PUBLIC HEARING ADDENDUM

Submitted by ub on

The City Island Civic Association wants you to know that on January 15 a public hearing will be held by Community Board 10 as part of a process called ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure), in which applications affecting the land use of the city are publicly reviewed. Application goes to Board 10, Borough President, Department of City Planning (DCP) must pass it, then City Council can, and the Mayor signs. The renewal of the sidewalk café permit for Sammy’s Fish Box will also be discussed.

What is the Community Board and what is their role?

Community Board 10 is made up of volunteers who serve on various committees; the Zoning and Housing Committee is the one that deals with ULURP permits and once they hear our comments, they will vote on whether to support the application or not. That decision will then be voted on by the full board for a vote on January 16.

The Community Board has supported us on the bridge design and wrote a support letter for our cause last year.

What is expected of those who attend?

Our comments must be relevant to the application, not to the design unless that impacts the actual application. Because DOT representatives are unlikely to attend, we should speak passionately on the issue but not in an unruly manner.

Residents will be asked to sign in before speaking; those who speak out of turn may be asked to leave or the hearing may be closed down.

What is DOT requesting in its application?

The application on which we will comment is C 140128 PQX (filed Oct. 11, 2013), in which the DOT has requested the “acquisition of permanent and temporary easements in private and state property for the construction of the bridge and improvements to the seawall and esplanade.”

These easements include the following: the delineation of a bridge corridor on a portion of Pelham Bay Park; the delineation of a bridge easement over Eastchester Bay; the narrowing by elimination, discontinuance and closing of a portion of City Island Avenue between City Island Bridge and Kilroe Street; the establishment of a park between City Island Bridge and Kilroe Street; and the adjustment of grades necessitated thereby.

According to the DOT Draft Design Report of August 2011, “The proposed action requires the utilization of approximately 4,716 square meters (1.17 acres) of mapped parkland in Pelham Bay Park, on the western end of the project. Of this area, all but 2,157 square meters (0.53 acres) is currently used by the existing bridge. The additional property will be required for the wider replacement bridge.” The acquisition of parkland necessitates the legal processes of State Alienation Legislation, which was approved by NYS in 2006. DOT failed, however, to proceed with ULURP, until the recent lawsuit required that this be done before construction can begin.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CommunityBoard10/