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for larger version       On The Beach There’s a poignant lesson that Ed Re learned early on in his building career. It’s a story he revels in telling and one that perhaps best describes the successful businessman and neighbor he would become. "When I decided to gut and renovate my very first house, one of the first things I did was to temporarily fire the gardener. After all, the place was a construction site. It made little sense to keep up the landscaping until the project was complete. Then, one day my father stopped by to see how things were progressing and the first thing he remarked about was the shabbiness of the front lawn! I explained how I hardly saw the point in continuing the services of a gardener when I felt I had more important and mounting expenditures that had to do with construction costs. My father listened and then stated, "The gardener isn’t for you. It’s for your neighbors."A0And he made me continue to pay the gardener for my neighbors benefit; so that they wouldn’t have to look at an unsightly construction site." As one of twelve children, Edward D. Re, Jr. learned at a very young age the most important ingredient for survival: respect. "You had your own space, your own drawer; and you simply didn’t intrude upon or disrespect the space of your siblings; that is not if you wanted to survive!" Surviving and thriving harmoniously within a large family provided Ed with a certain fierce regard for the neighborhood he affectionately calls home. He sees the Rockaway community very much like an extended family; and that the actions of one can effect the lives of many. "If we can see ourselves more as neighbors with a common interest rather than as adversaries, then we can effectuate a better quality of life. It is our obligation to contribute, become involved, and leave our community a better place than we found it." If Eddie Re sounds whimsically Socratic, make no mistake; for him, it’s a way of life and he encourages others to share his purview. As President of The Rockaway Park Homeowners and Residents Associ ation, Eddie renders his expertise in Building Codes and Zoning Rules and Regulations. He is also a licensed Ar chi tect; but one need only attend a general meeting of the association to see that it is his talent as an Educator,(a Professor at Pratt Institute-Graduate School of Architecture and NYU-Real Estate Institute)that inspires members into the fold. Watching Ed Re in action is very much like the Joe Pesci comedic character in My Cousin Vinny; except unlike Vinny, Eddie is a leading expert in his field and residents come away empowered with the knowledge of how they can affect positive change. As a Builder and Contractor, his com panies have completed more than 100 million dollars in construction projects. He has and continues to offer his Architectural services, pro bono, to anyone who wishes to convert their SRO, class B units, to class A apartments or multiple dwelling into a one, two, or three family home. Two of the many structures that have Mr. Re’s interest are the fate of the former Lawrence Hotel and the old Rockaway Beach Courthouse; both of which have, under the current zoning resolution, lost their legal non-conforming use status. In other words, because both structures have re mained vacant for more than two years and the non-conformed use has not been actively continuing, they have relinquished their legal non-conforming use status making them exempt from current applicable regulations. Therefore, these structures must revert back and comply with current zoning. In the case of the courthouse, it must revert back to residential zoning. According to Mr. Re, "The city left its garbage behind and they are culpable. They should come back here and put up three houses as it was originally zoned for residential use." With regard to the Lawrence Hotel, Re states, "We’re looking for the Building Department to effectuate and enforce the existing zoning resolution stating discontinuance of a non-conforming use." In other words, the Lawrence Hotel cannot be used as an SRO anymore. Since it is situated in the business-seat of the community, our own version of Main Street USA, it is within a C1-2 District, a commercial-retail area surrounded by a residential area. Its use can only be as commercial-retail space on the ground floor with apartments on the upper levels. Another way in which Eddie empowers residents is with the Rockaway Park Homeowners and Residents Association Bulletin. He pens the Housing Corner column where he teaches how to properly express a complaint. "A complaint may be valid; but if it isn’t affected properly, it can cause no effect. It looses its bite and its lost." It’s important for people to come out, get involved, and take an interest in where they live. I try to provide a venue where residents can vent their frustrations and become in formed.A0If you think so little of your community that you won’t spend the $30 to join, then you can’t complain. We’re neighbors. We’re all Pisans! We’re part of an extended family called a community. We have a say in what happens here." In fact, if it were up to Mr. Re, he would rename the organization, The Rockaway Park Neighbors Associ ation; because as he states, "It sounds more caring."A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0A0 ***To "Snowbirds" Mary and Jim Kelly: Although you missed one of the cruelest of winters on record, your contributions around our town have been missed. Welcome home! ***See you...On the Beach!A0A0
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