8 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Victory for 5Pointz Artists
Photo courtesy of Flickr/iamNigelMorris
Aff ordable Astoria apts. with awesome
amenities going for $867 per month
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
A new building constructed in Astoria
includes 21 aff ordable units that are up
for grabs starting on Nov. 6.
Vernon Tower, located on the Long
Island City and Astoria border at 11-06
31st Dr., is an eight-story building with
108 units, a fi tness center, landscaped
roof deck, terraces, a parking garage with
valet and more.
Th e building, which overlooks Socrates
Sculpture Park, also includes aff ordable
units of which 50 percent may be
allocated to Community Board 1 residents.
Five units are studios, another fi ve
units are one-bedroom apartments and
the remaining 11 aff ordable units are
two-bedroom units.
Monthly rent for a studio will cost
$867; a one-bedroom apartment will cost
$931 per month; and a two-bedroom
apartment will cost $1,123 at Vernon
Tower. Rent includes gas for cooking
and heat but tenants will be responsible
for electricity costs.
Th e units will include a washer and
dryer and the building includes bicycle
and stroller storage, a doorman, package
room, common areas
with Wi-Fi, a recreation
room and an elevator.
In addition, 5 percent
of the units are set
aside for mobility-disabled
applicants, 5 percent
of the units are set
aside for vision or hearing
disabled applicants
and another 5 percent
of the units are set aside
for municipal employees.
Th e deadline to apply
is Jan. 8, 2018, and interested
parties can apply
through the Housing
Connect website or
send an application to
Vernon Towers, c/o
Housing Partnership
D e v e l o p m e n t
Corporation, 242 West 36th St., 3rd
Floor, New York, NY 10018.
Aft er the deadline, applications will be
selected for review through a lottery process.
The aff ordable housing lottery for a building in Astoria opened
on Nov. 6.
Th ose who qualify will be invited to
an interview to continue the process of
Photo via Pacs Architecture
determining eligibility. Interviews are
scheduled from two to 10 months aft er
the application deadline and applicants
will be asked to bring documents that
verify household size, identity of household
members and household income.
A jury has found that a developer should grant monetary damages to 5Pointz artists.
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com
Aft er about three weeks of deliberations,
a Brooklyn jury found that 5Pointz
developer Jerry Wolkoff acted illegally
when he painted over almost 50 pieces of
graffi ti at the famed Long Island City site.
Th e artists who had covered 5Pointz in
colorful graffi ti scored a major victory in
March when a Brooklyn judge ruled that
they could sue the developers for painting
over their work without providing them
advance notice.
Artists had been using the building at
45-46 Davis St. in Long Island City as
a canvas since 1993 and in 2002 artist
Meres One helped turn the space into a
graffi ti mecca. In 2013, developer G&M
Realty announced that the space would
become two high-rise apartment buildings.
In 2015, 21 artists fi led a lawsuit against
the Wolkoff family, which owns G&M
Realty, claiming that the property’s owner
committed an illegal act by painting over
their work without giving them enough
warning to take it down and save it.
Th ey evoked the Visual Artists Rights
Act of 1990, which states that protections
against destruction of works are aff orded
to authors who create art of “recognized
stature.”
According to the Daily News, all the
artists were awarded damages on Nov.
7 and the fi nal costs will be calculated
today, Nov. 8.
But Judge Frederic Block will take the
jury’s decision as a recommendation
and make a fi nal decision in the coming
weeks, according to Th e New York Times.
He has asked Eric Baum, the lawyer for
the artists, and Wolkoff ’s lawyer, David
Ebert, to submit court papers outlining
how valid the decision was.
Artists and the surrounding community
were outraged when Wolkoff announced
that he would tear down the structure.
Rallies were held to try to preserve the
structure but the building was torn down
and the new towers will be completed at
the end of this year.
“At times I stood alone,” artist Meres
One wrote on Instagram. “By the end 20
artists and an entire passionate community
reminded me everyday that this was a
fi ght worth fi ghting for!!”
Ebert told QNS it would be “inappropriate
to comment” since the case is still
pending before the court.
12/31/17 12/31/17
GET A NEW LOOK
FOR THANKSGIVING
12/31/17
Encore Premium
$169
VARILUX
PROGRESSIVE LENSES
No-line Bifocals W/ Metal Frame
Select frames with clear plastic no-line lenses
+/- 4 sph, 2 cyl. Not valid with any other
offers, sales, vision plan packages. Must
present prior to purchase. Offer valid at
location only. Some restrictions apply
see store for details.
Expires 12/31/17
With the purchase of glasses,
contact lens exam & fitting add'l.
QC
$100 OFF
DESIGNER FRAMES
PLUS FREE 2ND PAIR
Includes EYE EXAM Frames & Lenses
* $200 minimum purchase on first pair of designer
frames. Second pair frame from select group with
clear plastic, single vision lenses +/-4 sph., 2 cyl.
Not valid with any other offers,
Expires 12/31/17