A former Rite Aid in Queens has been transformed into a nightmare out of “Mad Max,” overrun by booze-swilling hobos, zonked-out junkies and migrants who have transformed the forlorn spot into their own dystopian social club.
The mostly middle-aged derelicts laid claim to the 25,058-square-foot Astoria plot seven months ago, neighbors say — planting Mexican, American and Puerto Rican flags atop the vacant building’s roof and furnishing it with sofas, tables, chairs and foam mattresses.
They’ve since turned the site into a blight, dangling bizarre items from the roof’s edges.
Everything from bras and bicycles, to pool noodles and a Power Wheels Jeep adorn the top of the building.
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“It should be fenced off or something, but the owner doesn’t take any responsibility for it.”
At least eight apparent boozehounds were spotted loitering behind the building this week, drinking and laughing loudly, with two unconscious on the ground.
One man flashed an eight-inch knife when approached by The Post, while another reached for what appeared to be a loose table leg.
They didn’t appear to speak English.
Neighbors said they believe the men are migrants.
“It’s f–king preposterous,” said a lifelong neighborhood resident, as he surveyed the scene behind 47-07 Broadway, which housed the Rite Aid Pharmacy until 2019.
The building has been vacant since September, when a business adjacent to the Rite Aid moved.
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Neither Tehrani nor Moradof responded to calls seeking comment.
Permits have already been filed to expand the one-story building into a five-story mixed-use structure, with housing and retail.
The city’s Department of Buildings objected to the plans in March, without citing a specific reason.
The status of the project is unclear.
Many neighbors told The Post the situation is a tragedy in the making.
“It’s absurd and dangerous,” one worried woman said Wednesday.
“On the weekends, I’ve seen kids playing on that wood pile over there, like it’s a jungle gym. Some of that wood’s got exposed nails, too.”
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“My husband worries there’s going to be a fire, and that firefighters won’t be able to get inside because the whole building’s closed off,” another neighbor told The Post.
“There’s always a drunk passed out here — ambulance, every other day here to pick one or two up,” one of the neighbors explained.
“The city services that get chewed up over here, it’s ridiculous. God forbid we need an ambulance, they’re tied up with these guys.”
The Post watched as a man seated on a soiled blue couch behind the building appeared to sell drugs.
Another urinated out in the open as two teenaged couples walked by, while a third, heavily tattooed man stripped to his boxer shorts and bathed himself with a half-filled five-gallon water bottle.
There have been 163 complaints to 311 about the hellish parking lot and building since Jan. 1, city records show.
Of those, 69 people reported the active encampment, while 36 complained about drinking at the site with another 11 gripes about public urination.
Rite Aid has been embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings since the fall, and shuttered the Astoria location due to sluggish sales.
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The Center for an Urban Future, which keeps tabs on retail chains in New York City, issued its most recent report in January.
Between 2021 and 2023, Rite Aid shut more than half of its Big Apple locations — shrinking from 119 to 54 stores.
During that same period, Duane Reade went from 317 to 211 stores, and CVS closed five stores, dropping to 170 locations.
In April, Rite Aid closed another five stores in the five boroughs, and a large CVS on the Upper East Side ceased operations in May.
While the building’s future remains in limbo, residents told The Post the situation continues to worsen, with garbage piling up behind the building since January attracting rats.
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“These guys are out here, drinking liquor in the open,” a disgusted neighbor said.
“We pay a lot of taxes living here. You don’t see this s–t in the suburbs.”
* Original Article:
https://nypost.com/2024/07/20/us-news/former-nyc-rite-aid-is-now-overrun-by-booze-swilling-vagrants-zonked-out-junkies-f-king-preposterous/?utm_source=smartnews&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=referral
