BOARD OK FOR LARGER HOMES ON S. SHORE

CB 3 gives approval to zoning plan that expands the size of minimum lots

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

By TEVAH PLATT

STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Let them build big.

The controversial rezoning plan that won the approval of Community Board 3 yesterday favors large, distinctive homes in sections of Pleasant Plains, Prince's Bay and Richmond Valley.

The plan, drafted by City Councilman Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore), would make 5,700 square feet the minimum lot size for new, detached homes-- a 50 percent increase from the previous requirement.

Opponents have said that, by curtailing the subdivision of properties into multiple lots, the plan would diminish the value of hundreds of homeowners' assets.

Advocates countered that the plan, which would allow for two-family housing, ultimately would preserve property values along with the suburban character of the neighborhoods.

"There's a difference between making a profit on selling a home and making a killing on the future of the community," said vocal proponent Dennis Dell'Angelo, president of the Prince's Bay/ Pleasant Plains/ Richmond Valley Civic Association, at last night's meeting, which was held in the CYO-MIV Center on the Grounds of Mount Loretto, Pleasant Plains.

Dell'Angelo railed against overdevelopment and "cookie-cutter" homes, adding, "We're looking at the future, they're looking at their pocketbooks."

Pleasant Plains resident Charles Talley saw things differently, asking as he left the meeting: "How could these people get away with creating an enclave for the rich?"

The rezoning plan includes a provision that would allow the Archdiocese of New York to create non-profit housing for senior citizens on its Mount Loretto property in the future.

After hearing from community members for and against the plan, the full board voted 16-7, with two abstentions, in favor of the plan. The board's recommendation now goes to the City Planning Commission.

In other business, the board unanimously agreed to support an application to change the topography of the grounds of the former Nassau Smelting and Refining Co., Richmond Valley-- moving along a cleanup plan for the brownfield with the stipulation that written approvals be obtained from the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Environmental Protection.

The board also was united in favor of an application to the Landmark Commission to allow the installation of Sprint telecommunications antennas in the steeple of the Woodrow Methodist Church in Annadale. The phone company's attorney, David Snyder, cutely referred to the lease agreement with the church last week as "a match made in heaven."

Tevah Platt is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at platt@siadvance.com.

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