St. Savior's Still Zoned Manufacturing – Not My Fault Says Owner
As reported by our friends over at Queens Crap:
http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2007/12/developer-lies-about-st-saviours.html
From the Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2007/12/05/2007-12-05_decision_to_scrap_housing_plan_may_end_i.html)
The owner of a historic church site in Maspeth has abruptly scrapped a controversial plan to build housing there – a surprise move that ironically increases the likelihood the church will be demolished.
Maspeth Development LLC’s proposal to construct 27 multifamily units on the 1.5-acre property of St. Savior’s Episcopal Church had met with stiff opposition from residents and civic leaders, who wanted it to be preserved and its once-wooded grounds turned into a park.
Yet the sudden withdrawal of the residential plan has imperiled the church’s future – and may lead the property to be developed for industrial, manufacturing or retail purposes.
The owner of the St. Savior’s property, who spoke to the Daily News yesterday on the condition that his name not be used, said he was rebuffed recently by city planners in his effort to get a zoning change to allow for a residential development.
“We were given some indications that it wasn’t going to have the support of City Planning, so it was just time to pull the plug,” the owner said.
The unexpected pullback from the residential plan came less than a month after The News reported that indicted City Councilman Dennis Gallagher had been lobbying behind the scenes in favor of the residential plan.
The developer said he first wanted to clear the entire property, but Gallagher brokered a compromise that would have preserved the church in return for concessions from the Department of City Planning for increased density.
Yet in all this finger-pointing, one important point gets lost – the developer bought the land knowing it was zoned for manufacturing with no guarantee of being able to build anything but! Too bad he couldn’t see through the $ in his eyes… (to be continued)