City Council Meets to Hear Presentation on Revised Forest City Plan for Echo Bay; Passes MOU Extension, Vet Storm Out

UPDATE: The City Council voted 5-2 to approve an “extension” of the M.O.U. with Forest City Ratner that was originally intended to develop a 26-acre waterfront parcel. The vote became heated with a parliamentary show down as Bramson sought to ram through the resolution without debate and without the opportunity for the public to comment. Before voting “no”, Bramson made parallets between what was happening and the failed attempts by Hosni Mubarak to suppress democracy in Egypt.

All four Democrats along with Republican Al Tarantino supported the M.O.U. extension. The stated purpose of the extension was to give the City a year to fully evaluate the Forest City plans for Echo Bay Development. Skeptics believe the real purpose was to keep the deal on life support past the November 2011 City elections so that Mayor Bramson could avoid the political damage from losing both LeCount Square and Echo Bay in the same month.

Forest City Ratner outlined hints of a vague plan which sharply curtails the development plans. Only the New Rochelle City Yard and the New Rochelle Armory, property already controlled by the City of New Rochelle, would be developed. In what was described as “Phase One”, Forest City said it would develop primarily residential units, discard below ground parking, and otherwise dramatically scale back the plan offered in 2008 when the M.O.U. was first passed. Abe Naperstak, representing Forest City Ratner, would not offer any assurances that Phase Two or Phase Three would ever be built nor would he guarantee any sales tax revenue from the project or agree to forego seeking tax abatements from the IDA.

The discussion became heated with Noam Bramson lashing out several times at Council Member Richard St. Paul. During the course of the meeting, Bramson, who is known in political circles for his hot temper when he does not get his way, accused St. Paul of toying with the Council by raising concerns on behalf of the Republicans, suggested that the Council adopt a policy limiting Council Members speaking time at meetings and raised personal issues about St. Paul. Al Tarantino and Louis Trangucci objected to Bramson’s behavior with Tarantino chastising Bramson for being out of line when he responded to a “home rule” proposal sponsored by St. Paul to bring the IDA under City Council control by saying he [Bramson] could mention that you [St. Paul] are representing Pedro Espada, the New York State legislature facing criminal and civil corruption charges. St. Paul is representing Espada in the civil case. St. Paul later said that by Noam’s logic if a lawyer represents a murdered they support murder. More on this later.

LIVEBLOGGING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING:

The City Council of New Rochelle will receive a presentation tonight from Forest City Ratner on a revised plan for the Echo Bay Development. The plan will call for breaking the development into three phases starting with the residential development on the location of the City Yard and the New Rochelle Armory. The second phase will occur in the area North of the City Yard out to Lefevre Lane the location of car dealership parking lots between Route 1 and the sewage treatment plant. The third phase will occur in the area South of the City yard and include the Nelstadt property and the Con Edison property, a toxic waste site loaded with PCBs.As part of the plan the City would receive $100,000 from Forest City Ratner.

Under the plan the City would gift the City Yard and Armory property to Forest City. Forest City would not pay for moving the City Yard to a proposed site on Beechwood Avenue.

Forest City will offer no guarantees of sales tax revenue from the commercial properties nor make any guarantees that any of the phases will actually be built holding out the prospect that, at best, Forest City could build residential units using free land, IDA benefits and secure for themselves the cleanest property with the best water views but leave the two adjoining areas undeveloped and not remediated.

Mayor Noam Bramson is seeking to push through a vote tonight to approve the revised Forest City Ratner plan without public review or public input. Republicans on the committee agreed to attend private “2 x 2 x 2” meetings several weeks ago with the understanding that the public would have an opportunity to have input into the revised plan before there is a vote. There is also a Echo Bay Development Commission, appointed by the Mayor, which was created to advise the City on the Echo Bay project. According to one member who spoke with Talk of the Sound, the Echo Bay Development Commission has not met for well over a year and was not consulted on the revised plan. In June 2010, Forest City Ratner was granted an extension of its M.O.U. with the City of New Rochelle by the City Council with the understanding that Forest City Ratner would come back with a revised plan in August or September. That never happened. The extension of the Echo Bay M.O.U. expired on January 15th, 2010. The City has not disclosed the legal argument that would allow them to extend the M.O.U. after it already expired without putting out another RFP and beginning the process over again.

That will be a major focus of conflict at tonight’s meeting — will the Democrats ram through the Forest City Ratner plan immediately after the public presentation of the plan.

RELATED:

Developer of Major New Rochelle Project, Forest City Ratner, Bribed Yonkers Official Sexy Sandy Annabi, U.S. Attorney Charges

A Ruinous Mystification: On Downtown Development, the New Rochelle IDA and 19th Century French Philosophers

As MOU Expires, New Rochelle Mayor Bramson Arranges Secret Meetings for Developers at City Hall

New Rochelle Armory Group Demands City Drop Forest City Rattner, Give Land Deal to Local Groups Linked with Military Veterans

Echo Bay-Forest City MOU Extension Memo dated Feb 9 2011

New Rochelle Home Rule Bill for IDA

UPDATES

7:17 PM – Michael Freimuth says that the $100,000 would actually by a replenishing of the escrow account by $75,000 with additional $25,000 if needed.

7:22 PM — Abe Naperstack says company still committed to the project but times have changed.

1. Reducing amount of infrastructure – almost a mile of readers were going to be building on the 26 acres of Echo Bay

2. Dramatic reduction in underground parking — not economically viable without tremendous public subsidy

3. Reducing density – less apt units and less retail.

4. Phasing – original was to roll out majority all at once, now in three stages (described above), focus on what City already controls.

5. Armory – keep the Armory, come up with a new use for it.

Jared Rice Questions.

1. Will hiring practices support hiring local minorities and women.

Forest City/Yes

2. Will project be LEED Certified?

Forest City/Yes

3. Will you work with City on reuse of Armory?

Forest City/Yes

Noam Bramson Statement

The year will be used by both the City of New Rochelle and Forest City Ratner to determine that both parties wish to go forward. If, at the end of the year, both parties wish to go forward there will be an opportunity for public input on Environmental Review leading towards Land Disposition Agreement.

Marianne Sussman Question

1. Originally much of the plan was for waterfront access, open space parks, the views, public streets, retail. Do you have a sense of what benefits are central to the project at this point?

Forest City/benefits would be along the same lines

2. Much of what was originally proposed is now limited.

Forest City/the

Al Tarantino Question

1. If we extend MOU, what is guarantee that phase 2 or 3 would happen. If only phase 1 happens there is no public water access.

Forest City/I can guarantee there will be public water access.

2. The original MOU referred to “Consideration”; What will City get for selling the land in phase 1? what is price of land?

Forest City/Freimuth will work with Forest City to determine a fair value.

3. How will public have access to this land if you are building private apartments? Will it be 24/7? Weekends only? Will this open up waterfront to the public.

Forest City/the goal would be to open up waterfront to the public. Shared parking, renters would be leaving during day so there would be plenty of parking.

Noam Statement

We will have all details spelled out before a binding vote

Lou Trangucci

1. You are going to get rid of underground parking, so will that reduce open space

Forest City/Not necessarily, there will not be a sea of surface parking, but not going underground 2 levels.

2. 750 rentals in original plan, reduced?

Forest City/this will be reduced.

3. Phasing. Phase one will be the Armory and City Yard (and maybe Mancuso Marina says Forest City). How long from starting phase 1 to completing phase 3.

Forest City/time frame to build whole thing was 2 years so this could be 5 years.

4. Will you go to the IDA for tax abatements?

Forest City/the model considers various things.

5. You are reducing retail, will you guarantee sales tax revenue

Forest City/No.

6. Phase 1, 35mm to move City Yard, who picks up that price? Property was purchased previously to serve as a new City Yard. Is that viable? That site currently serves as transfer station. What is cost of a new transfer station.

Freimith intervenes and says this needs to sort out later but that the it is a municipal obligation to pay for the City Yard.

The vote takes place and passes 5-2. Veterans who had sought to be heard by the City Council on their plans for the New Rochelle Armory stormed out of the meeting in protest.