CB 1 hears Bankside’s groundwater remediation plan
BY JASON COHEN
In an effort to be transparent,
a luxury housing developer
spoke to Community Board 1 last
week about its plans to conduct
water treatment at its mega million
project in the south Bronx.
On Tuesday, February 25,
representatives from Brookfi eld
Properties revealed what it will
be doing at 101 Lincoln Avenue
in Mott Haven. BOP 101 Lincoln
Ave. LLC submitted an application
to the NYS Department of
Environmental Conservation
for dewatering and groundwater
pumping operations, which
requires a State Pollution Discharge
Elimination System permit.
The treatment will begin in
the second quarter of the year.
The property was once used
for coal storage and as a vehicle
repair, paint shop, blacksmith
shop, bus depot and crane yard.
“This site is a brownfi eld site
with known contamination and
you have to have a treatment system,”
said Joe Mahon of Subsurface
Consulting Services. “The
developers are very well aware
of all the contamination on the
site.”
This is part of Bankside, a
$950 million, 4.3-acre mixed-use
multi tower development located
along the waterfront in Mott Haven
. Bankside represents one of
the largest private investments
ever undertaken in the borough.
A series of pipes will be inserted
vetically into the contaminated
construction site that will
pump the ground water into the
water treatment system, before
being fl ushed into the Harlem
River. This process will continue
for a year.
Soils at the site consist of historic
fi ll materials to a depth
ranging from fi ve to seven feet
below the surface followed by
salty sand and peat layers.
Mahon explained this cleanup
work is required by the state.
Charlie Howe, a senior associate
at Brookfi eld, explained the
process is quite common on former
industrial sites.
“There’s tons of development
all along Long Island City,” Howe
said. “We think it’s a trend here
in NYC. For a long time NYC
turned its back on the waterfront.
As a society we’re learning
the importance of being by
the water.”
The towers will be interconnected
by a low-rise base spread
across the two parcels. All the
towers will be 25 stories, except
for the one on the 2401 Third Avenue
site, which will be 17 stories.
The construction, which has
now begun, will occur in two
phases, beginning with more
than 450 apartments on the site
at 2401 Third Avenue, expected
to open by the end of 2021.
There will be a public waterfront
park and esplanade on the
Harlem River shoreline. Brookfi
eld will also make substantial
improvements to the shoreline
bulkhead and enhance upland
connectivity to the river.
Bankside will consume two
sizable parcels located on each
side of the Third Avenue Bridge
along the Harlem River – at 2401
Third Avenue and 101 Lincoln
Avenue. There will be 462,000
gross square feet of development
at 2401 Third Avenue and 950,000
gross square feet at Lincoln. The
Third Avenue parcel will have
three towers and 101 Lincoln Avenue
will have four towers.
There will be more than 1,350
apartments, 30 percent of which
will be income-targeted through
the Affordable New York program.
Brookfi eld Properties paid
$165 million for the site.
3 BRONX WEEKLY March 8, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Crespo, Cabrera shake up the county’s political landscape
BY JASON COHEN
The political landscape in the
Bronx is changing.
On Friday, February 28, Assemblyman
Marcos Crespo, the
Bronx County Democratic leader,
announced he would not seek reelection
nor run for borough president,
the position, which many
thought he was eyeing.
Crespo has served in the assembly
since 2009 when he won a
special election to replace Ruben
Díaz Jr., who became borough president.
In 2015, Crespo was elected
chair of the Bronx County Democratic
Committee, replacing Carl
Heastie when he became Assembly
Speaker.
With a wife and two young
daughters, it is no surprise the
39-year-old wants to step back.
“When I fi rst interned in the
NYS Assembly for then Assembly
Member Ruben Diaz Jr., I could
never have imagined what doors
would open,” Crespo said in a statement.
“I will forever cherish the
privilege my community has given
me to serve. The Bronx is and
will always be my home. To have
worked alongside such an amazing
community and hard-working colleagues
in government and helped
lead the many improvements we
have seen in our Borough is nothing
short of a dream come true.
I’m grateful to every single person
who over the years supported my
efforts, mentored me and believed
in the leadership and vision we
brought to this work.”
According to NY1, he is headed
to work for Montefi ore Medical
Center.
Then on Sunday, March 1,
Councilman Fernando Cabrera,
who has served on council since
2010, dropped out of the Congressional
race against Alexandria Ocasio
Cortez and put his hat in the
race for borough president.
Cabrera, 55, said he didn’t want
to split votes with moderate Michelle
Caruso-Cabrera nor have
people become confused with two
Cabreras on the ballot.
“I will fully support Michelle
Caruso-Cabrera,” Cabrera said.
Furthermore, with many years
under his belt as a elected offi cial,
he feels he is ready for his next
challenge as borough president.
“I’m very well suited for the job,”
Cabrera told the Bronx Times.
The biggest issues he sees in
the Bronx are affordable housing,
economic development, health disparities
and crime.
Assemblyman Marcos Crespo shocked everyone when he announced he is not
seeking re-election. Photo Courtesy Robert Jaccoi
Cabrera touched on the highly
controversial cash bail. He said
that keeping everyone in jail is not
the answer, but neither is letting
most people back on the streets the
same day they are arrested for a
crime.
“We still need reform, but it
needs to be sensible,” he said. “We
can’t have people committing three
crimes in one day and be out on the
street. At the same time we don’t
want people in jail that shouldn’t
be in jail because they couldn’t afford
the bail.”
Cabrera, who is a father of two
and has fi ve grandchildren, has
been a pastor for 32 years at New
Life Outreach International in
Kingsbridge.
Ultimately if elected, he hopes
to continue to lead the borough in
the right direction.
“I have been about empowering
people and I have a good track record,”
he said.
Councilman Fernando Cabrera announced he is running for Bronx borough president.
Photo courtesy of John McCarten
Joe Mahon, an environmental consultant, speaks on Tuesday, February 25 to CB1
about the water treatment plan for 101 Lincoln Avenue at Bankside.
Schneps Media Jason Cohen
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