CB 1 against proposed Mott Haven development
BY JASON COHEN
As property owners eye
the Mott Haven section of the
Bronx like already gentrifi ed
areas of Brooklyn, some members
of Community Board 1
are fi ghting back and opposing
a large-scale new development
proposal in the community.
On Sept. 8, the Community
Board 1 Land Use Committee
unanimously voted down a letter
of support for an application
that is seeking variances
regarding the height, frontage
and the need to rezone the
property for mixed-use and
manufacturing. Residents of
the area expressed concerns
about the lack of affordable
housing in the plan and the
height of the proposed building,
which is slated for 180 E.
132nd St.
The applicant proposes to
construct one 15-story residential
building with two connected
segments, with approximately
176,965 square
feet of fl oor area, 224 units
and a height of 157 feet. The
maximum permitted building
height is 120 feet under current
zoning regulations, which
raised concerns from committee
members who simply don’t
want a building of that size in
their neighborhood.
Myra, a resident, said the
development project, if approved,
would overburden the
FDNY due to the addition of
more traffi c and congestion in
the area.
“My concern is the height of
the towers is going to be really
high,” she said. “It’s a really bad
design. This is not helping anyone.
We have people who are losing
their homes. We’re talking
about the middle working-class
people.”
Under the proposal, the units
would be set at market rate, but
board members seemed clear
in who they believe the project
is catering to — young professionals
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,2 SEPT. 17-23, 2021 BTR
working in Manhattan.
Other committee members
questioned why there weren’t
any ownership properties being
built such as single-family and
town homes.
“A tale of two communities,
us north of the Bruckner
and other higher income to the
south,” said resident Cesar Voc.
“They will block our views of
the waterfront.”
Richard Lobel, the attorney
for the applicant, said he appreciates
the feedback and planned
to address the concerns with
the developer. “We’re happy to
make revisions to our plan,” Lobel
said.
The proposed fi rst fl oor
would contain residential lobbies,
mechanical space, a gym,
indoor pool, outdoor landscaped
yard, as well as a glassenclosed
walkway between the
two building segments. The second
through 15th fl oors of the
development would each contain
eight dwelling units, with
a total of 56 studio units, 56 studio
plus-offi ce units, 56 one-bedroom
units and 56 one-bedroomplus
offi ce units.
The second fl oor would feature
units opening into amenity
space that contain private
terraces. The proposed cellar
would contain vehicular parking
for 128 cars and would utilize
double stackers, as well as
123 parking spots for bicycles.
Additionally, the property,
which is the home of a former
rail yard, does not connect to a
street, so a variance is needed
for frontage. To resolve the
frontage, the applicant also
proposes to construct a vehicular
and pedestrian access road
along the dimensions of the existing
easement.
The property would also require
remedial investigations
in connection with the state
Brownfi elds Cleanup Program,
which has indicated signifi -
cant subsurface contamination
that requires remediation before
construction can begin —
including the excavation of 15
feet of soil for the entire length
of the site.
The full Community Board
will discuss the plan later this
month and the applications
are scheduled for initial public
hearings on either Nov. 15 or 16
before the NYC Board of Standards
and Appeals.
A new development proposed for Mott Haven would construct one 15-story residential building with two connected
segments in area that has already ungergone a transformation. Photo Courtesy Infl ight Solutions
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