CB 11 Unanimously Votes Against Variance for Huang Development

Community Board 11 unanimously voted down a variance Monday night for a controversial development in Bayside.

Controversial developer Tommy Huang had asked the board to grant a variance 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. Huang, who was convicted in 1999 of creating an oil spill in the basement of the historical RKO Keith’s Theatre in Flushing, did not attend the hearing.

The board unanimously voted to not grant the variance.

“This guy is bad news,” CB 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece said of Huang. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t let him build anything in the city of New York.”

A number of board members also said they vehemently opposed granting the variance.

“It’s illegal and dangerous,” board member Frank Skala said of the development. “It’s a monstrosity. This is the worst case of zoning finagling I’ve seen in my 10 years on the board.”

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, penned a letter to the board in which he wrote that Huang’s “patterns of behavior are indicative of future behavior.” He also said he believed the development should be demolished.

The homes were originally built 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. The DOB later reversed its decision and withdrew its permits for the development. 

A second hearing planned for CB 11’s meeting on a Union Turnpike Gulf station was cancelled because the applicant could not make it to Queens from Manhattan. It was postponed until next month’s meeting.