Waterpointe worked out?

From the Times Ledger:

After the Whitestone community raised concerns about soil contamination, elected officials and local leaders met with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and developers of the Whitestone Waterpointe project to discuss the future of the venture moving forward.

Last week, state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal (D-Flushing) and members of Community Board 7 and the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association, were able to talk to DEC and developers from the Edgestone Group about key issues facing the 18-acre waterfront property, located at 151st Place and 6th Road.

Avella wrote a letter to DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos requesting a meeting with the commissioner to find out why DEC permitted Edgestone Group to modify the soil cover requirement from Track 2 Residential to Track 4 Restricted-Residential and why DEC allowed the change without first discussing it with elected officials, CB 7 or community members.

Last week’s meeting allowed for a dialogue and Avella said that while there are still a few items that remain to be concluded, he and Rosenthal were able to talk the developer into agreeing to bring in additional “unrestricted” or “virgin” soil so that homeowners will be able to grow vegetables in their garden. Avella said they were also able to have the developers agree that all monies placed in escrow to maintain the environmental monitoring system, which will require a yearly report, will remain with the homeowners association at the end of the original ten-year escrow agreement term.

For now Avella and Rosenthal said they will urge the developer to increase the monies to be held in escrow to ensure that the new homeowners will not be burdened by the expense of the environmental monitoring system. While the senator said he was pleased that the developer agreed to put in unrestricted soil, he is convinced that the current dollar amount planned for the escrow account is inadequate and will prove to be too little over time.

DEC too lax with Whitestone brownfield cleanup

Great report by Ryan Brady in the Queens Chronicle:

In September, the Department of Environmental Conservation changed the brownfield cleanup program track for the Waterpointe development planned in Whitestone. A Track 2 residential cleanup was first planned for the site, where a single-family housing development is planned.

But after the agency discovered that material at the site used as fill did not meet the residential use soil cleanup objectives, it changed the project to Track 4 restricted residential use, a less stringent one. And though the DEC initially had said that single-family homes could no longer be built there, it reversed its stance after Community Board 7 protested.

The agency decided to stick with Track 4 restricted residential use when it reverted back to the single-family housing plan. And while the DEC told the Chronicle that the option is permitted when the homes are controlled by a common entity, as the Waterpointe ones are planned to be, Whitestone resident Robert LoScalzo believes that the agency cannot allow them to be built with that track.

As proof, he points to the sheet that the DEC sent CB 7 when it initially changed the brownfield cleanup and said that single-family homes could not be built. It said, “Restricted residential use provides for common ownership or a single owner/managing entity of the Site, however, single-family housing is prohibited.”

According to LoScalzo, allowing the one-family homes is “a bastardization of what they’re obligated to do under the regulation.”

To further back up his argument, the Whitestone resident pointed to a set of DEC regulations that became effective in 2006, which also says that restricted-residential use does not allow one-family homes.

The agency has also said that the Edgestone Group, the firm that owns the site, was responsible for the fill that led the track to be changed. LoScalzo wonders why the company was not punished at all for using it. “By virtue of dumping material there, they failed to comply with the standards for Track 2 cleanup,” he said. “Why are they so easily off the hook by DEC simply changing the cleanup to Track 4?”

We hear LoScalzo was present at Senator Avella's event yesterday at the Waterpointe site, and addressed the press separately afterward. Stay tuned for more because it looks like he's not done yet.

DEC wants less extensive remediation at Edgestone site

From the Queens Chronicle:

When the Department of Environmental Conservation notified Community Board 7 that single-family homes could not be built at the Waterpointe development on Whitestone’s waterfront, it didn’t go unnoticed.

The Edgestone Group, which is planning to build 52 single-family homes at the site, is participating in the DEC’s brownfield cleanup program. The agency had said on Sept. 20 that fill used to replace contaminated soil at the site was not of the quality required by the type of cleanup being pursued there, which is called Track 2 residential cleanup.

So, a DEC Fact Sheet went on, “it is appropriate that the remedy be modified to a ‘Track 4’ restricted residential cleanup.” Which, the agency continued, applies only to “multi-family residential housing with restrictions that prohibit housing without a common controlling entity responsible for maintaining the [institutional and engineering controls].”

Not exactly music to the ears of a community board that has been adamant about the Waterpointe development being single-family homes.

CB 7 First Vice Chairman Chuck Apelian and board member Joe Sweeney were alarmed when they saw the message from DEC.

“We got this notice — Chuck saw it, I saw it and I said ‘This is impossible, because that’s not what we negotiated,’” Sweeney said at the board’s meeting on Monday. “We negotiated those 52 homes.”

He called the DEC. And ultimately, the agency agreed to allow the single-family house plan, though the restricted residential Track 4 will still be used.

Sweeney told the Chronicle that the DEC informed him the fill described in its fact sheet that resulted in the track change had been placed there by Edgestone.

CB7 wants Waterpointe property rezoned

From the Times Ledger:

Community Board 7 is looking to rezone the Waterpointe site in Whitestone because it contends the developer did not provide a deed restriction ensuring that only homes are built at the site. The developer maintains that it has provided the board with everything it has requested.

At its monthly board meeting Nov. 9 at the Union Care Plaza Center at 33-23 Union St. in Flushing, the board recommended that the 18-acre site, on which 52 single-family homes will be built, be downzoned specifically for residential family homes.

Gene Kelty, CB 7’s chairman, said the developer, Edgestone Group, did not provide a deed restriction for the site at 151-45 Sixth Road.

“Now that they didn’t do what we asked them to do, which was a deed restriction, and we’re not positive they’re going to build exactly what they said they were going to build, that’s why we want to change the zoning,” Kelty said.

Joseph Sultana, an architect who represented Edgestone Group at the CB 7 board meeting, said that when they met with the board early in October, the board asked them to provide a notarized letter from the property owner stating that the developer will put in place a deed restriction.

He said the board promised to vote on the special permit for the property in return.

The developer sent the letter to the board for approval but did not hear back. The board then decided to table a decision and told Edgestone that it wanted a deed restriction, he said. Sultana said the developer e-mailed the board a copy of the deed restriction it requested Nov. 4 but at the Nov. 9 meeting, they were told that the deed restriction was not good enough.

CB7 wants restriction on Waterpointe site

From the Queens Courier:

Members of the Community Board 7 Zoning Committee on the Whitestone Waterpointe redevelopment project recommended last week renewal of the project’s special permit on one condition: that the deed include a restriction that no more than 52 homes could be built on the 18-acre site.

The Waterpointe development has faced community opposition in the past due to proposed changes that would have seen 107 townhouses built on the space instead of the originally planned 52 single-family homes. As most of the townhouses would have been two-family buildings, this would have resulted in a total of 203 units in the space, or around four times the original amount.

The changes were abandoned after an uproar from community board members and civic groups, and developers have since gone back to the original plan.

The project’s architect, Joe Sultana, was at the meeting representing the site owners, the Edgestone Group. He brought with him a letter of intent from owner Gavin Feng, in which he indicated that Edgestone would not build more than the agreed-upon 52 homes. [Joe] Sweeney, however, said that he would not accept anything less than a legal deed restriction to allow the renewal of the special permit with the City’s Board of Standards and Appeals.

A decision on whether or not to endorse its renewal must be made as soon as possible so that the project can be presented to the public in the next CB 7 meeting scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19.

Waterpointe site back on the market?

From the Queens Courier:

An 18-acre waterfront property in Whitestone earmarked for the development of 52 single-family homes has been listed for sale by commercial realty company Cushman & Wakefield.

The property — located at 151-45 Sixth Road in Whitestone and known as Waterpointe — is currently owned by Edgestone Group, which paid $11.3 million for it in 2012. Cushman & Wakefield broker Stephen Preuss confirmed that the agency has been exclusively retained to arrange the sale, which is marketed to buyers looking to carry on Edgestone’s plan of building 52 homes and a waterfront park.

The property is listed to be sold “as-is.” Buyers would take up the burden of arranging for environmental cleanup of soil vapor which has been recorded to have elevated concentrations of aromatic and non-aromatic chemical compounds. Additionally, new owners would be tasked with mitigating any potential threat these vapors could pose to a residential community.

According to Preuss, the sellers did not name an asking price and are requesting proposals from potential buyers.

“Like any smart property owner, they’re seeing what the market has to yield currently,” Preuss said. “We’re in a very active market and there’s not a lot of large-scale, bulk land available in the boroughs.”

When contacted by The Courier, Waterpointe architect Joe Sultana disputed that the property was for sale and implied that he believed the listing to be unauthorized by the development team. Sultana said that to his knowledge the project was continuing as planned, with a meeting to discuss details of the development scheduled for September with members of Community Board 7.

Sunday rally at Waterpointe site

The Waterpointe developer now claims that he will stick with the original plan to build 52 homes, but I wouldn't buy it. We Love Whitestone will have a Sunday afternoon rally at the site.

Developer changes plans for Whitestone site

From the Wall Street Journal:

Developers of waterfront sites throughout the city are building towers as high as possible, but the New York-based development firm Edgestone Group is taking a low-density approach in Whitestone, Queens, in response to pressure from the community.

Edgestone Group has decided to scale back its plans to build housing on an 18-acre waterfront site, one of the largest development sites in the borough. Last month, the developer presented a plan to the local community board to build 107 mostly two-family townhouses on the site overlooking the East River.

But after what project architect Joseph Sultana concedes was “a barrage of complaints,” Edgestone has decided to revise its plans to include an undetermined number of single-family homes. “We are back to the drawing board,” said Mr. Sultana.

The concession, unusual for a developer, underscores the strong anti-density sentiment in this middle- and upper-class enclave, distinguished by single-family homes and views of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Residents typically view increased density with caution, said Joe Sweeney, chairman of the community board’s consumer-affairs committee.

Whitestone to rally against development plan

From We Love Whitestone:

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday May 17 - 1PM

We Love Whitestone will be holding a RALLY on May 17 at the location at 1PM. I will be setting up an EVENT INVITE - share with your FB friends, share it with your neighbors....please come and support your community..show everyone WE HAVE A VOICE!

Pretty much everyone is opposed to Edgestone plan

From the Queens Chronicle:

A long-delayed construction project has Whitestone residents, elected officials and Community Board 7 furious at the developer for trying to change plans from 52 single-family houses to 107 townhouses.

The Edgestone Group recently met with CB 7’s Land Use Committee to discuss its plans to build the townhouses with 203 units on the waterfront at 151-45 Sixth Road.

At the recent meeting, representatives told committee members that the development of remediation plans with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to move the contaminated soil took longer than expected.

“The owner has been flip-flopping for two years and now they say they don’t have to build the waterfront park,” said Chuck Apelian, committee chairman. “They have no credibility.”

CB 7 District Manager Marilyn Bitterman said Edgestone has not filed plans with any city agency and if it wants to proceed with the additional housing it will have to go through the public review process. Back in 2008, the area was rezoned from manufacturing to R3-2.

Apelian agrees, adding that he believes the developer will clean up the site and then flip it for more money to a new owner.

He noted that area elected officials are totally against the Edgestone plan and “I think the developer will listen because no one want it.”
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) said that Edgestone “is declaring war on the community” and that it is unacceptable to challenge the pre-approved plan. “This kind of threat will not be tolerated,” he added.

He and Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) don’t always see eye to eye, but in this case they are in agreement.

“Quadrupling the amount of units and eliminating the waterfront park is a direct attack on Whitestone’s quality of life and I stand firmly with our community to call for the developers to abandon their ill-conceived plan,” Vallone said.

Developer wants 203 units on Whitestone lot

From a press release:

State Senator Tony Avella today called on the developer of a vacant lot in Whitestone to immediately abandon recently-announced plans to construct more than 100 townhomes on the property.

Edgestone Group, LLC, which owns the 15-acre lot located at 151-45 6th Road, announced at a meeting Tuesday night that the company plans to build 107 townhouses on the empty site, formerly known as the Bayrock property. This plan would bring a total of 203 new residential units to the neighborhood, nearly four times the number of units that was agreed upon in 2008 when the community board and City Council negotiated a plan for 52 single-family homes to be constructed at the site.

Last month, Senator Avella issued a warning against developers who may be preparing plans to build high-density housing at this site. The surrounding community has joined Senator Avella in expressing strong opposition to any construction outside of the originally agreed-upon plan for detached, single-family houses that will coincide with the existing character of the area.

“This developer is declaring war on the community. When I was a City Councilman representing this area in 2008, the neighborhood made it very clear that they would not accept the construction of anything other than single-family homes at this site. That sentiment was supported by the Community Board and City Council when they approved a plan for 52 detached homes to be built. It is unacceptable for a developer to come in and challenge that plan, and this kind of threat to the neighborhood will not be tolerated. It is time for us to take a stand against overdevelopment once and for all. Enough is enough. We are prepared to fight this project proposed by Edgestone Group and will not stand to see another residential area succumb to overdevelopment,” said Senator Avella.

Here's more from the Queens Courier.

(I'm sure Paul Vallone is about to put his foot down. Just wait for it...)