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The Monday Rundown:

Delfino lands Fortunoff. Saks is moving out.

Man from Beyer Blinder Belle sees no height problem with Cappelli's towers; promotes identical twin buildings for City Center project. Greer says he expects Cappelli "will have his approvals" by September.

DPW garage cost overruns reach $600,000, which the city will pay. Nicoletti cites need for more expensive footings. Council is "O.K. with that."

City renovations of Eastview on schedule to be completed by October.

Special to WPCNR. CORRECTION: In previous edition of this story it was erroneously reported to us that Bianco & Pepe' would pay for the cost overrun. The corrected story runs below.

By John F. Bailey

CityLine: July 29, 2001

City Hall contacted WPNCR while we were off on assignment last week and reported good news: Fortunoff, wooed doggedly by Mayor Joseph Delfino ever since he took office in 1997 is planning to purchase the Saks Fifth Avenue store on Bloomingdale Road, demolish it and erect a new Fortunoff on the site. Eighteen months is the estimated time of construction, after the Common Council approves the project.

The Fortunoff project is contingent on Westchester County Industrial Development Agency approval of tax incentives, however which will be considered by the IDA August 7. Pending that, Fortunoff expects to present its site plans to the Common Council.

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At the overflow Common Council work session of Thursday, last week, (40 persons squeezed into the Mayor's conference room), the consultant from Beyer Blinder Belle, Fred Bland, told the Common Council that diversity in heights in a city is a successful formula, according to James Benerofe of Suburban Street Dot Com. Benerofe also reports to WPCNR that Bland said that Louis Cappelli, "The Super Developer," would be better off making the twin 32 and 34story apartment residences he is planning the same height.

Bland also advised the designs be identical with a "wedding cake affect" at the tops. Benerofe stressed that Bland took pains to say that he was not condoning the 34 story heights, but he also did not say they were not "too high," either.

In an interesting sidebar, Benerofe reports that councilman Robert Greet said he expected Cappelli would get his approvals by September, as he requested.

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Also at the Common Council work session, it was revealed according to Benerofe that the Department of Public Works garage is experiencing a cost overrun of $600,000, due to the need to use more expensive footings for the foundations because of unstable soil consistency. The choice was dictated by Department of Public Works Commissioner Joseph Nicoletti in the interest of keeping the project on schedule. The cost of the $600,000 overrun will be covered by the city, which will bond for the money, according to Robert Greer, who supplied this information to WPCNR. The Common Council, according to Benerfore, "seemed o.k. with that." Bianco & Pepe', the firm building garage, has a contract not to exceed $6,000,000.

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George Gretsas reported to WPCNR today that the city renovation of the first floor of Eastview Middle School for offices of the White Plains Youth Bureau is on schedule, and is expected to be completed by the end of October.

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