Rathole of the month: 205 Parkside

Prospect Lefferts Gardens won't have truly arrived until the buildings next to our major subway stations aren't shellshocked rat holes. Fortunately, as previously reported, plans to develop the blighted lot next to the Prospect Park station are in progress. So I thought I'd check in on that building's twin, 205 Parkside, the sprawling eyesore near the Parkside Q station.

The last we heard, the owners of 205 Parkside, Moses Fried and Bernice Fried, were seeking to convert their eyesore into an "apartment hotel," or, as word on the street put it, "whore house."  (Mr. Fried and his Prince Hotel Group are also owners of the "Hooker Hotel.") But, as reported by Planet PLG, when Fried's gang applied for a variance to break current zoning regulations in July 2006, the request was denied. And so the shuttered building stayed shuttered, and has remained so to date.

I called Blaise Parascandola, the attorney representing Fried on the building plans, and the news is: nothing. According to Parascandola, nothing is happening with 205 Parkside. Mr. Fried is still "reviewing his options."

That may be, but in the mean time, onlookers have told us they've occasionally seen lights on in the upper floors of the building. Squatters, perhaps?

Comments

[juliemcniven]

I hope they do something with that soon....hopefully not a whorehouse. Cleaning up that corner, along with the constant broken glass in front of an equally unattractive grocery would be a much more pleasant walk home from the subway.....
how about a yoga studio and dare i say, a health food store! I know, I'm dreaming aren't I....

[Mike Hansen]

Is it worth talking to the Council member?
Can the city take the building, if the property owners leave it in this condition?

[tomg]

It blows my mind that owners of buildings in NYC can just "review their options" as the building decays, produces mold, graffiti, squaters, vermin etc. They are so hazardous in so many ways, yet it remains perfectly acceptable to just let a property rot in neglect.

[Dan Freed]

thanks for the update, and for finding and printing the name of the property owner. this clearly is an important piece of property to the neighborhood. i think you should have a rathole of the week at least!

[Jeanne]

Owners of abandoned decaying buildings get fined, but don't believe for a moment the DOB actually makes owners pay the fines. There's no enforcement so the owners just let the fines accumulate against the property. Making it impossible to sell the building because the greedy owners ask too much money for it, to compensate for all the fines on the property. Like the situation with the house on Bedford and Rutland. Because the city never makes the owners pay the fines, it's actually more harmful to levy all these fines against the building. Right? I'm wondering if the city should go to owners of blighted properties and tell them, "We'll remove all the fines if you sell the building within the year. If it's not sold, the fines return and we'll take action to enforce payment of the fines within 6 months." Then there's motivation to sell at a more reasonable price more quickly.