Developer scales plan down to 72 units from 187

From the Times Ledger:

The plans to construct three additional structures on vacant green space adjacent to Bell Apartments in Bay Terrace have changed to accommodate about 36 two-family homes, according to the architect.

Bell Apartments is a five six-story building, 300-unit co-op located near Bay Terrace Shopping Center.

Anthony Colletti, chief operating officer for Cord Meyer, said the original plans were scrapped for reasons of feasibility and community opposition.

Shareholders at the presentation in January told Cord Meyer war stories about the current parking situation and that adding 187 extra households would create too much deadlock, even with a new underground garage to match the number of units. Residents were relieved when the development company reduced the plan to 36 two-family buildings, Colletti said.

“It didn’t make sense for us either,” Colletti said. “It wasn’t working out financially, so we scaled it down and [the shareholders] were thrilled.”

Since the unveiling of the initial plans, the community has been informed of all new developments, according to Colletti, who added that elected officials such as state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) were kept informed as well.

Bay Terrace may see more development

From the Times Ledger:

The talk around Bay Terrace has been centered on concerns that developers are planning to expand Bell Apartments by putting up new buildings for 187 condominium units.

Cord Meyer Development, which owns the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, said it could not confirm plans to develop the vacant green space across from Bay Terrace Elementary School on 23rd Avenue and 212th Street because they have not been finalized.

But the developers and the architect for the project presented the plans to leaders of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance last month, according to Warren Schreiber, the civic president.

Schreiber said Cord Meyer wants to build the new condominiums on the same block as the five-building co-op Bell Apartments. The original plans for the co-op complex called for seven buildings back in 1961.

The developers want to build shorter buildings to accommodate the 187 proposed units, Schreiber said. He also said the plans call for 187 parking spaces in an underground structure.

Home Goods to replace Bay Terrace Barnes & Noble

From the Times Ledger:

The Bay Terrace Shopping Center will be losing its Barnes & Noble bookstore, which has called the Bayside commercial center home since 1993.

In its place, Bay Terrace owner and caretaker the Cord Meyer Development Company has signed with HomeGoods store, a company owned by TJ Maxx, on a new lease, but said it could not disclose the exact timeline of the move.

HomeGoods did not return requests for comment.

The new HomeGoods store should be expected to occupy the 25,000-square-foot commercial space by early 2016, Cord Meyer Leasing Assistant Joy Mangone said. Renovation of the space is not expected to incur any major reconstruction at the shopping center.

Barnes & Noble Vice President of Development David Deason said the decision to close was beyond the company’s control and a matter of cost for renting the space.

Another tall building for Forest Hills

August 2013:

Coming soon to 71st Road and Queens Blvd: 17 floors and 100 residential units, courtesy of the BSA.

March 2014

Take some small comfort in knowing that the original proposal was for 136 units.

But haven't they gotten the memo that highly reflective glass is bad for migrating birds?

Is the MTA screwing Bay Terrace?

From the Times Ledger:

Riders traveling on the MTA’s Q28 bus from Flushing to Bayside are finding their feet on shaky ground when they arrive at the Bay Terrace shopping center.

For years the owners of the center have allowed the authority’s buses to use its private road, but now they are considering sending the Metropolitan Transportation Authority packing if the city will not pay to repair damages the vehicles are causing to the asphalt.

Cord Meyer Vice President Peter Galletta said he estimates it would cost between $20,000 and $30,000 to install a concrete bus pad, finally putting an end to years of repairing the streets at his own cost. He said he asked the MTA to pay for the bus pad, but the agency told him that the city Department of Transportation was responsible for repairing roads. When he contacted the DOT, he was told it did not fix private roads, Galletta said.

Galletta said he agreed more than 10 years ago to allow the MTA’s buses to turn off of 23rd Avenue onto 213th Place and make a left through the shopping center’s parking lot where they turn onto Bell Boulevard and head back down 23rd Avenue on their return trip to Flushing.

Galletta claims that representatives from the MTA said they would sign an agreement covering some kind of maintenance contract, but that did not happen, and in subsequent years he has written letters complaining about the damages.

Where's the outrage?

From the Times Ledger:

Seven small businesses along Queens Boulevard will not see their monthly leases renewed and will have to clear out of the block above the Continental Avenue subway station to make way for a large national tenant.

The businesses, some of which have been at the same location for nearly 30 years, will have to leave the premises as part of a long-term development plan by Cord Meyer, the owners of the property. But a Key Food on one end will remain open.

“The whole building will be demolished,” said Anthony Colletti, a spokesman for the company. “The new building will be built one story high and house a national retailer.”

Rumors that CVS will be the next tenant were neither confirmed by Colletti nor the pharmacy.

Where are the protests over the loss of small businesses? Why were no elected officials quoted in this article?

Forest Hills stadium won't go to Cord Meyer

From Forest Hills Patch:

At a meeting of voting club members Thursday night, the West Side Tennis Club voted in favor of keeping their historic tennis stadium, rather than sell to local developer Cord Meyer.

The vote was down the middle — 123 in favor and 123 against — well short of the two-thirds majority needed to hand off the stadium's ownership.

Stadium preservationists are already reaching out to the United States Tennis Association to discuss possible uses for the aging facility.

[Club member Christine] Schott added that not everyone who voted against the sale was necessarily against ever selling the stadium, just that they weren't totally convinced the deal on the table was a good one.

From tennis courts to condos?

From the Wall Street Journal:

The West Side Tennis Club in Queens has proposed that a developer with deep local roots transform its famous but aging tennis stadium into luxury condos.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the club was looking to sell the stadium, a decaying landmark that was home to the U.S. Open until the late 1970s. Now the club has disclosed the proposed buyer for the stadium parcel, which is about 2.5 acres, is Cord Meyer Development Co., which could pay as much as $9 million for the site.

If approved, Cord Meyer plans to keep part of the stadium intact and build residential units within the structure. "The facade of the stadium, arches, etc., will be retained and have been incorporated into the design," according to an email sent to club members July 31.

The final purchase price would depend on how many condo units are approved by the city. An informational meeting to be attended by an architect with a model and renderings is scheduled Aug. 10. A vote on the sale, requiring approval by two-thirds of members with voting rights, is planned for Aug. 19.