By Dan Israeli
, having appeared before the Zoning Board of Appeals on March 29 to seek variances for a 10-story tower.
This time around, Tech Realty's proposal calls for a 20-unit building, as opposed to the 27 units it had in mind last August. William Bonesso, an attorney for the company, said the developer felt that the new project "addressed the comments and concerns raised at the time" by neighbors of the proposed tower.
Nonetheless, residents who spoke at the hearing remained unanimous in their opposition to the project, which would require four variances. Mona Goodman, a former city councilwoman who owns a townhouse across the street, called the developer's claim of addressing the community's concerns untrue.
"Don't be fooled," Goodman told the board. "This application is still too dense."
Density is just one of the issues the developer faces. The minimum required lot area for this type of multiple-dwelling project is 40,000 square feet, and Tech Realty is hoping to build on a lot that measures just 17,148 square feet. In addition, the code requires that the building itself may occupy no more than 20 percent of the lot, but Tech's proposed building would take up 41 percent.
The application also fails to conform with the requirement of a minimum of 20 feet of front yard, with the proposal indicating a front yard of 13 feet. Finally, city code requires side yards of 15 feet, but the developer's plan does not provide any.
Goodman said that the condo tower would significantly affect the character of the neighborhood, extending the "Chinese wall effect" of high-rise buildings on the boardwalk. "The sentiment of the residents is to stop the overdevelopment," Goodman said. "This property is an example of that, and I urge [the board] to deny the application."
Also speaking in opposition to the application was Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford, who pressed the board to listen to residents. "They know best," Ford said. "I think we need to make an effort to slow down overdevelopment, while also considering the day-to-day safety of people who live in the community."
Real estate appraiser Jed Nelson defended Tech Realty's revised proposal, saying that it called for a significant reduction in density and offered greater parking capacity than the previous proposal. He even compared it to other condo towers in the city, including Avalon and the Meridian.
The parking garage became a hot issue at the hearing, as opponents of the application argued that it ran from property line to property line. Bonesso said that while that was true, the same could not be said for the building above, which would be recessed. He went on to say that the building would fully comply with fire code, another concern raised by neighbors.
Another issue that was raised was Tech Realty's gift of a Waverunner watercraft to the city just weeks before the hearing, which was the subject of an article in the March 22-28 issue of the Herald. Goodman said that the gift was inappropriate, but Bonesso said that it had nothing to do with the application. "It's unfortunate that there is a cynical view in this world sometimes," he said. "This matter bears no relevance and is not worthy of discussing."
In a phone interview after the hearing, Goodman defended her claim. "I'm thrilled that Tech Realty donated the jet ski," Goodman said. "It's just that the timing seems inappropriate. It was a transparent gesture on the part of the developers."
Zoning board Chairman Rocco Morelli stated that the gift would have no bearing on the board's final decision.
If the project is approved, the condo units would sell for $650,000 to $1.1 million, according to Tech Realty's estimates, which would net the developer a return on
its investment of between 9 and 11 percent. A decision on the variances is expected to be made at the board's next meeting on April 26.
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
