8 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 26, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Second phase of Hunters Point South project in
Long Island City will rise even higher after redesign
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Hunters Point South in Long Island
City, the largest aff ordable housing unit to
be built in New York City since the 1970s,
will get a major redesign.
Th e second phase of construction,
which will include almost 1,200 units, was
originally spread out into two towers and
another building perched in between. But
a rail tunnel owned by Amtrak underneath
the site, in addition to a power line
owned by the New York Power Authority,
caused designers to go back to the drawing
board, according to Crain’s.
TF Cornerstone and architects ODA
Architecture decided to construct several
apartments on a concrete slab above
the rail tunnel so that Amtrak could still
gain access to the structure. But the New
York Power Authority did not give developers
permission to move forward with
that plan.
Now, the two residential towers will
stand 55 and 44 stories instead of 41
and 35 stories. Mayor Bill de Blasio
announced that 60 percent of the 5,000
units constructed as part of the Hunters
Point South project would be considered
aff ordable to low- and middle-income
families. Out of the 1,200 units constructed
as part of this phase, 800 units will be
aff ordable.
Th e second phase will also include a $60
million elementary school at 57th Avenue
and Center Boulevard, which is set to be
completed by 2020.
According to a spokesperson for ODA
Architecture, the space between the two
buildings will host a residential courtyard,
the school yard and entrance, a
retail pavilion with outdoor seating and
a public plaza.
TF Cornerstone will begin constructing
the housing units in 2018.
Queens senator wants to require massage parlors
to register with the state to ‘weed out bad actors’
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Aft er complaints from constituents, one
Queens senator is hoping to weed out
massage parlors that are providing more
than a back rub.
Senator Jose Peralta introduced Bill
S.6915 on Oct. 13, which would require
businesses to become licensed. Unlike nail
and hair salons, a business off ering massages
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does not have to be licensed with
the state.
“Constituents have come to me for a
while now complaining about massage
parlors,” he said. “Th ey’re open so late.
Th e offi ce hours are a bit suspicious to say
the least.”
When Peralta tried speaking to the
NYPD and Department of Consumer
Aff airs, he realized that no agency was in
charge of regulating these businesses.
“Th e NYPD would go out and enforce
based on complaints but no one is in
charge of regulating the massage parlors,”
he said.
To get around loopholes and make
their businesses seem legitimate, Peralta
argued, the businesses will display the
license of a massage therapist on their
wall. Th e Department of Education is
responsible for issuing these licenses.
In other cases, business owners will use
terms like “body rub” or “spa” instead
of massage if their employees are not
licensed.
Th e new bill would require the business
to register with the Department of
State and pay a $60 renewal fee every four
years. In addition to the license, massage
parlors would have to purchase liability
insurance or a bond. In 2015, aft er a New
York Times article exposed the harsh
working conditions of nail salon employees,
Gov. Andrew Cuomo required these
businesses to take out a bond or liability
insurance.
“Really, it’s to weed out bad actors,”
Peralta said. “We’re not saying all massage
parlors are illicit but we are saying
that some are.”
Operating without a license would carry
fi nes of up to $2,500. Similar laws have
been passed in Florida, Texas, Alabama,
Hawaii, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Tennessee and Washington, D.C.
In his district, which encompasses
Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst
and parts of Astoria, many of the massage
parlors are located around Roosevelt
Avenue. According to the senator, a
massage parlor operating illegally along
Roosevelt Avenue was recently closed
just two blocks from a local councilman’s
offi ce.
But the issue of these businesses moonlighting
as places for prostitution spans
the whole borough.
Th ere have been many cases of massage
parlor employees getting arrested for practicing
without a license or prostitution
in Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth,
Flushing, Whitestone and Bayside.
Peralta has also spoken with the Queens
District Attorney’s offi ce to discuss the
human traffi cking component of the issue.
“Th ese businesses push human traffi cking
so I’m also having a conversation with
the district attorney Richard A. Brown
and ensuring the victim who is traffi cked
is not charged with anything,” he said.
In addition to making sure they will not
be punished, victims of human traffi cking
will also be connected with resources
to “help them get back on their feet,”
Peralta said.
A website will also be created to help
consumers fi nd out if a business is licensed.
“Th e idea here is that we want to legitimize
you,” he said. “If you’re not doing
anything wrong then you should have no
problem registering with the state.
File Photo
This massage parlor in Bayside was busted for prostitution last year.
Photo courtesy of Tomorrow Visualization
Two buildings at the Hunters Point South project will rise higher than previously planned.