By Patrick Rocchio
The owner of an unfinished Locust Point development, which has been an eyesore and a hazard to the community for some time now, is being pressured to complete the project.
The site in question, two houses occupying opposite corners of Longstreet Avenue at Hatting and Glennon places, has had a tumultuous history since development began in 2005.
Foundations for three houses were originally constructed at the site after the downzoning of Throggs Neck took effect, and trees that graced the once bucolic landscape were removed.
The Department of Buildings ruled that 80 Longstreet Avenue and the two adjacent homes at 3174 Glennon Place and 3177 Hatting Place did not comply with the new zoning regulations.
In 2006 opponents of overdevelopment, including Councilman Jimmy Vacca, won a major victory as the DOB informed the builder, Boaz Smolarchik of GDY Properties in Valley Stream, NY, that one of the three houses on the 50 x 200 foot lot would have to be taken down.
In the year and a half that has passed since the illegal structure was removed, work has all but stopped, and residents had to fight Smolarchik to repair the construction fence surrounding 3174 Glennon Place to prevent vandalism and trespassing at the site. While the location is now secured with a new fence, the fight to have the project completed continues.
