WEST NEW YORK — Just over a month ago, a concerned group of West New York residents successfully fought a proposed high-rise development near 57th Street. Now a group of West New York citizens is fighting a different high rise – this one on Boulevard East.
On Feb. 23, a group of residents attended a Zoning Board meeting at West New York’s Town Hall to protest the proposed building of Meridia Le Boulevard at 6609-15 Blvd. East, also a development division of Capodagli Properties, and also a high-rise development slated for an area zoned as mid-rise. Attorney Alvaro Alonso once again represented the developer.
West New York resident Joshua Breakstone gathered approximately 50 residents to attend the meeting, and had invited attorney Cynthia Hadjiyannis (who had represented the residents in the other trial) along.
Though the meeting marked the first time Meridia Le Boulevard had been officially presented to the board, Breakstone decided to be proactive. On his website, www.concerned-citizens.net, he gathered nearly 100 signatures in petition against the development.
“It seems to me that if you could pick the worst possibly place with the most potential impact anywhere on Blvd East,” Breakstone said, “you’d pick this spot.”
Meridia’s architect, Albert Arencibia of C.K. Architechture, presented the building to the board. “Even though the site is not a high-rise zone, the site is suitable,” Arencibia said. “A high rise development fits in well with the others.” There are other high-rises near the site.
An attorney insisted during the meeting that the architecture firm must “revise the plans in order to incorporate the [residents’] concerns.” Zoning Board Chairman Kenneth Blaine then required that Arencibia submit these revisions to the board at least 10 days before the next hearing, which will take place on Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m., also at West New York Town Hall.
For more details on the meeting, read this weekend’s West New York Reporter. — Gennarose Pope