Queens Synagogue Skirted Law by Selling Building
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The New York State Attorney General’s office has found that the Bayside Jewish Center did not follow state regulations in selling its building to New York City.
The northeastern Queens synagogue was sold last month to New York City’s School Construction Authority, to be used as a high school, according to the Queens TimesLedger. But the synagogue did not file a required petition informing the state attorney general of the proposed sale prior to finalizing it. The petition would have allowed the attorney general to review the sale and make sure it accords with the law.
“By rushing to sell the Bayside Jewish Center, not only were the nearly unanimous objections to the proposal ignored, but so too were the regulations governing it,” Democratic State Sen. Tony Avella, who asked the attorney general to examine the sale, said in a statement, according to the TimesLedger. “The attorney general can’t review the deal’s compliance with the law if he was never presented it in the first place.”
According to the TimesLedger, locals are concerned that the new school may be too big and could lead to increased traffic.
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