Tell Bd of Standards & Appeals What You Think

This is slightly modified from an e-mail by Park West Village neighbor Win Armstrong:

Please consider sending a letter, by Friday, January 2 if possible (later if necessary.)

Residents and neighbors of Park West Village have an opportunity to express our thoughts on the PWV development now before the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA.) Letters should arrive by mail or fax, or e-mail (e-mail is limited to 150 words) sent to by January 2, 2009 if at all possible. Make sure you refer to CASE NUMBER 149-08-A and the address: 808 Columbus Avenue. (See below for the address and fax number.)

Later letters may still be useful. A BSA decision is currently calendered for February 3.

Click here to see the letter - with terrific photos - sent by the Park West Village Tenants Association.
The issues under consideration are:

(1) OPEN SPACE: Whether the open space in the Columbus Avenue building lot can be allocated by the developer such that residents of the new building (808 Columbus Avenue) get open space on the roof of the new buildings plus the on-the-ground open space, while residents of the other buildings on the lot (784, 788, 792 Columbus Avenue) get only the on-the-ground open space, diminished by the new building.

This issue was well described in both Daniel O'Donnell's and Scott Stringer's testimonies to the BSA on December 16. (Click here for summaries and transcripts.)

The Board's decision could set a precedent for who gets to decide future allocation of open space (now available to all residents on the lot) -- both in PWV and elsewhere. It could also influence the developers' decision on whether to build yet another building on the same lot.

(2) ZONING USE GROUP: Whether Whole Foods and the expanded 3-block shopping area from 97th to 100th Street should be categorized for Use Group 6 (such as a neighborhood grocery store) or Use Group 10 (store(s) that provide a range of services and enlarge traffic.)

• If Use Group 6, no review process is required.
  
• If Use Group 10, a review process is required.

Many of us in Park West Village think that for projects as large as that undertaken by the developers (i.e., the four new buildings in PWV, underground garages, and 3 blocks of stores), a review process should be entailed. It is not too late to undertake such a review process, and at least some of the more difficult matters might be diminished. If you wish in your letter to refer to some of the other issues that concern you, you are welcome to do so.
_______________________

It is important that we in PWV and the neighborhood are seen to care. If you are willing, please also send a copy of your letter to Jean Golden: gldnjn [ type in an @ sign] aol [type in a dot] com . We will compile and share the ideas, which may be useful as the whole question goes forward, in BSA and in other domains.

Letters should be sent to the address below, to arrive if possible by mail or fax by Friday, January 2. Note you are referring to Case 149-08-A, 808 Columbus Avenue. Mention Park West Village. Address your letter to:

Ms. Meenakshi Srinivasan, Chair
NYC Board of Standards and Appeals
40 Rector Street, Ninth Floor
New York, N.Y. 10006
Fax: 212-788-8769

You can also send an e-mail by going to http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailbsa.html
on the BSA website.

Thanks!

- Win Armstrong