Three empty lots in Ridgewood will soon be the home to a 17-story, mixed-use building, as developer AB Capstone Builders Corporation announced construction at the site is scheduled to begin on or about Feb. 1.
In a letter to Community Board 5 (CB 5), AB Capstone alerted the board that they will begin working on the three sites located at 54-27 Myrtle Ave., and 336 and 350 St. Nicholas Ave.
“This is a 10-day Construction Notice before the commencement of building construction work at the above mentioned property,” Meir Babaev, general contractor for the project, wrote in the letter. “AB Capstone Builders will commence work on or shortly after February 1, 2017. All work being done is in accordance to construction plans approved by NYC Department of Buildings.”
It is said that the new tower will be home to 130 apartments, with some retail spaces available as well.
QNS reached out to AB Capstone for comment and is awaiting a response.
According to the letter, the construction will cause traffic and parking impacts throughout the construction period. There will be a safe path of travel for pedestrians during periods of sidewalk disruption. The contractor will also maintain access to all businesses during business hours.
Regular work hours for the project are Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, weekend and evening work may be required.
“We are hopeful that the construction will be done very professionally and that it will not cause too much disruption in the community and that they will be respectful to the surrounding community when doing construction,” said Gary Giordano, district manager of CB 5. “This is the biggest building that we will have in the Board 5 area, by far.”
Giordano does not believe that this project will cause as many problems, especially to local businesses, as the Cooper Avenue Plaza project has in Glendale.
“There is certainly a possibility that there will be some problems with construction in that area, including with local businesses,” he said. “They will be doing the construction one phase at a time, unlike what is going on at the Cooper Plaza project. I don’t think they need to replace the water mains on St. Nicholas or Myrtle Avenue, so it won’t have an impact on the businesses that way.”
The site of the AB Capstone building has not been without controversy.
The Ridgewood Tenants Union, along with the 1819 Cornelia Street Tenants Association — a group of tenants of a Ridgewood building — used the site as the end point in their march through the neighborhood, demanding that rental prices stay affordable for the residents already living there.
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