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November 26, 2007
Despite opposition, Ridge Hill groundbreaking set for Wednesday in Yonkers
Journal News
By Len Maniace
At NoLandGrab, we've marveled about the similarities between Bruce's projects in Yonkers and Prospect Heights. Now the date is set for the official groundbreaking for the "regional lifestyle center":
Though work crews began cutting down trees months ago, Yonkers and Forest City Ratner officials plan a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday for the long-embattled Ridge Hill Village, the city's biggest development project to date.
Forest City Ratner announced Friday that it had signed leases with Whole Foods, L.L. Bean, Banana Republic, New York & Company and movie-theater giant National Amusements. The Brooklyn-based Forest City, which is behind the controversial Atlantic Yards development in that borough, hopes to open retail stores in late 2009, said Loren Riegelhaupt, a Forest City vice president.
...
Though work is moving ahead, the project is still under fire from neighboring municipalities. The biggest complaint is traffic.
More Ratner-sponsored planning at its worst:
"It's planning at its worst. They've given them the approvals and they didn't think it through," said Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner, criticizing Yonkers officials.
What we don't have in Brooklyn is political intrigue Yonkers-style:
The Ridge Hill development has a long and twisting history that includes a state court ruling that threw out the Yonkers City Council's original zone change. The court ruled that the approval lacked the five-vote supermajority needed to overcome the opposition of the Westchester County Planning Board. Eventually, the City Council gained a fifth vote needed to approve the zoning.
Then in March the Yonkers City Council was served a federal subpoena seeking two years of its records. At that time a source close to the investigation told The Journal News that the order sought information about the City Council's role in the $660 million Ridge Hill Village.
This pretty much sums up Bruce Ratner's traffic-planning strategy:
Kinnally said that Jackson Avenue, a major east-west corridor serving his village, already faces periodic congestion from traffic generated by the Stew Leonard's development in Yonkers. Ridge Hill would only worsen it, he said.
"I think one of the solutions will be once they start building this and they can't get people in and out, they are going to have to rethink it," Kinnally said.
Posted by lumi at November 26, 2007 5:19 AM