WPCNR Southend Times. By John F. Bailey. August 8, 2006: At the monthly meeting of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, during discussion of the North Street Community project, subject of Monday evening's Public Hearings at the Common Council, opponents of the project discussed their reservations about the 390-unit independent senior living project proposed for the former St. Agnes property.

Marc Pollitzer, of the North Street Civic Association, repeated his remarks of Monday evening, expressing concern that New York Presbyterian Hospital was poised to request similar special special zoning, should the special zoning district requested by the North Street Community ("Planned Senior Residential Development") be approved by the Common Council. Pollitzer added that he felt the North Street Community was too dense and suggested that it should be cut back to 200 units instead of 390 as the developer plans. Pollitzer said that if the PSRD zone was approved that "you'll see one neighborhood after another" be threatened with projects asking to be zoned a special district.

Carl Albanese, of the North Broadway Civic Association, mentioning how the Cappelli projects, the Pinnacle, and the Avalon Bay project have been approved, said the North Street Community project was a test case for the community that the city and the Common Council must be convinced to stop because of the significance it has for future development and encroachment on the outer neighborhoods. 

Manelaos Rizoulis, President of the Wyndham Close association, (after  repeating his neighborhood concerns about the density of the project), said that Wyndham Close would be supportive of the project if it were scaled back by about half. "Half" to Mr. Rizoulis, he said, was defined as one half of the 390 independent condominium units proposed plus the 40 asssisted living units and 80 long-term care units proposed for the former St. Agnes Hospital building.  Rizoulis told the CitizeNetReporter his idea of "half" of this figure would make for 230 units.  Rizoulis said this would be acceptable to Wyndham Close.

Asked if the building of some 66 homes on the 22 acre site by the developer would be an acceptable alternative to Wyndham Close, Rizoulis said it would. The 66 homes number (3 homes per acre), what is allowed, Rizoulis said by the present R1-12.5 zoning. WPCNR is checking on this.  (WPCNR has learned from C.J. Follini, one of  the partners in North Street Community that Toll Brothers, www.tollbrothers.com, a major housing developer has previously inquired about the availability of the property.)