Bell Boulevard Building with Stop-Work Order Will Be a GNC

A new business under construction with a stop-work order on Bell Boulevard will be a GNC store, a spokesman for state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside said.

It was originally rumored that a CVS Pharmacy was being constructed at the site, which formerly housed Lucky Bell Store. But a CVS spokesman said that a drug store was not planned for the locale.

The city placed a stop-work order at the site, located at 42-09 Bell Blvd., on Nov. 13 after an inspector found that work was being performed in an “unsafe or dangerous manner,” according to a note attached to a construction wall at the site.

Avella’s spokesman said that the architect for the site recently told the senator that a GNC was planned for the location. He also said that the city’s Department of Buildings halted work at the site due to another project that was taking place over the summer on the first and second floors of the building that had nothing to do with the GNC’s construction.

The architect told Avella that violations at the site should be resolved by the end of the year and that the DOB wants to inspect the electrical system at the locale.

In late November, the senator wrote a letter to DOB Commissioner Derek Lee, asking the agency to audit the building due to the violations at the site.

"I'm happy the DOB has responded, though not to me, so we'll have to wait and see how this progresses," Avella said. "And I'm happy that the architect reached out, which is usually a good sign."

According to the DOB’s website, the stop-work order was issued due to “work contrary to plans and permit.”

The DOB notes on the site that the property has “permits posted for general construction, but they are pulling out floors and beams and no permit for that.”

It was unclear when the GNC was expected to open.