QNE_p018

QC02092017

18 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM Grade food carts & trucks for safety: Koslowitz BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz Every restaurant in New York City is graded for meeting Health Department food safety standards — and food carts and trucks should be evaluated the same way, according to Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz. Th e Forest Hills-based legislator introduced on Wednesday, Feb. 1, a bill (Intro. 1456) mandating that the city Health Department inspect and issue letter grades from A to C to the operators of mobile food vendors selling everything from hot dogs to halal food, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to Belgian waffl es, and many other edible items. Th e cart owners would be required to prominently display the letter grades on their carts and trucks for customers to see before ordering. “You go to a food cart and you really don’t know its sanitary condition,” Koslowitz said in a statement. “Our current grading system works well for restaurants, and I believe it would be good for the city food carts as well. Th e consumer has a right to know to what degree a cart is in compliance. Th is way, the public can make an informed choice as to whether to eat at a particular food cart.” Th e city’s restaurant grading system has been in place since 2010. Health Department inspectors conduct food safety checks at 24,000 eateries across the fi ve boroughs annually and grade each location for compliance with regulations on practices including food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene, facility and equipment maintenance and vermin control. Points are added to a restaurant’s score based on the severity of the violation discovered; lower scores indicate that a restaurant is in greater compliance with food safety regulations. Restaurants are given A grades if it scored 13 or fewer points in an inspection; a B grade for scoring between 14 and 27 points; and a C grade if it scored 28 or more points. According to the Health Department, a restaurant has two chances to earn an A in every inspection cycle. Restaurant grades must be posted on the front window or door of a restaurant in plain sight of any visitor; the public can also see an establishment’s grades on the Health Department’s online listing. Two other Queens City Council members — Barry Grodenchik and Rory Lancman — have signed onto the mobile food vendor grading bill as co-sponsors. Th e legislation has been referred to the City Council Health Committee for further consideration. “It’s simply about consumer protection, forewarned is forearmed,” Koslowitz concluded. Rendering by Tan Architect PC This seven-story condominium will rise in Long Island City. New condo complex on the rise in LIC BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua A two-building condominium complex with retail space and underground parking is in the process of being constructed in Long Island City. Located at 37-21 32nd St., Shangri-La Astoria Inc. is developing the 105,394-square-foot, seven-story complex. According to city documents, the structure would have 15,887 square feet of commercial space on the fi rst fl oor and 60,961 square feet of residential space. A total of 78 parking lots would be located at an underground two-story parking garage, according to city documents. Th e building is close to the Astoria border and is located in Dutch Kills, a neighborhood within Long Island City that was mostly industrial. Th e area has become more residential and has seen an infl ux of hotels built in the last few years aft er a rezoning in 2008. Amenities include a fi tness room, a yard connecting both buildings and outdoor terraces. Th e building is likely to attract more single occupants than families with 23 studios, 44 one-bedroom and 21 two-bedroom apartments slated for fl oors two through seven. City Realty fi rst reported the story. Lady Gaga plays Citi Field this summer BY EMILY DAVENPORT [email protected] @QNS Following Lady Gaga’s amazing performance at the Super Bowl 51 halft ime show, the New York Mets announced that the Manhattan native will be bringing her upcoming “Joanne” World Tour to Citi Field in Flushing this August. Th e 48-date tour supports her fi ft h studio album, “Joanne,” which claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart one week aft er its release. Th e upcoming tour is Lady Gaga’s fi rst major tour since her ‘Cheek to Cheek’ tour with jazz legend Tony Bennett, which ran from 2014 to 2015. Th e show at Citi Field begins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 13, with a presale for Mets account holders on Friday, Feb. 10. Parking is available for $35 and bus/limo parking is available for $80. Photo: REX/Shutterstock


QC02092017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above