Queens Church Could Close Over Permit Troubles, Deacon Says

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- After operating for more than a decade without a certificate of occupancy, a Queens deacon said his church is being ordered to get one or get out.

But that's easier said than done for the Local Christian Assembly church, who has tried for years to get the certificate from the NYC Department of Buildings and was rejected with no explanation or advice, said Deacon Frank Puma.

Puma said the Forest Hills church is now "at a loss" for how to obtain the CO. He stood before Community Board 6 members at their meeting Wednesday night hoping for some advice.

"For at least 10 years we've been trying to get a CO," Puma told board members. "We’re still in a position that we haven’t been able to obtain one and get any kind of direction as to how to get it."

Puma said the church, located at 94-08 70 Ave., received a summons in late 2017 from the DOB to "obtain a valid Certificate of Occupancy or discontinue illegal use of the occupancy." He believes it stems from a failed inspection from the agency for a CO, which certifies a building's compliance with the area's building codes and other laws.

"The inspector didn't say why, the paper just said 'Failed,'" Puma told Patch. "I asked to find out why we failed and how can we improve it and I haven’t heard back. That was about 2-3 months ago."

Puma said the church failed to get all the required permits for a certificate of occupancy when it was first built in 2003, which new board members have tried for years to fix with no luck.

"I came on about five years ago and hired a lawyer and an expeditor to go directly to the board and tell us exactly what we need and how we get it," Puma said.

A DOB spokesman could not confirm how many times the church filed for a CO, but told Patch there was still "quite a bit of work" that needed to be done for the building to be safely occupied when their last request was filed in December 2016. He said DOB records show no work had been completed on the building or put up for inspection since then.

"We would encourage the church to have a frank conversation with its construction company about how to move the project along more quickly," he said.

But Puma claims it was failing an inspection for a sidewalk building permit that prompted a DOB surveyor to issue the violation, which stated that the church had altered the building without a valid CO.

"I'm not exactly sure what we altered - I mean it's been 10 years," he said. "He (the inspector) wrote down the job number, but that doesn't mean anything to us."

The DOB spokesman encouraged the church to have "a frank conversation with its construction company about how to move the project along more quickly."

"We have project advocates in our Queens borough office who are ready and willing to assist the church in getting all necessary approvals once the work is done," the spokesman said.

Puma said the church will have the opportunity to plead their case in person to the DOB in late February.

"I'm very nervous," he said.

CB 6 members did little to calm those nerves, largely meeting Puma's requests for help with silence.

"It was kind of disappointing," he said. "I don't see why they couldn't recommend an attorney or something."

But Puma said he still left the meeting feeling confident after two city council members' representatives approached him afterwards and offered to help.

"At least I'm getting information about who to speak to," he said.

Lead photo via Google Maps.