‘McMansions’ pit neighbors vs. dream homes
By Magdalene Perez
Special to amNewYork

July 17, 2007
When John Hsu broke ground on his dream home in his suburban Queens neighborhood last December, he didn’t anticipate the backlash that has since come from neighbors.

Long-time residents of the historic Broadway-Flushing neighborhood have accused Hsu of building twice the size allowed by zoning, and suspect he may intend to break a law banning multifamily housing.

“I can’t believe you would need that much cement for a one-family house,” said Thomas Lucas, a resident who has lived down the block for 40 years. “It looks more like an A-bomb shelter from the 1950s.”

Unwittingly or not, Hsu had stepped into the center of an increasingly outer-borough-wide dispute pitting “McMansions” and their owners against old-guard residents who want the unique character of their well-kept suburban neighborhoods preserved.

“These are neighborhoods that are organized and have the resources and architectural importance to deserve landmark status,” said Paul Graziano, president of the Historic Districts Council, a preservation advocacy group.

Neighborhoods as far flung as Richmond Hill, Douglaston and Bayside Queens; Midwood, Brooklyn; the Rockaways; and parts of Staten Island are endangered by development, said Graziano, who added that more than a dozen districts outside Manhattan are seeking landmark designation.

Despite the good intentions of preservationists, the push for protection often pits neighbors against each other. More than a dozen residents showed up to protest the construction of Hsu’s house last week, supported by City Councilman Tony Avella.

Avella called the two-story concrete building – complete with plans for an indoor pool – an illegal “mega-structure.”

Neighbors claim the building breaks several zoning codes, but the Department of Buildings insisted the structure is legal. A July 3 complaint that Hsu had built beyond the 3,000-square-foot limit was resolved last week with the conclusion that “work was being conducted as per approved plans,” the department said in a statement.

Hsu, who works in the construction business, believes the pressure put on him has less to do with his house on 161st Street and more to do with unspoken fears about a largely white neighborhood changing as Korean and Chinese neighbors move in.

“What I want to know is why are they giving me so much of a problem,” Hsu said. “I want to build a better house for myself. Is that a crime?”

With the Buildings Department on his side, Hsu’s house will likely see completion. But if preservationists have their way, Broadway-Flushing and other neighborhoods could soon be protected by landmark designation. An application to landmark Broadway-Flushing is already in the second phase of review.

For some Broadway-Flushing residents, landmark status would be a change that can’t come a moment too soon.

“This is one of the only neighborhoods left that’s just so beautiful,” said Theresa Arminas, a resident and organizer for the Broadway-Flushing community.

“We need some formula to keep the green space and keep it the way it is.”

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.