Dorm storm continues, sewers to be upgraded

Saying “If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things differently,” the builder of a controversial dormitory for St. John’s University recently met with community members, activists and media, in an attempt to quell opposition to the project.
David Belt, managing partner of H2H Residences, Inc. said at an afternoon briefing on Tuesday, January 29 that the confidentiality agreement which was a part of his negotiations with St. John’s was “a mistake” under the circumstances, although such agreements are not unusual.
Belt’s company bought the property from another developer, the Kamali Corporation, which had planned to build apartments at the site, at 72-14 Henley Road. “I was planning to build a community facility there all along,” he said.
Because of the agreement, university representatives were unaware of the negotiations while they were saying the university “had no plans to build off-campus housing” at monthly “discussion” meetings with the community.
When the university announced that they would be leasing a dormitory from H2H, it was seen as a betrayal. State Senator Frank Padavan, an implacable foe of the project called it “a distinction without a difference.” Local civic leader Kevin Forrestal insisted that “This construction is clearly inappropriate and their position is inexcusable.”
Protests by Padavan and City Councilmember James F. Gennaro, who also represents the district, led to several stoppages at the construction site, as both the Department of Buildings and Environmental Protection (DEP) reviewed the impact and the plans.
Belt declared, “We’ve done extensive studies and even though DEP said our project would not (overload) the sewer system, because of the Jamaica rezoning there may be some (overload) downstream. H2H has agreed to do our part to share responsibility for sewer upgrades in the area.”
When asked what, specifically his company would have to do, Belt said, “I don’t know what DEP will want - we’ll take care of it.”
By means of a sophisticated slide show, Belt pointed out that the construction was fully compliant with zoning, and he pointed out steps they had taken to reduce the impact of housing as many as 485 college students on a block of mostly single family homes.
Among the “mitigations” are the addition of seven more “detention tanks” to collect rain water and seep it into the ground instead of the sewer, elimination of any above-ground parking spaces, moving the entrance to a 4,200 square foot courtyard at the side of the “C” shaped building and extensive plantings to both conceal and quiet the grounds around the dormitory.
Plans also call for fencing, two security stations and placement of numerous security cameras around the property, to discourage “inappropriate behavior” around the dormitory.
Additionally, university officials have said they will consider allowing overnight on-campus parking for dormitory residents, who would then use a shuttle service planned for the site.
In response to charges by Padavan and others concerning incidents of drinking and drug abuse by St. John’s students, officials insisted the numbers were misleading. “There are a dozen of us in this room and if they found a can of beer here, it counted as 12 reported incidents,” one official claimed.
In the community meeting later that day, the presentation was repeated for the “discussion group” which regularly meets with community activists and Henley Road residents.”
Contrary to published reports, the meeting was “nearly cordial” and reports that residents “walked out” were overblown, according to a source at the meeting. “It was nearly over. The neighbors sat quietly while community representatives talked about ‘mitigation,’ after which they expressed their complete opposition to the project. Then they left,” the source said.
Gennaro, who “stayed until the end” supported that view, and told The Queens Courier, “The community’s one and only objective is to prevent the construction of this facility. I will do everything in my power to help the community realize this objective.”
Less than three years ago, the City Council revised the zoning law to remove “faculty housing” from the community facility definition. However student housing was specifically included.
Gennaro said “That was a mistake,” and said he would seek to eliminate such structures from the zoning provision in the future.