Lefferts Place Threatened by Healthcare Developer
A company wanting to build an out-of-context low-income independent living facility for seniors on a lot at 86 Lefferts Place that runs through the block to Atlantic Avenue has residents up in arms. The company, CNR Healthcare, is trying to get the block rezoned from R6B to R7A to enable them to build the center…
A company wanting to build an out-of-context low-income independent living facility for seniors on a lot at 86 Lefferts Place that runs through the block to Atlantic Avenue has residents up in arms. The company, CNR Healthcare, is trying to get the block rezoned from R6B to R7A to enable them to build the center under Section 202 of HUD only a couple of years after the entire area was downzoned to prevent something like this happening. The juxtaposition would be particularly jarring given that the new six-story building would be plunked down between the landmarked yellow house at 70 Lefferts place and the old green house at 96 Lefferts Place. Ouch! According to residents who’ve tried to work towards some kind of compromise, the company has shown no interest in working with the community to create a more palatable alternative, opting instead to push for a rezoning. The whole thing sounds pretty darn shady to us and we hope that there will be some politicians who stand up and oppose it. In the meantime, you can express your opposition to this spot-rezoning proposal by signing this petition. GMAP P*Shark
When Jane Jacobs lived on Hudson St. it wasn’t the fashionable boudlevard it is today. Most of the buildings were still manufacturing plants. The change in the far west Village didn’t start until early 80s when Jerry Kretschmer (sp?) converted 505 Hudson – the first residential make-over west of Hudson St. & by that time JJ was long gone.
What’s the point in having zoning at all if it can be overturned so easily. The whole point of zoning is to ensure the quality of life in our neighborhoods is reasonable with regard to noise, parking etc. This makes no sense at all. We already have several large apartment buildings on the block. Something has to eventually go into that spot. NO ONE is arguing the senior citizens point. If they built it to the current zone, no one would be having this conversation. The other thing that really annoys me is that they are railroading us into a decision. CNR wanted us to approve it on the spot the night we met with Cb2, John Dew coming out saying that CB2 are in support of it, and basically said take this or you might end up with a methodone clinic??! He also lied to us saying that there was no landmarking application in, when we knew that to be completely untrue. I thought the community boards were supposed to be on the side of the community.
“I agree with you about that building on Washington What. Hideously out of context and way too big for the surrounding neighborhood.”
Oh I’ve got something better Wasder! You better hope the money does not run out and they finish it! There are ton of Condos where the financing has blown up!
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
I agree with you about that building on Washington What. Hideously out of context and way too big for the surrounding neighborhood.
“What, Clermont Greene is on Myrtle, a street zoned for such developments so there is no inconsistency there. I agree with bxgrl and others that this could be built for its intended purpose and be in context and that would be a good result.”
Im talking about that Clusterf*** on Washington between Myrtle and Park! Down the street from Kum Kau’s..
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
only the Yellow house in landmarked. The green house is not because at the time only the yellow one was in peril.
It seems that whenever there is an initiative for Clinton Hill, Lefferts Place gets left out in the cold. We were left out of the Landmarking district , we were not part of the initial phase of new parking regulations (but we are in phase 3), and now we’re getting pushed out of the new zoning regulations put in place to encourage affordable housing on Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street. Which is made all the more possible because we are not landmarked.
But that is a different can of worms as I am not aware if landmarking prevents zoning from being overturned? But I suppose it would require other regulations and probably keep CNR away as they do not want to spend the money required to make such a facility.
brokestone- interesting. Question- is the block part of a landmark district? Or at the 2 houses individually landmarked?
What, Clermont Greene is on Myrtle, a street zoned for such developments so there is no inconsistency there. I agree with bxgrl and others that this could be built for its intended purpose and be in context and that would be a good result.
bxgrl,
CNR has a sweetheart deal on a lease that they signed on this property back in around 1995 or so. It took a few years for them to organize and once they did the market truly took off in NYC. The landowner then tried opt out of the lease agreement. That court case was just settled in February. So they now have a lease at way below market prices, and new zoning laws. But they don’t have a valid argument regarding the zoning laws that were in place in 2000 because no certs were issued by DOB. So now they have to conform to zoning laws. They will take the HUD money, which is not based on how much they have a lease signed for, build what they can build and disperse any leftover HUD money as to the members of CNR. They don’t take the extra HUD money and put in extra facilities making this the best senior housing complex in town.
They don’t care about location. Most of their facilities are located in the Bronx in non residential or large zoned areas. They took us on a bus tour to show them to us. Not one area had anything to do with community or making seniors feel like part of one. Everything was about exclulsion. They are actually going to stick a sitting garden in the BACK of this proposed facility, away from local residents, next to the WHITE CASTLE and a proposed new nightclub 2 doors down from there. They don’t care about noise from Atlantic avenue.