BY M. JUNAID ALAM
“Pushing this thing back a couple weeks is not enough. It's nowhere near enough,” Avella said in a telephone interview Monday. “This is nonsense. The whole thing needs to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb.”Avella was joined by civic leaders from across the city at a Queens Borough Hall news conference earlier this month in lambasting the AIA for allegedly bypassing community boards and the City Council when it submitted sweeping zoning proposals to the Department of City Planning. DCP also incurred Avella's ire for certifying AIA's application on Oct. 31, a move which began the now-lengthened public review process.The AIA has argued that its proposal promotes sustainable housing and that in an environment where much of the land is already developed, the extra building space is necessary. It also said it has reached out to a number of community boards and is eager to field further questions.The AIA proposal infuriated Avella and some civic leaders, including Queens Civic Congress leader Corey Bearak and Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights co-founder Aaron Bershear, because it would allow construction of taller buildings and larger bulkheads in some high-density districts, and a waiver for side yard requirements in some residential districts.Avella, who chairs the City Council Zoning Subcommittee, also complained that neither City Planning nor AIA properly informed his committee or the community boards. City Planning said it sent a notice to the Council and added that it was the applicant's responsibility to help inform the community.Avella was unimpressed with the explanation. “You can't rely on a private group to do the right thing here,” he said, adding, “The whole process has been absurd.”In a press release, the AIA said it has presented its plans to 18 community boards. “We have appreciated receiving varied comments and thoughtful suggestions from the boards, as well as other stakeholders and elected officials,” the release said.The statement further said the AIA would be willing to meet with Avella and other parties to discuss the proposal and address specific issues, although Avella said he has not been contacted by the organization.Mark Ginsberg, an AIA member at Curtis and Ginsberg Architects, LLP, said he recognized the certification's timing was not fortuitous, as it meant the public review process would have closed soon after the holidays on Jan. 9. “We understand that it was certified at a bad time,” he said, adding that the review was first extended to Feb. 13 before being pushed to Feb. 28.Reach reporter M. Junaid Alam by e-mail at malam@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 Ext 174.
