The NYC Department of Transportation summonsed the owner of a Throggs Neck mini-mall for painting yellow lines along both sides of a driveway curb cut that is supposed to be a maximum of 15-feet-wide according to NYC Department of Buildings regulations.
The owner of the mall that contains a 7-Eleven and a mobile phone provider at the corner of East Tremont Avenue and Barkley Avenue was issued a summons by the DOT for Defacement of the Street after allegedly painting the curb along East Tremont Avenue yellow, presumingly to effectively expand the width of their parking lot’s entrance/exit.
The summons was issued on Thursday, April 25 to the owner, listed on DOT records as The TSG Grat 4 LLC C/O Gladstone Development Corp, said DOT spokesperson Alana Morales.
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto said he called on DOT to crack down on the owner’s improper elimination of important curbside parking spaces.
“When I went to 7-Eleven two weeks ago, I noticed that the curb was painted back about 20 feet on both sides of the curb cut,” said Benedetto, adding that he alerted DOT to the situation. He believes that as many as two parking spaces were jeopardized by the paint job.
Benedetto believes the lines were painted to widen the driveway, he said.
“I believe that the only entity that can legitimately paint yellow lines on a curb is the DOT,” added Benedetto.
DOB spokesman Andrew Rudansky stated that the according to records, 3508 East Tremont Avenue was constructed in 1961, and has a permit for a 15-foot curb cut to access the parking area in front of the commercial stores.
There weren’t any 311 complaints or enforcement actions concerning the curb cut itself, he stated.
He said that the defacement of the street is also under DOT review.
The size of the curb cut was clearly marked in the property’s original building plans when it was filed.
A representative for the mall wasn’t immediately available for comment as of press time.
