For the many FoHiers who have been waiting — and waiting, and waiting — for the big Trader Joe’s opening at the edge of town, don’t hold your breath. When I went by the site a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t see any signs of an impending opening, and now Trader Joe’s is admitting that you won’t be able to get your $3 wine until late September — and possibly even later than that. But look on the bright side: At least this is confirmation that they’re opening at all. It’ll just be a little later in the year, the better for you to slog through the bitter cold and freezing rain on your long, long walk from your presidential co-op on Yellowstone all the way to the Glendale border, you consumerist sheep, you.

Thanks to Forest Hills 72 for picking up on this one — the Daily News has picked up on the saga of the last remaining turn-of-the-last-century townhouses in the neighborhood, so now maybe something will actually happen, or, better yet, not happen. If you’re just tuning in, the entire block used to be lined with the charming, classic rowhouses, but they’ve been gradually sold off and demolished in favor of some truly unattractive office buildings. According to the News, preservationist Michael Perlman is on the case and is pushing for a historic district. For the record, I think that’s an incredibly bad idea — a historic district covers an entire neighborhood, not a specific building. Do we really want all the Austin Street area closed off to new development? It’s very, very tough to think of any architecturally significant buildings on the stretch, and I’d love to see much of the neighborhood spruced up, just not that one side of that one block. Landmarking seems like a much better plan — or am I just not getting how this all works?

Sorry about the lack of posting lately — things have been incredibly busy in all corners of my life. Don’t worry, all good. In any event, I just took a drive in the usual borrowed car down Metropolitan to get to Home Depot — hey, it’s closer than I thought! — and noticed that the mysterious restaurant near Ascan looks just about to open. What’s more, it’s got signage: “My Kitchen Restaurant,” it says, “since 1980.” Google doesn’t do much good on this one because around 20 percent of all restaurants are called “My Kitchen,” but I’m assuming it’s not this place. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to deem the name of the restaurant and the silly, amatuerish font in which it was was displayed Officially Not Promising.

In other probably belated news, 7-11 is up and running, and construction on the exterior of the new Trader Joe’s location looks just about complete, though there’s no sign of the long-awaited TJ’s yet — to an uninformed observer, it looks like a giant Michael’s.

Finally, a little good news for those concerned about the fate of the endangered townhouses on 72nd Avenue: Somebody is actually doing something about the ongoing threat. If you’re getting here late, 72nd Avenue was once lined with beautiful turn-of-the-century rowhouses, but neighborhood ne’er-do-well Frank Bahar has been systematically destroying them, like some cartoon supervillain, and building tall, thin, featureless thumbs in the air in their place. There are only a few left, all on the west side of the street, the east side already having been obliterated. Who will save the day?

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If you’re a Central Queens subway commuter, chances are you’ve experienced service on the Queens Boulevard subway line grinding to a screeching halt because it’s raining. That problem, it turns out, is thanks to 70-year-old sewer pumps that can’t handle such large volumes of water. But believe it or not, such delays may soon be a thing of the past — according to Visionary from the Queens Boulevard Restoration Group, the MTA is hard at work ripping up the BoD and replacing the pumps that lie underneath. They’ve been in the area lately, so perhaps you’ve spotted them. Vis already reports results — no flooding whatsoever after the big rainstorm this past week.

A special added bonus to this project: After the pump replacement is finished in about a year, all of QB will be resurfaced. That was definitely on my list of hoped-for QB improvements, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The official NOVO 64 site now includes floor plans, and if it’s diversity you’re after, they’ve pretty much got you covered. You can buy a 640-square-foot studio — or 2,300-square-foot townhouse. Yes, I said “townhouse.”

No word on prices yet, though we’ve had at least one comment calling the prices “ridiculous,” so maybe I’m missing something. Anyone?

I’d like to throw my hat into the Queens Crap ring tonight with a little gem I spotted a couple of weeks ago on 113th Street around 76th Road but only got the chance to photograph this past weekend. It’s a brand-new Fedders special with the usual red brick and balconies. By and large, I don’t mind it that much — the builders even threw in some window detailing, hardly a given with these things. But what’s that leading up to the second-story entrance?

Yes, it’s a metal, fire-escape-style staircase. Leading from the paved-over front yard up to a weird balcony-cum-porch, the staircase is indisputably the central feature of the building. It’s the kind of super-cheap staircase usually hidden at a building’s back or side to lead down to a dingy basement, but here it is staring residents and visitors right in the face as they walk up to the front. After pouring millions into a building you presumably want to rent out, this seems like an odd thing to skimp on.

One more glorious angle after the jump.

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I love that I found this on a site called “PR Leap” — it’s a PR leap, all right. More information is now available on our favorite mysterious condo development, NOVO 64, including the fact that the office-parkish building in NoFoHi is “The Chicest Address in Queens.” That amusing little claim, which I think the residents of Greenway South might dispute, purportedly comes from the Daily News, though I couldn’t find it on their website. My guess is that either:

• The line appeared in an ad for NOVO 64 that ran in the Daily News, or
• The Daily News referred to Forest Hills in general as “one of the most chic addresses in Queens,” probably in an article that had nothing to do with NOVO 64 or, most likely, its decidedly Eastern European and Central Asian-influenced surroundings.

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Forest Hills 72 has some very disturbing news today. Little more than a week ago, we watched in agony as demolition started on the last charming townhouse on the east side of 72nd Avenue, thanks to Frank Bahar and his insatiable lust for destroying beautiful neighborhoods. Now, heartbreakingly, the remaining townhouses on the west side of the street are for sale, and they’re “perfect for developers.” (Why not “perfect for people who like to own the nicest real estate in town”?) I’m going to go so far as to make a guarantee here: If these townhouses aren’t landmarked, they will be ripped down and replaced with tall, narrow, shoddy-looking office blocks. Bet on it, 100-percent probability, it will happen.

What can you do? Write, call or e-mail to futility.com — wait, no, I mean Melinda Katz’s office. Contact info after the jump.

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A couple of weeks ago, over on the forums, phatcat43 gave all us non-luxury-apartment-owning peons an inside look at the mysterious, do-people-live-there-or-don’t-they Windsor. (I should offer some sort of door prize to the first actual Windsor dweller who identifies him or herself on this site.) Now, from weird Realtor Adrian Moldovan, whose credit-card-like business card I found inside a convenience store on Austin when I stopped in to buy a Pepsi, I give you a slightly nauseating video tour. It keeps repeating itself and spends way too much time lingering on the fitness room — remember, luxury condos don’t have gyms, they have fitness rooms – but for the curious, it still provides a decent look at what’s going on in there. Plus it’s got opera. Is it just me, or do that doorman and concierge look like they don’t see much action?

By the way, Adrian, 50 points off for questionable use of a .tv domain.