NYC business owner erects 50-foot steel fence on his property — cutting off the sidewalk and 10 parking spots

1 month ago 24

In a determination that’s angering section businesses and neighbors, a longtime concern proprietor successful Astoria Heights has enactment up a monolithic alloy obstruction that cuts disconnected a nationalist sidewalk and astir 10 parking spaces.

Anthony Della Vecchia, who runs Michael Della Vecchia & Son General Contractor connected Hazen Street, paid astir $25,000 to instal the imperishable obstruction successful April on 19th Road. He says years of amerciable dumping and a caller autumn that landed him a suit are justification enough, according to Fox 5.

Don't miss

The obstruction spans 50 feet of sidewalk and stretches respective feet into the street.

Della Vecchia sees nary contented with it, pointing to a metropolis taxation representation that helium says proves the sidewalk and portion of the roadway autumn wrong his spot lines.

“I’m wrong my rights,” helium told Queens Post.

‘That obstruction is lone going to marque things worse’

The metropolis isn’t connected committee with Della Vecchia’s logic, however.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued him an encroachment announcement of usurpation connected April 17, giving him 30 days to get escaped of the fence. Della Vecchia said helium is not taking the obstruction down earlier his tribunal date.

It’s not the archetypal clip Della Vecchia has been progressive successful section controversy. He enactment up impermanent barriers and “No Standing” signs aft a pistillate reportedly tripped connected the sidewalk and sued his concern successful January 2024.

This time, things aren’t overmuch different. Della Vecchia’s neighbors and adjacent concern owners person concerns.

Former City Council Member Costa Constantinides, who lives nearby, called the obstruction unsafe and ridiculous.

“He’s creating a postulation issue,” Constantinides told Queens Post, pointing retired that the fencing makes turning onto 77th Street much dangerous. “I’ve seen immoderate unspeakable car accidents connected that corner. That obstruction is lone going to marque things worse.”

The obstruction has besides created headaches for drivers. The time it went up, respective parked cars were trapped wrong the enclosed area.

A Reddit station showing astatine slightest 3 boxed-in vehicles went viral, with residents claiming they received nary due notice. One commenter said they parked their car 2 days earlier, lone to find it fenced successful with nary mode out. Della Vecchia says that helium posted signs successful beforehand and placed barrels on the curb.

The integer uproar has dispersed connected societal media, wherever users are calling for metropolis enactment and criticizing what they spot arsenic a selfish determination that puts backstage concerns implicit assemblage welfare.

But Della Vecchia pushed backmost against this sentiment.

“Why bash I person to consult radical to bash thing connected my ain property?” helium said.

Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important connection for the adjacent question of American retirees — here's however helium says you tin champion upwind the US status crisis

Bad for section business?

The interaction of the obstruction has the imaginable to deed tiny businesses successful the country hard.

Foot postulation is important for adjacent stores, arsenic without sidewalk access, casual shoppers mightiness conscionable debar the area. Less pedestrian travel tin mean mislaid sales, accessibility issues for customers and a little inviting streetscape, which tin beryllium damaging for mom-and-pop shops that already run connected bladed margins.

The quality could unfastened the floodgates and spark ineligible battles implicit nationalist right-of-way, drain metropolis resources oregon adjacent pb to fiscal unit connected adjacent tenants if lawsuit numbers drop.

Constantinides emphasized that the assemblage would person been much knowing if Della Vecchia had talked to his neighbors earlier taking action.

“There could person been a solution present had helium travel to america and worked with the vicinity and tried to say, ‘Look, present are my grievances. Here are the things I request fixed,'” helium told Queens Post.

Instead, the concern has go a vicinity nightmare.

Now, each eyes are connected the approaching May 17 deadline, erstwhile Della Vecchia volition either person to instrumentality the obstruction down oregon instrumentality his combat to court.

For now, the obstruction remains — and truthful does the controversy.