the building was illegal?”

Skala’s solution was to, “Tear it down to the ground and start all over again—and do it legally.”

“You gonna tear down the church?” asked a Skala-heckler, who is not a member of the Board.

“Yes!” exclaimed Skala, unwaveringly adding, “Not me, but they should.”

“My esteemed colleague has a valid point,” agreed Board Member, and Bayside Patch Contributor . He believes they should have taken the expensive measure of digging subterraneously, rather than flout the law.

"So now we have these pious people [saying] ‘oh, I don’t know, it was the engineer, I don’t know.,” said Mimoni, adding, “We’re not gonna tear it down, but we can’t keep endorsing lawlessness.”

Skala led the charge as President of the in 2009 against the construction of what is now Jesus Covenant Church, in East Bayside.

The church group allegedly falsified their mortgage application to claim that they were building a commercial establishment. Their zoning status as a community facility, typically a designation for non-profits, allowed them to sidestep laws requiring more parking than they could provide.

It was felt by EBHA that the additional traffic created during hours of church worship and events would disturb the usually quiet neighborhood, and would drive down property values.

Skala dismissed insinuations by some that his group’s opposition to Jesus Covenant Church, a mostly Korean congregation, was racially fueled.

Goings-on at the Korean Central Presbyterian Church, which is located just within the border of what is considered Bayside Hills, apparently did not disturb members of the Bayside Hills Civic Association during its construction and renovation phases, or presently.

The church’s gym hosts local school functions for the Bayside community at large, including Cardozo High School Volleyball practice.

“If I was building a church, I wouldn’t say ‘oh, I’ll do whatever I want because nobody cares.’ And I am a licensed minister of the Eucharistic Church,” said Skala.

The variance was approved by the board.