BSA grants variance for 17-story QB hotel

From LIC Post:

Defying the wishes of Community Board 2 and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, the Board of Standards and Appeals has given the all clear to a developer to construct a 17-story hotel building at 32-45 Queens Blvd.

The BSA’s approval stems from the YMCA’s application to transfer commercial air rights to Fongtar, a Bronx-based developer that owns a 10,000 square foot lot next door to the YMCA’s Long Island City facility, which intends to construct a hotel.

The YMCA needed the approval of the BSA to modify its existing variance in order for it to sell its air rights. The BSA had to weigh in on the variance since the Queens Boulevard facility was only allowed to be built in the first place as a result of a zoning waiver.

The April 5 approval by the BSA now permits Fongtar to build a hotel three times the size of what would have been allowed on the site without the air rights transfer.

The five BSA board members unanimously approved the YMCA’s application to modify its variance. Meanwhile, in March, every Community Board 2 member rejected it.

Mega hotel will sit next to YMCA

From the LIC Post:

A hotel is likely to go up at 32-45 Queens Blvd. significantly higher than zoning permits, due to a planned deal with the adjacent YMCA.

The hotel will be constructed on a 10,000-square-foot lot, which would ordinarily permit only 20,000 square feet of building space for a hotel. When interviewed by the Sunnyside Post in December, developers said plans were only for a 12-story hotel.

However, the YMCA, located on a 40,000-square-foot property at 32-23 Queens Blvd., plans to merge its zoning lot with the adjacent hotel site.

This maneuver would allow the hotel to stand 17 stories as of right – or 100,000 square feet of building space – according to Jessica Rubenstein, an attorney with Eric Palatnik, representing the YMCA.

Rubinstein also said that the YMCA could transfer its air rights to the hotel, which could bring the total building space up to 140,000 square feet.

The YMCA was granted a zoning variance in the 1990s to open this Queens Boulevard location in the middle of a manufacturing/hotel zone.

Therefore, in order for its deal with the hotel developers to go through, the YMCA needs approval from the Board of Standards and Appeals to modify that variance.

Neither Rubenstein nor the BSA were able to explain exactly how the air rights transfer would work in conjunction with the zoning lots merger.

Far Rockaway YMCA 8 months behind schedule

From the Daily News:

The News got a sneak peek into the $23 million, 44,000-square-foot Y on Beach 73rd St. which is undergoing the final phases of construction. It’s slated to open on Feb. 14, 2014.

The facility was built as part of the Arverne-by-the-Sea urban renewal project. The funding came from the developers, city officials and private dollars.

“We’re building a community in Arverne,” said Gerry Romski, project executive for Arverne-by-the-Sea. “The Y is a very important component.”

Owners of that community will get a free one-year family membership, he said.

Correction: The funding did not come from city officials, it came from taxpayer dollars. And offering free membership to the people who can most afford it isn't elitist or anything. Funny thing is, the last we heard, this place was supposed to have opened this past June and the total cost was $25M.

Flushing Commons to be built in phases

From the Times Ledger:

Civic leaders reacted with skepticism after the city announced Tuesday that Flushing Commons will be built in two phases beginning this fall.

Developers of the long-stalled, mixed-use development are expected to break ground on the project in November, according to the city Economic Development Corp.

The $850 million project has been slated to rise over Municipal Lot 1 ever since a special permit was approved in 2010. But the major players — EDC, TDC Development and Construction Corporation and Rockefeller Development Group — left the parking lot untouched for years with virtually no explanation until this week.

The first phase of the project will include the two community benefits outlined in the original proposal — a 1.5-acre public open space and a 62,000-square-foot YMCA. It will also feature most of the total proposed commercial space, about 350,000 square feet, and about one-third of the housing, or 160 units.

Neither EDC nor the developers had a projected start date for phase two, which includes 450 residential units, 150,000 square feet of parking and 15,000 square feet of community facility space — a zoning designation that allows specific uses that would benefit residents, but is often sought by developers because it can allow slightly bigger buildings.

Because only the southern half of the parking lot will be developed first, the city and TDC maintain that no parking will be lost during the construction process.

$13M YMCA promised by Bloomberg in 2006 now $25M and still not built

Remember all the fanfare 6 years ago over Arverne by the Sea, how it was supposed to transform Far Rockaway from the area full of crap that the city created over the past half century or so into a desirable, middle class community? Part of the plan back then was for a 30,000 sq ft YMCA.

Mayor Bloomberg announced the project November 9, 2006.

The plans for the YMCA call for the construction of a brand new 30,000-sq. foot, two-story building that will have supporting programs and services for 10,000 people. The YMCA plans to offer after school programs and youth sports, including extensive swim instruction and lifeguard training - both firsts for this beach neighborhood. In addition, more than 65,000 square feet of open space will be developed to accommodate the expected expansion of the facility as the community continues to grow. The new YMCA will employ approximately 30 full time employees and 125 part time employees.

“The principals of Benjamin Beechwood, LLC are thrilled at the continuing success of Arverne by the Sea and are excited about the upcoming Y that Benjamin Beechwood is developing that will provide fabulous new indoor recreational space, including a pool, to the Rockaways,” said Benjamin Beechwood LLC Principals Alvin Benjamin and Michael Dubb.

Well, that didn't happen.

Going Coastal reported in 2008 that work was about to start on the Y after the search for an additional $5M to build a bigger facility was halted.

In 2009, the following was published in the Wave:

Work began in earnest last week on the longawaited Arverne YMCA, which is being built at Beach 73 Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard, in the Arverne By The Sea development. Officials say that they hope to have all the piles driven and the building's foundation mapped out before the ground becomes too hard to work in. Then, the builders will come back in the spring to begin the construction process that should take a little more than a year.

That never happened, either.

In 2010, the Daily News reported that additional funding had been found, but that the cost of the project now required the building to be LEED certified, which would have further delayed construction.

Original plans were for a 30,000-square-foot community center. But after about three years of back-and-forth between the community and developers, the YMCA will now cost about $25 million and include two pools and a basketball court, Romski said.

"We're tired of the possibility. We want a reality," said Councilman James Sanders (D-Far Rockaway), who secured the $1.87 million that triggered Local Law 86.

But the city granted a waiver for the project allowing it to proceed. It didn't. A long-promised supermarket finally opened, though.

Fast forward to 2011, and we have this:

Melville-based Racanelli Construction Co. has been picked to build a new 36,600-square-foot YMCA complex at Arverne by the Sea in Queens.

Racanelli’s won the project with a bid of $17.35 million, according to a company statement.

The facility will include an indoor swimming pool, locker rooms, conference rooms, multi-purpose rooms and gymnasium, as well as fitness, exercise and aerobic rooms.

As part of the project, Racanelli is performing extensive site work on the 2 1/2-acre property, consisting of providing 100 parking spaces, enclosed children’s playground, Little League baseball field, outdoor sitting areas and landscaping. Manhattan-based Donald Blair Architects is designing the YMCA project, scheduled to be completed in March 2013.

Which conflicts with the statement currently on the YMCA's own page:

The project is scheduled to be complete by June 2013.

Here's what it looks like today:


What is the over/under for this actually being built, on time and without another drastic cost increase?

Rockaway Y about to get green light

From the Daily News:

A LONG-DELAYED YMCA center at the Arverne by the Sea complex in the Rockaways is close to getting a green light from the city to begin construction.

The Mayor's Office is about to approve the project, which had been in limbo because of a local law that required it be LEED certified because it got more than $10million in city funding.

Ryan Whalen, chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson, said at the inaugural public gathering of the Rockaway Task Force on Tuesday that the city "expects the construction to begin very shortly."

The announcement was greeted with applause by the 60 or so people in attendance.

The city would waive its requirement for LEED certification - which ensures that a building adheres to strict environmental standards.

To receive this waiver, officials with the developer, Benjamin-Beechwood, have been meeting with officials from the Mayor's Office since July to discuss how they could alter their designs, said Gerry Romski, the Arverne by the Sea project executive and counsel.

The designers have made enough alterations to the YMCA - such as using low-flow toilets and more environmentally friendly paint - to significantly improve its LEED ranking, Romski said.

Local Law 86, which took effect in 2007, requires that construction projects that get $10 million or more in city funding be LEED certified.

If the waiver is granted, construction on the $25 million center can begin "ASAP" and can be completed in 1-1/2 years, said Romski.

Rockaway YMCA may be delayed

From the Wave:

The new Rockaway YMCA planned for the corner of Beach 73 Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard has all of its permits and the foundation piles have been driven.

“Permits have been issued and work can proceed,” says Gerard Romski, the project manager for Arverne By The Sea, the developer that is footing some of the bill for the project. “We just have to resolve one last minute issue between the city and the YMCA.”

That issue may well detour the project for at least a year and possibly longer.

The YMCA has discovered a new source of funding that, if it materializes, will allow the local Y to have an enclosed gymnasium, something that Rockaway residents have demanded from the beginning.

That sounds like a positive development, until you factor in the Catch-22.

Adding the roof to the gymnasium raises the cost of the capital project to more than $12 million, which automatically triggers Local Law 86, which was passed by the city council in 2005 and took effect in 2007.

Local Law 86 says that capital projects that include city money with an estimated construction cost of more than $12 million and less than $30 million must be designed and constructed to reduce energy costs by a minimum of 20 percent as prescribed by a very strict set of national standards.

The original plans for the Y do not meet those national standards.

CB7 asking all the wrong questions about Flushing Commons

QUEENS CRAP ROVING REPORTER #2 – DATELINE MARCH 24, 2010
CB7 LAND USE COMMITTEE MEETS AGAIN ON FLUSHING COMMONS

Well, the vote of the full Community Board will be Monday, April 5. The final land use meeting will be tonight, Thursday, 4/1 – April Fool’s Day! Since the mayor wants the project, we know it will go through regardless, but give the members credit for staying late at lots of meetings.

Don’t give them credit for asking the right questions this night let alone understanding the issues. Maybe they realize it’s all a sham and just can’t be bothered anymore. Exception: CB7 chair Gene Kelty, who asked astute questions and wouldn’t take bullshit for answers.

And credit to Land Use chair Chuck Apelian, who must have been having a frustrating evening, as members completely missed the point over and over. Several thought the letter of agreement between the City and then-councilman John Liu stipulated keeping the same exact parking rate forever. Wrong. As it says in the letter – a “cost of living” elevator or 3% annual increases are built in under the cap. Duh, guys.

But no one even seemed sure what document had been the template for CB7’s initial approval of the City’s proposal for Muni Lot 1. Was it the letter? Or…what? If not, what had CB7 spent 2 years’ work on?

And why didn’t most CB7members at the table care about the city abrogating a signed agreement? If Bloomberg’s cabal break their word on this, what can you ever trust them on? Why isn’t that a problem?

Another issue that apparently didn’t rate discussion: the impact on school overcrowding. One thing that did come out: the Environmental Impact Study is specifically designed NOT to measure any impacts that matter or might be negative. That’s why, over and over, the EIS said a one million square foot project would have no impact on the nabe. Oh, and check this out – that measly $2M for the poor, screwed local merchants? They might never see a dime; it may all go to consultants for “an advertising campaign to bring in shoppers.”

It seemed to occur to 2 or 3 folks that the Y will get a sweet deal selling off its Northern Blvd property (to TDC?) and the community will offer Flushing the same programs it offers anywhere else. None of the money the Y gets from the City will be specifically targeted for Flushing. Plus, the Northern Blvd site is as-of-right, so, as Apelian said, CB7 could inherit a problem there, with layout, design and parking concerns. Paul Christian of the Y assured everyone that “the Y knows you’re concerned and we will make sure you are heard during the process.” Uh-huh.

And look who crawled out from under a rock, representing Councilman Koo: James McClelland, ex-councilman Dennis Gallagher Anthony Como’s chief-of-staff. You remember Como...he replaced Dennis Gallagher who was arrested for raping a grandmother in a room above his district office, and copped a plea (to avoid having to register as a sex offender) for “forcible touching.” Nice company you keep, Koo!

YMCA moving to Flushing Commons

From the Queens Courier:

Flushing Commons, a mixed-use development projected to rise in the heart of downtown Flushing, boasts green spaces and amenities for the public, but the most significant public benefit doesn’t show up on the renderings – a brand-new Flushing YMCA.

The Flushing Y is slated to leave its home of more than 84 years, on Northern Boulevard and Bowne Street, for a 62,000 square foot space in the complex.

“This is going to be state-of-the-art,” said William Nelson, Executive Director for the Flushing Y. “It will be a family-friendly facility with flexible-use space.” One of the dedicated spaces will be for an expanded youth and teen center.

When the space is finally completed, the Y will purchase it as a commercial condominium. “The shared-efficiencies of the new construction will really help us,” he said.

“The timing, of course, depends on the completion of the new project and the sale of the existing building,” said Paul Custer, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Greater New York Y. “We need to sell the old building because fitting out a top-tier facility like the one we’re planning is a fairly expensive project.”

Hey, why not sell it to Tommy Huang? Northern Blvd could use another eyesore.