While area leaders had wanted to see Parkway Hospital converted into something like a medical facility or senior housing, it could become luxury condominiums. File Photo
Developers have their eyes on the footprint of Forest Hills’ Parkway Hospital, which has slipped into despair and now only exists as a shell of its former self since it closed in 2008.
Manhattan-based real estate investor Jasper Venture Group set out to potentially convert the community eyesore into luxury condominiums after initial plans to have the property sold had failed. Jasper, which holds the mortgage on the building, said in a press release it was considering building a residential tower there in the future, which may even include demolition plans.
“Though the hospital is over 100,000 square feet, Jasper wants to increase its size,” the company said. “Rebuilding condominiums from the ground up will breathe new life into the idle site.”
Jasper said the company was looking to sell the property in a foreclosure auction, but it has already hit a few bumps on that road. A company called 70-35 113th Street Holdings LLC initially won the site with its $22 million bid when it was auctioned off at Jamaica’s Queens Supreme Court back in January but was unable to make its payment deadlines after laying down the initial 10 percent down payment, a spokesman for City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) said.
The next closing date for the property was slated for May 29th, a Koslowitz spokesman said, but Jasper insisted it had new plans for the former hospital in case the buyer defaults that could bring “a relief to those seeking a more spacious option to the compact living New York City provides,” the group said. Those plans were not disclosed however, and were not yet filed with the city Department of Buildings website.
“Typical of Jasper Venture Group the former Parkway Hospital will be luxurious, offering its residents a view of the lakes and their own slice of serenity amid the bustling metropolis that is Manhattan,” the Jasper press release said.
But if that is the case, a Koslowitz spokesman said Jasper would need to consider applying for a zoning variance to remove it from single family housing status, under which hospitals are exempt.
Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio has been one of the many mid-Queens natives keeping a close eye on the property’s future as it continued to slip into despair. Gulluscio said he hoped it would be transformed into a senior housing facility, or another site along those lines to make the area more welcoming.
The Buildings Department website showed that Parkway Hospital collected $10,700 in different violations as early as 2009, including failing to maintain the outside of the building and not keeping current with building inspections.
At that time, owner Dr. Robert Aquino tried to reopen the hospital but failed after a long battle with the state in which he argued Queens was in desperate need of hospital care. The state commission later ruled the borough was being well served by existing hospitals.
That same year, Aquino accused then-state Assemblyman Tony Seminerio of setting up the hospital to fail along with former Jamaica Hospital CEO David Rosen and filed a lawsuit against him. Both Seminerio and Rosen were convicted on bribery charges, though the assemblyman died in prison while Rosen received a three-year sentence.
By Phil Corso
