LIC’s Queens West gets a brief breather from MTA ventilation fan noise

NYC has a law that says if a construction project causes interior noise levels in neighboring buildings to increase over a certain level, then the project sponsor must do everything necessary to mitigate that noise impact. So why is the MTA immune from that law? Other agencies in the city must comply with this standard.

Also, why can’t the MTA just budget noise muffling as part of the No. 7 project? That project is costing tens of millions of dollars. $300,000 for doing what should be legally required is a drop in the bucket. If i were one of the affected condo owners, I would take these bastards to court.

I think if there is a class action lawsuit from the residents affected they might be more cost effective to pay the $300k than to deal with the lawsuit.

Last I heard, lawyers take cases based on a percentage of the settlement if and when they win, no money upfront.

I’m so glad I bought on the north side (in Citylights). Our views might not be as good now but it’s quiet!

Why is that building built on a diagonal in the lot?

Where exactly is this fan? I live on a low building onVernon, so I am not affected — but I saw this story on the news last night and they were describing it as a screeching, jackhammer-like sound.

Heck yeah #12. It’s right across the street. Even closer than the Citylights building. Powrhouse is def. affected. Just not as many people bought there so it’s relatively empty compared to Cl or the senior housing in the Avalon building. The noise also affects the Foundry condo project, but to a lesser extent.

#14 Another good question would be if the fans in Manhattan have the noise dampeners or if residents from that side have started to complain.

Welcome to LIC, folks, NYC’s ugly stepchild. Now you too are beginning to experience first-hand what some of us old-timers have for decades, getting crapped on or ignored by the city. It was always to their convenience we were the “industrial wasteland” because they could keep giving us the shaft and we would have to put up with it.

Old habits die hard. It’ll take a lot more heat on the MTA before they amend their ways.

If you look at the map No. 16 posted, you’ll see that it’s a no-brainer to use the fans there instead of those on 50th Avenue. So why was a decision made to use the fans on 50th Avenue? MTA idiots.

If you HAD to choose a battle, which one would you rather win: the fans or the annual maintenance disruptions?

#9 it’s built that way to allow for the fans to blow the air out of as much window as possible, as to not be perhaps blocked by an adjacent building. Though I can’t imagine anyone would live right next to that…

A more effective strategy might be to get an activist politician to get a grant of money specifically for the purpose of noise abatement. But that isn’t a near term solution for those of us who have to put up with the jet engine drone — and yes — it’s back this weekend.

I’m struck by the “Manhattan fans won’t work” excuse. Can’t hurt. And maybe we can take turns so we only have to give up four hours of sleep a night — or one out of every two nights.

These grants are the the set-asides in legislative session we hear about in the papers (pork) — though this is obviously not a good year for it.

The city council should be pushed and so should the state legislature; once the MTA gets the money and its dedicated by law to only the 49th Street noise abatement construction project, then it will happen.

Give the eyesore that the outlet is — the legislation should also include a strategic “masking” of the site. If you have ever seen the ones in Brooklyn they look like brownstones; even the neighbors don’t know what they are. This is often sold as a security issue. Terrorists cant find the fan plants when they look like houses; see this link to the NYTimes article describing the Brooklyn solution:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404EED81130F935A15751C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

C’mon MTA and Mayor Bloomberg — what’s good for Brooklyn is good for Queens — and ultimately is good for New York City!