Station Road Civic Association

Goodnews Church Shutdown

 Bad News For Goodnews As City Shuts Church

The Department of Buildings has slapped a vacate order on the Goodnews, New York Church at 171st Street and Northern Boulevard in Flushing. The church was deserted on Tuesday with every door posted.
   The order for the two-story building was issued on Friday following an inspection performed the day before.

   DOB inspectors found numerous fire safety violations at the site, including inadequate exits and no sprinklers.
   The building had been converted from a synagogue into a church without obtaining a new Certificate of Occupancy or a Place of Assembly permit. A commercial kitchen had been installed without the required permits.
   Other violations posted include no proper light and ventilation in the cellar and obstructed exit doors.
   According to Rhea O'Gorman, Station Road Civic Association president, the church accommodated a revolving population of up to 100 live-in tenants at a time. The tenant's children were enrolled in the local elementary schools.
   "There have been ongoing complaints for years," said Chrissy Voskerichian of the civic group.
   To lift the vacate order, the building's owner must hire a licensed professional to correct the violations and submit plans to the DOB.
   The DOB did not include the first floor office in the vacate order, because it was found to have adequate exits.
   A member of the church, who asked not to be named, said that of four exits, only one had been blocked. All the exits have now been cleared.
   Calls to the church's pastor were not return by press time.