8 The Courier sun • JUNE 4, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com City Council approves tax breaks for fully affordable Edgemere housing project BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com @LiamLaGuerre The City Council approved on May 27 a Housing Preservation and Development Department grant for a 40-year property tax exemption that will allow the construction of a fully affordable 101-unit planned project in Edgemere. The project, called Beach Green North, will be located on vacant land at 45-05 Rockaway Beach Blvd., and will be 100 percent affordable thanks in part to the tax break. It is being codeveloped by Bluestone Organization in conjunction with L+M Development Partners and Triangle Equities. The planned seven-story building will have more than 93,000 square feet of living space and about 500 square feet for commercial space, according to filings with the Buildings Department. There will also be a total of 35 parking spaces in the building, which was designed by Curtis + Ginsberg Architects and GDSNY. Half of the building’s units will be for families making 60 percent or less of the area median income, according to reports. Developers are hoping to break ground on the project in the summer. Beach Green North will be built with the use of bioswales and pervious asphalt to maximize stormwater retention, which will help prevent sewer system overflows. The building will also make use of energy-saving features and amenities to enhance resiliency against big storms, such as Sandy, which devastated the Rockaways. Councilman Donovan Richards was pleased with those features of the project in addition to its affordability. “This plot of land has been left desolate for decades, but it will now feature housing that offers greater comfort for occupants and an enhanced level of survivability in case another catastrophic storm hits the peninsula again in the future,” Richards said. “This is a great victory for a community of working-class New Yorkers and as further developments come to fruition, I will continue to fight to ensure that the Rockaways remain a place for working families to live, work and thrive.” The project will be the first development on vacant Edgemere beachfront property. Rendering courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP Beach Green North will be located on vacant land at 45-05 Rockaway Beach Blvd. CURES wants to put a lid on open-top rail cars BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport An odoriferous open-top rail car, filled to capacity with construction and demolition debris, has been parked for several weeks in the Fresh Pond Railyard, directly across the street from Glendale homes, raising the ire of nearby residents. Just an orange mesh lies atop the debris of the car at the corner of 68th Place and Otto Road, leaving it exposed to the elements of nature, according to one activist. “When you have open containers like this, you leave the communities open to odors and debris,” said Mary Parisen, chair of Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES) civic group. “The orange top is not sufficient when the railcars are traveling near schools, parks and homes. These open rail cars are hosts for vectors, odors and storm runoff. Our communities cannot be held hostage by the state of New York to these conditions.” “The railroad won’t move it. The rail car has a defect, which is why it is parked here,” she added. “The community shouldn’t be subjugated to vermin, raccoons or even rats. These long, heavy rail cars have been creating structural damage to homes, with The orange mesh covering on the open-top rail car located at 68th Place and Otto Road in Glendale. seismic vibrations, and keeping residents awake all hours of the night.” The rail yard is operated by New York and Atlantic Railway, which leases the site from the Long Island Rail Road for its freight operations. A resident of the area believes that something has to be done about this rail car near his property. “I’m not crazy about that, it’s been here over a week,” said Peter Germano, resident of 68th Place and Otto Road. “They shouldn’t leave it like that. You get a strong wind or some rain and it can get worse.” CURES has urged Joseph Martens, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and elected officials for the complete containerization of all waste moved by rail, not just demolition and construction residuals. “If you put a solid lid on top of the rail cars, you will be protecting the community since they are traveling though densely populated neighborhoods,” Parisen said. “The state needs to be responsible for this.” Photo by Anthony Giudice In May, seven local elected officials, including state Senator Joseph Addabbo and Borough President Melinda Katz, penned a letter to Martens asking him to consider implementing the use of solid lids on rail cars carrying waste near communities. “Additionally, we would like to follow up on the use of hard lids on all freight rail carts carrying putrescible waste,” the letter stated. “The use of solid covers to restrict pollution is a strong measure that would benefit our constituents and all New Yorkers.”
SC06042015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above