Silvercup Studios putting the brakes on; CUNY stepping on the gas
The planned Silvercup Studios $1B development project, Queensboro Br, LIC
Interesting article this morning about stalled development projects. The reasons vary – seems hard to just blame everything on the credit crunch, but it’s definitely more of a trend now compared to a few years ago. Here’s the news about LIC:
…it has also been confirmed that the practice’s 185,000m2 Silvercup Studio complex on the Long Island City Waterfront is on hold. The $1 billion (£500 million) mixed-use development, which won approval in mid-2006, has stalled due to issues over protracted land sales and the delayed removal of power plants from the site.”
Meanwhile CUNY’s going forward with the dorm:
“The development at 5-11 47th Ave. would have 400 total residential units, half of which would be for public rent and the other half will be divided between 188 graduate units and 12 faculty housing units at street level. It would also include a 6,000-square-foot office for the QCA and an open courtyard for art displays.
CB 2 Chairman Joe Conley said the board approved the plan with some stipulations. CUNY, for example, has agreed to never sell the property, he said. Conley said the board also asked for 20 percent of the non-student residential units to be offered as affordable housing, though he was not sure if the developer would agree.”
Silvercup Studios development project on hold [Daily News]
CB 2 OKs divisive plan to build 13-story tower [Times Ledger]
ConEd has a $100 for western Queens blackout victims [Daily News]
Flux Factory in Flux [Artnet]
Crime Report for 114th Precinct – LIC [Times Ledger]
Well this is encouraging. Assume these issues can eventually be addressed and the project will get back on track. Assuming Con-Ed cooperates and removes the power plant that they said they would remove years ago.
Is there any precedent in NYC for Con Edison (or KeySpan) ever taking a power plant out of service? They’ll extract their pound of flesh, you can bet on it.
I thought the power plant has been removed, but that it took much longer than expected and once they were able to test the soil, they found some problems that they first have to deal with.
Last I checked the plant was still there. Been a while since I’ve been in that area though.
Went by it today, they’re still there.
The community board has approved Cuny, but the BSA has not voted on Cuny. THIS IS NOT A DONE DEAL! It is postponed until May 20th. If you have objections please go to the following sites and let it be known!
For the DCP: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/home.html
Once on the page click “Contact the Chair” and fill in the form 150 wds or less.
For the BSA: http://www.nyc.gov/html/bsa/html/home/home.shtml
Once on the page click “Contact the BSA” and fill in the form 150 wds or less.
#7 Thanks for the update. I will go there to register my support for this project.
By supporting this project you are an enabling a developer who knowing full well he was purchasing a contaminated site to take advantage of the community. In the following ways. Using economic hardship as an excuse for the remedaition so that he could then turn and use Cuny and QCA as eye candy to build their luxury housing. The power broker for this was on Nixon’s staff and place both sides of the coin. This give O’conner two huge tax breaks that come out of my pocket. Driving up prices of land and rents. Setting dangerous presidents for other developers to flout zoning. Adding to the already lacking sewer system, transit system and school system. This only puts money in the developers pocket, and Cuny’s. By the way this is a money maker for CUNY, don’t fool yourselves on that one.
This is not what they present. It may seem harmless but is not.
It’s harmless. I don’t care if its a CUNY dorm, a high end condo, retail, office, whatever. Just build it. Whatever they do can’t be worse than a contaminated empty lot. If CUNY makes money in the process, good for them, but the neighborhood comes out ahead. Vacant lots serve no ones purpose. No one is flouting zoning. They are doing this by the letter of the law. Zoning variances are granted all the time. What lack of sewer? This is news to me. CUNY students don’t need public schools – they already graduated.
It is not harmless. The issue is not about Cuny or QCA . The issue is that a developer who paid 24 million dollars for a site he new was contaminated is now crying poverty over the 3 million dollar remedial clean up, therefore seeking a variance. The community worked for over 6 years with Amanda Burden to keep the zoning reasonable. (ha) And why are we supposed to sit back and let them change zoning again? If the developer couldn’t afford the remediation, he should not have bought it. He should respect the current zoning which is 5 stories. Letting him get a variance sets a dangerous precedent for the upland community. The developer gets 2 huge tax breaks and burdens the community where infrastructure is shameful. The professors who get this moderate rate apartment will be paying taxes on the difference of market rate. So while they are getting a break up front there are still hidden costs. This project should not be allowed. This about another developer taking advantage of a community. As well a CUNY making money, not form education……but from real estate.
If you do not think there is a sewer problem in Astoria and L.I.C., you haven’t been here long enough. Wait until your basement turns into 3 feet of water and you lose everything and let’s see you make the same statement.
Our laws are outdated and they are being raped by overdevelopers. We are all suffering because of it. Development IS good, if it respects the native community and the infrastructure, overdevelopment DESTROYS it and the established tax payers suffer and LEAVE.
Suggest you review C.U.N.Y. pockets of death on the Web. Get a camera, go through the Victory Blvd. entrance at The College of Staten Island, make the first left towards the tennis bubble/track park and get on the track. About 100 yards off the left turn you will see dead trees – continue around and the pockets of death are absolute, without mother nature involved in the destruction. It ends running alonside the ball field, but it doesn’t end just here. Go through the rear entrance and the landsacaped garden in front of you by the gate has massive dead trees – grass can gow on toxic, trees can’t. and as you continue around – just amazing……….pictures do not lie – people in need of the cover up do.
What killed them – the long rumor of illegal dumping has been echoed by many, and those that said NO – review C.U.N.Y. cesspool of retaliation on the web or why offices of diversity and compliance and a hotline was established to protect whistleblowers on the frcuny web, that in the real world do no good.
And the water —–just take 2 filters for hot water and pour it through a machine for a few days and hopefully that problem was corrected. What killed those trees, and we are talking about huge, been around trees and no where else is this death happening to our environment in all of Staten Island??????
If DORMS and ground is to be broken in Novemeber of 2008 at The College of Staten Island – for kids yo live on, if illegal dumping was and has taken place with the College Officials allowing it to save money, if the water is questionable or carrying pollutants that can harm – I need answers to those pictures first.
As I read the above articles – with contamination sites at several locations where dorms are to be built – my children play at C.S.I. and I have asked myself about the mass of dead trees that surround the ball field.
If there is any truth and knowledge which I am sure must be, I will take pictures to show you the reality of this. I count 220 trees in one area alone – and if dorms are to be established on contaminated soil, I hope someone looks into this and can publish a reasonable answer in a newpaper or on the televison.
I am more concerned about the fields where students congregate, play ball and especially the soccer field as you enter. I viewed the back entrance as outlined, all this grass and dead trees directly center as you go in. I walked over to the astronomy lab and in back, grass and a huge dead tree, with many more dead surrounding it. What is under the grass needs to be checked, not the dorm site, which I guaranty is safe, especially with construction that removes the contamination – if at the proposed site.
I am sure where they will build dorms has been checked and those in need of the dorms to be built will advise it is safe and tested. What about the fields that are not dorms – are they safe?
Years ago, I would drink tea and stopped using college water. Seems the filters collected some unsightly scum after filtering several pots of water, and I went to bottled only. So as much as there was dumping at the college, I would like to know what was in that landfill that killed those trees and for the sake of all of us, is the water safe?
And the proposed dorms in Queens on contaminated soil? – is that the plan at The College Of Staten Island?.
For a College that expresses concerns over going green and the environment, this is just an extension of what seems to business as usual when complaints are registered. I hope someone looks into this and advised the landfill was not used on the playing fields students, soccer, and little leaguers use.
I visited the College yesterday, with several associates. Water was coming up on the field inside the track, and massive puddles on dry day scare me, unless we had a broken sprinkler, but I did not see a system while walking on the field. Did take pictures of several employees with their pantspulled and rolled up as they walked in the slop.
Invite the Mayor to bring a blanket, and park out under the dead trees near the soccer field with a picnic lunch might bring this all into proper perspective. Is the ground our kids play on, walk on, and hang out on – contaminated? And the landfill that killed trees, what was i n it, and if the water is still coming up from the ground on the field, perhaps a drink and an explanation such as we heard at ground zero will be acceptable. And after the meal Mr. Mayor, we can walk it of where the walkway through that area is now closed – scary shit if my kids go there and an answer would be nice.
I would expect core drillings and samples where the dorms are to be built are OK for building on. Heck, the same people advised us that the air is safe at ground Zero and we accepted it.
Dorms are about money -
November 25th. 2008 – Staten Island Advance – small fire in building 6 on campus.
“Fire Department Haz-Mat units are decontaminationg four firemen who worked in putting out a small fire in building 6 at The College of Staten Island in Willowbrook”.
I am in need of true answers – as to WHY? and WHY? and not the replies we heard after 9/11 with safe air and ground.
With 2 kids that go there and much reported lately, I need honest answers.
Is there anyone on the campus capable of doing that and taking responsibility for what they say?
There are issues that should have been looked into that were set aside, and my kids safety, long term needs answers.
Read “small fire at College of Staten Island” in the Advance dated 11/25/08.
I read the blogs. “potable water”, known problems, trees, and the recent hazmat that the way I read it had 30 vehicles. A bunson burner was left on, and the fire started in the exhaust and this is played down as nothing.
Seems nothing happened before, seems cover up just adds new meaning and the safety of students ? takes a step back to the politics of the campus.
Go to The Advance Web
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I hope the Silvercup project never sees the light of day.