Silvercup Studios putting the brakes on; CUNY stepping on the gas

I hope the Silvercup project never sees the light of day.

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: 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: 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.