Results tagged “walentas”

The Observer reports that the City Council has approved the controversial Dock Street development 40 votes to 9. The project raised concerns among residents near the planned site at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, plus a renowned historian and some celebrities, who argued views of the Bridge would marred. Others countered that a middle school and affordable would be included—and said the views were only an issue to the immediate area. The Observer notes, "In the end, it showed the savvy of developers David and Jed Walentas, who, with lobbyists Yoswein New York and attorney and former Councilman Ken Fisher, were able to convince the Council to buck its custom of deferring to the local member. (The Walentases pulled their application in a previous attempt in 2005 when it was clear that [Councilman David] Yassky, and the Council, would not approve the building)." Besides Yassky, the no votes were Charles Barron, Tony Avella, Bill de Blasio, Vincent Gentile, Alan Gerson, Eric Gioia, John Liu, and Peter Vallone Jr.

Savor those views! The Brooklyn Paper reports that yesterday "a key City Council committee backed—by a surprisingly wide margin—DUMBO developer Jed Walentas’s controversial bid to build a 17-story tower next to the Brooklyn Bridge, hours after Speaker Christine Quinn reportedly had given her OK." The land-use committee voted 17-4 in support of the Dock Street Development, saying it's in the best interest of the community. While it will include affordable housing and a middle school, some suspicions arose recently, with the release of an internal email, about whether or not another site was ever considered. Queens lawmaker Tony Avella is one of the many opponents who spoke out against the bridge-blocking development, saying, “People are going to go by and say, ‘Who the heck allowed this building to get built?’” And following the vote, DUMBO's Neighborhood Alliance president, Gus Sheha, declared, “It’s clear that this committee today sold the Brooklyn Bridge.” Sigh. The full council will vote next week, and here's a look at the future.

The Dock Street drama continues, and this time it's not about the view. Last night at a 5-hour City Council hearing "politicians focused on charges that the School Construction Authority improperly colluded with the project’s developer," the Brooklyn Paper reports. Apparently there were some questionable internal emails leading some to believe the city's school building agency didn't consider other sites. The paper says the SCA Vice President Ross Holden sent out an email that indicated he was only humoring Dock Street opponent David Yassky, leading the Councilman to believe he was would look at other potential sites for the middle school. The email read, “Now I know that if we don’t do the Walentas project that we don’t really want to do anything else over there, but I think we have to follow up on this just so we can say that the Walentas project is such a good deal." Meanwhile, the agency was unable to answer questions about how much money they would actually save by moving in to the Dock Street development. Despite having many local and celebrity opponents, like Helen Hunt, Gary Sinise, and Ken Burns, Jed Walentas told the paper he still believes his project will pass a full Council vote. To be continued...