By Doug Miller
, a Long Beach-based consortium looking to build a 20-unit condo tower at 50 W. Broadway, said he and his partners are using an accelerated community outreach blitz to sell their project to the public.
"Throughout the years, in all my experience of dealing with zoning boards, the one thing they always ask is, 'Did you meet with your neighbors?'" Kupferberg said in a phone interview Tuesday. "So it was just in response to that; it seems smart. Otherwise you get people showing up who are affected by it, crying 'We didn't know!'"
Last year Tech Realty proposed building a 27-unit, 12-story condo tower on the site. The booing the company heard from the site's neighbors was notable even by zoning board standards, and the proposal was roundly denied.
Now the firm has come back with a slimmed-down project - one that still requires four variances from the zoning board - and a new approach. First, there was the community meeting, held on Tuesday night at the site of the proposed development.
Then there was an ad in the Herald, encouraging public discourse and asking for support at Tech Realty's March 29 zoning variance application hearing.
And, finally, there is the Waverunner.
"Besides myself, there are three other people in our partnership who live in Long Beach," Kupferberg said. "We were originally trying to build this plaza, a place on the boardwalk that was a gathering place for people. And we got denied. But we still had this sentiment of wanting to do something for the city."
That something is a Waverunner, a personal watercraft manufactured by Yamaha that the company has donated to the city's lifeguard corps, it said, no strings attached.
According to a statement from the city, "The top-of-the-line, three-seat Waverunner VX1100 will aid lifeguard crews with rescue operations and ocean patrolling, as well as provide support and assistance for swimmers during special water events such as the annual Michael Keifer Swim-Paddle-Run, the John Daly 1-Mile Swim and the Lifeguard Inter-crew Olympics.
"Tech's Chief Operating Officer, Stewart Mortman, explains that the company was considering a gift to the City of Long Beach as a 'thank you' to the community ..."
City Manager Edwin Eaton said he was well aware that the gift could be seen more as a "please" than a "thank you," especially with the announcement coming just before the developers' variance hearing. But ultimately, Eaton said, he did not expect the gift to interfere with the process. "I didn't have a problem with it, since the lifeguards don't vote on the zoning application and neither do I," Eaton said. "And I already spoke to a couple of zoning board members, and I don't think they are that shallow that they're going to let an obvious - and it is obvious in my mind - gift to the city two weeks before their hearing affect their vote."
To be sure, developers frequently attempt to foster good will by making donations to communities in which they build. Donald Trump donated the eponymous ice skating rink in Central Park, for instance.
And this is not the first time Long Beach has received the free use of rescue watercraft. Since John Skudin took over as lifeguard chief in 2004, the city has received several cheap and occasionally free one-year leases from dealers in the region. This model Waverunner generally retails for about $7,500. In the city's statement, Skudin is quoted as saying, "This vehicle will provide rapid response time to emergencies, and in doing so, will help save lives."
Eaton said he received assurances from the developer that there were indeed no strings attached. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that the timing is curious. "The two zoning board trustees I spoke to kind of snickered at the whole thing," Eaton said. "They thought it was quite an obvious ploy, which ... well, I'll refrain from commenting what I think. We accepted their Waverunner, but we gave it some thought first. ... I said, 'Not to insult you, but you won't expect a quid pro quo?' and they said 'Oh, no, no!'"
The zoning board will hear Tech's request for a total of four variances. City building code states that in a multiple-use project - part of which is a health spa - the lot must measure at least 40,000 square feet, while the plan calls for construction on a 17,148-square-foot lot. Second, the building itself must not take up more than 20 percent of the lot, while Tech's building would cover about 40 percent.
The code also requires at least 20 feet of depth between the project and the ocean park, but the plan calls for only 13 feet. Finally, the code requires side yards of 15 feet on either side, whereas the plan does not provide for any.
Should the zoning board grant the variances, it would mean the removal of the last retail space on the boardwalk, at least until the Superblock is finally constructed. The building at 50 W. Park was the home of the old Turquoise Clam Bar, a pizzeria and the SeaDreams by Lorna gift shop, but those shops have remained closed for two years as the owners looked to redevelop.
The plan Tech Realty presented to the zoning board last August was considerably taller and would have required more variances, but it would have kept the retail space.
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
