Thin for the win! Construction on a narrow house in Throggs Neck has been given new life.
A temporary Department of Buildings stop-work order for the partially constructed house at 848 Revere Avenue was lifted and construction resumed after a three-month hiatus as of Monday, November 3.
The site had previously been the subject of numerous complaints from elected officials and neighborhood residents who felt it violated the recently enacted downzoning.
Construction of the house started in 2010, after a two-family, 14-foot wide home on a 22-foot lot with an eight-foot side yard and two on-site parking spaces was approved by the Department of Buildings.
According to the new zoning laws in Throggs Neck, which was a response to the complaints over development, any property being developed in the rezoned portion of the neighborhood must be at least 25-feet wide, with new 2-family homes requiring at least three parking spaces on site, including a one-car garage and at least two parking spaces on the street.
This particular property did not meet the minimum zoning requirements and the construction was halted in late July for a review.
While the project was on hold, architect Gino Longo met with Community Board 10 and the Department of Buildings to discuss and reevaluate the project.
“This is just part of the business,” said Longo, who submitted an amended plan with minor construction changes to the Department of Building after clarifying the site’s inadequacies. “Sometimes, you have to go back to the drawing board, especially when the Department of Buildings, the property owner as well as myself wanted to avoid any burden on homeowners in the neighborhood.”
Longo claimed that the bulk of the problem was the small parking area, not necessarily the narrow structure.
However, he is relieved that the house is back to being constructed.
“It’s unfortunate that the construction was put on hold, but now that it’s back on I am very happy for the property owner and land developer.”
On the contrary, there are still individuals in Throggs Neck who are outraged that construction of the thin house has started up again.
“I find the construction unacceptable and I do not agree with the Department of Buildings and their determination to go through with this project despite community opposition,” said Councilman James Vacca, who played a major part in the construction’s temporary halt, which he claims did not stem on the limited parking area, but the home’s overall structure.
“I had the construction stopped for months – mainly because this neighborhood’s zoning laws require homes to be contextual, meaning that the houses must stay in context with the other houses on the block,” said Vacca.
“This house goes against multiple zoning laws, and it is because of the home’s inability to comply with these zoning laws and requirements that I do not support the decision of the Department of Buildings to resume construction.”
