By Rich Bockmann
Neighbors in St. Albans are planning to make their voices heard at the city Board of Standards & Appeals after the community board and the borough president gave lukewarm approvals to an affordable housing project.
The St. Albans Presbyterian Church is seeking zoning variances so it can build a five-story, 64,718-square-foot building at 118-27/47 Farmers Blvd.
The area, made up mostly of two-story homes, is zoned for low, residential development and the church needs variances for its height, floor-to-area ratio, parking spaces and number of units.
Both Community Board 12 and Borough President Helen Marshall gave less-than-full-throated approval to the project, but the St. Albans Civic Association said it is ill-suited for the neighborhood.
“The issue is the magnitude of the project,” said St. Albans Civic President Sharon Johnson. “There’s going to be a surge in population on Farmers Boulevard of about 200 people.”
“The schools are already overcrowded and Farmers is congested,” she added. “I’ve lived there 55 years and you can’t find parking anywhere. Where are all those cars going to park?”
Johnson pointed to the November community board meeting when the project was approved 19-9 with eight abstentions as proof that the proposal is divisive.
The borough president, too, expressed reservations. Marshall recommended the BSA approve the project on the condition that the church reach out to residents near the proposed building.
“St. Albans Presbyterian Church is well-rooted in the neighborhood and has a long record of community service,” the borough president said in a statement. “The church’s project would provide much-needed affordable housing and allow the church to expand its valuable social programs.”
She pointed out that the proposed blueprint calls for a stepped design that should appease community concerns about the building’s heights.
“For these reasons, I believe the church’s variance application should be approved as long as the church agrees to establish and participate in a community dialogue group,” she said.
Johnson said she has collected 100 signatures from neighbors opposed to the proposal and several community members plan to voice their objection when the matter comes before the BSA, though no hearing has been scheduled.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
