A top Queens official has slammed the unrest outside a former Rite Aid in Astoria that’s crammed with drunks, drug users and immigrants, calling it “totally unacceptable,” while nearby residents continue to lament the chaos that has engulfed the area.
State Sen. Michael Gianaris, the Democratic deputy majority leader who represents the district, said he has already contacted the NYPD and the mayor’s office about the abandoned 25,000-square-foot building that now looks like a backdrop from the TV show “Fallout.”
“We are waiting to hear from both parties,” Gianaris told The Post on Sunday. “It is completely unacceptable. The landlord should be held accountable and police should enforce all applicable laws to keep the neighborhood safe.”
First occupied about seven months ago by a group of mostly middle-aged homeless people, the building and its rubbish-strewn parking lot have drawn the ire of local residents and authorities for the shockingly apocalyptic environment the new residents have created.
Mexican, American and Puerto Rican flags hang from the roof, while quirky toys, chairs, clothes, lights, bicycles and other items decorate the walls.
Outside, couches, tables, chairs and mattresses were set out on the sidewalk, where at least eight apparent drinkers were milling around, drinking and laughing, this week.
At least two people were found unconscious on the ground.
A City Hall spokesman said in a statement Sunday that Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is taking a “multi-agency approach” to removing such encampments and has already taken action on the ground in Astoria.
“We are aware of these concerns and have already revisited and cleaned up the site,” the statement said.
By Sunday, some of the mess seemed to have been cleared up. That day, photos of the horrific scene appeared on the front page of The Washington Post.
New paint has covered some of the old graffiti, and there is less furniture and trash decorating the area.
The number of drunk people had been cut in half; only four were seen, one of whom was sleeping on the sidewalk.
But problems remained on the property between Newtown Road and 47th Street, just past William Cullen Bryant High School.
One of the men searched the unconscious man’s pockets and took some coins, while the others shared drinks poured from an aluminium can into plastic cups.
Nearby was a pile of empty wine bottles.
The men were clearly intoxicated, staggering around almost incoherently and hostilely refusing to speak to reporters.
When the cats needed to relieve themselves, they would waddle over to a corner of the former Rite Aid loading dock and urinate and defecate there, scaring pedestrians into walking on the road instead of on the sidewalk.
There was a sign in Spanish that read, “No ass and piss please. Please wash your ass and penis carefully.”
Neighbors expressed outrage and anger at this deterioration of their once pleasant neighborhood.
“This is disgraceful, this is horrible,” said Tristan DeFalco, 40, who stopped by on his way to the gym after seeing the Washington Post article online. “I saw it online and I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘I have to see it for myself.'”
“You can’t take over someone else’s property,” DeFalco continued, adding that he grew up down the block and went to the old Rite Aid multiple times a day. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Mel Perez, another former resident, came by to check things out on Sunday.
“I lived here many years ago,” said Perez, 37. “So it’s definitely different now. It’s in decline, it’s in a lot of decline. There used to be a good Rite Aid here, but now it’s awful.”
Rite Aid was embroiled in bankruptcy The company has been in the process since the fall, closing its Astoria store due to poor sales.
The building’s previous owners had owned it for over half a century.
The new owners have applied for permission to expand the one-story building on the corner lot into a five-story mixed-use building with both residential and retail space.
But the city’s Buildings Department opposed the plan in March, citing compliance issues and other concerns.
The status of this project remains unclear, but in the meantime things continue to get worse.
City records show that since Jan. 1, 163 complaints have been made to 311 about parking and the building.
Of those, 69 reported camping, 36 complained about drinking alcohol and 11 about public urination.
Andrew M., of Jackson Heights, said he noticed someone had painted the building since he last passed by with his father two weeks ago.
Still, he was disgusted by the scene, calling it a “disgrace.”
“When it comes to immigration, I’m half Spanish, I love the Spanish people, but we have to do things the right way,” he said.
“But it’s a shame. It shouldn’t have been this way,” he continued. “My dad has done everything right in life. He did everything right when he bought the apartment.”
“And now this property is causing apartment values to go down.”
