Forest City Asks For an Extra Story on Madison Ave. Project

by Harriet Kline

(May 23, 2006) Forest City Residential has petitioned the Mamaroneck Town Board for more changes to its special zoning permit application. The developer wants to add an extra 12 feet, or one story, to the height of the proposed condominium development project on Madison Avenue. It is anticipated that the proposed building will now be eight stories high (one for parking and seven for residences) and house a total of 138 apartments, 107 with two bedrooms and 31 with one bedroom. The number of moderately priced or "work force" units remains at 9.

Andrew Tung of Divney Tung Schwalbe, the engineering and design firm, appeared at the Town Board meeting on Wednesday, May 17 on behalf of Forest City to request an amendment to the special permit application already reviewed by the Town and Planning boards.

There were only 7 stories in the artist's rendering of the view from Washington Square that accompanied proposals in 2003 for apartments at Madison Ave. Robert Am. M. Stern Architects.

Discussions between Forest City and the Mamaroneck boards have been ongoing for a number of years. As part of the understanding between the Town and the developer, Forest City had promised to build a two-story parking garage on Town Lot 3 on Myrtle Boulevard to alleviate parking concerns of the neighboring Washington Square residents. These concerns had been voiced at public meetings during the environmental impact and review processes.

Since then, according to Andrew Tung, steel and concrete prices have escalated and the cost of constructing the parking garage has more than doubled – from an initial estimate of $1.2 million to the current $2.7 million. For Forest City to recoup its investment, the developer would need to add an additional residential floor to the six already planned, Mr. Tung said.

Councilwoman Nancy Seligson assured residents that these construction realities have been under discussion for several months and did not come out of nowhere. “We are not surprised,” she added.

This is the latest configuration of the Madison Avenue building, which was first presented to the public in 2003 as a rental apartment with seven stories and 186 units. (See: First Looks at the Apartment Project Proposed for Madison.) The project was later switched from rental to condo and scaled back to as few as 135 units. (See: Forest City Proposes Midcourse Correction - From Rentals to Condo.) Nevertheless, it remains the largest among the many multi-family developments currently being planned for the Larchmont/Mamaroneck area. (See: Local Building is Booming: What’s the Impact?)

Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe questioned Mr. Tung about the possibility of a “shadow impact” on neighboring buildings. Mr. Tung referred to a shadow study done during the DEIS and FEIS process and assured board members that an additional story on the Madison Avenue building would not impact neighbors. The new taller building is set back fifty feet farther from its Madison Avenue neighbors than the project envisioned during the earlier studies. Nevertheless, Mr. Tung will be submitting an updated shadow study.

The changes requested will now have to be reviewed again by the Planning Board, which has 45 days to respond. However, the Town Board seemed to anticipate an earlier report and set June 21 for a public hearing to further discuss the matter.

Honoring Local Veterans

In anticipation of Memorial Day, representatives from the Kemper Memorial Park Preservation Fund asked that residents attend at least one Memorial Day event of the many being planned throughout the Mamaroneck and Larchmont communities.

Thomas Amlicke, who served as Town Supervisor from 1979 to 1988, recounted the story of the Kane family, who came to the Larchmont area in the 1830’s. In 1876 the family purchased fifty acres of land in and around Beach Avenue, which was eventually developed as Woodbine Park and is now traversed by Kane Avenue. . Six Kane brothers served in World War II, including Joseph E. Kane who was killed

Student Environmental Presentations

Rachel Pian, a Yorktown Heights High School student whose research has won county and national level awards, and three students from Mamaroneck High School made two presentations dealing with environmental issues (Al Gore – watch out).

Ms. Pian described her analysis of Long Island Sound water during two summers of experimentation. Her analysis of water from beaches in Rye, New Rochelle and Mamaroneck’s Harbor Island led her to the conclusion that current testing of water may not be an accurate indicator of the presence of harmful bacteria. She suggested that current tests that measure E. coli levels may overestimate the degree of dangerous bacteria and lead to unnecessary beach closings.

Lilly Corenthal, Chiaki Kurihara, and Scott Schnur representing the Students for No Air Pollution (SNAP!) initiative at Mamaroneck High School, addressed the Town Board on the subject of air pollution, especially that caused by vehicles.

Citing data from studies at Yale University and the University of California, the students focused on the dangers posed primarily to area children by diesel school buses and other vehicles. The students encouraged the use of filters, alternative fuels and car pooling, and the purchase of post-1995 school buses. In particular, they urged the enforcement of no idling regulations near schools.

SNAP is a student led initiative which operates under the auspices of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC). Adiel Gavish, coordinator for the FCWC, accompanied the students to the Town Board meeting. The FCWC website explains more about the organization and the student initiative.

Front Page

Print This Page
Email this page