New Hammel Building Multi-Family Residential Community
Will Stimulate Investment: Bramson
By Stephen E. Lipken
The new Hammel Building, a Multi-Family Residential Community, located on 32 Burling Lane, 30 Burling Lane and 65 Grand Street promises to stimulate investment and revitalize a run-down area, according to Mayor Noam Bramson, speaking at the New Rochelle Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting on Tuesday, February 2 in City Hall.
Mayor Bramson introduced Anthony and William Hammel of Equity Land Developers who plan to build the 30 unit condominium apartment building on an 18,700 square foot site, located adjacent to the Downtown Mixed Use Renewal (DMUR) and Downtown Business (DB) zones, roughly 18 percent of the triangle formed by I-95, Burling Lane and Memorial Highway. There will be 23 two bedroom units; 7 one-bedroom with 27 market rate condos and three affordable housing.
Each unit features Energy Star appliances; in-unit washer/dryer; reusable hardwood bamboo flooring; on site parking; balconies; minimum of 1.5 bathrooms and one walk-in closet. Anthony Hammel emphasized that even affordable housing units will have granite countertops.
“I have an emotional investment in this, since my grandfather owned the property. We spent $20,000 of our own money to board up a derelict home and remove 120 yards of debris. We want to start building right away,” Hammel said.
Planning Board Director Edward Lynch pointed out that higher condo property taxes benefit the schools.
Commissioner of Parks and Recreation William V. Zimmerman with Ward Acres Community Garden Steering Committee members Maggie McGovern and Stephanie Tomei, gave a PowerPoint presentation of status regarding the garden, established February 2009.
Removing garbage, invasive plants; clearing rocks; cultivating thirty six 10 x 12- foot beds to one foot depth, staking and mulching paths took approximately 200 man hours from February to May.
With donations from other gardeners, 25 pounds of organic vegetables were contributed weekly to the charitable organization Helping Our People Eat (HOPE) from July to September. HOPE designated area will be expanded to 8 beds. Zimmerman mentioned an original budget of $50 per plot; actual plot fees and donations totaled $3,100, receiving no direct cash investment from the City.
At the beginning of the meeting, Ralph DiBart, Executive Director, Business Improvement District (BID), discussed the Parking Task Force, looking at parking issues and cited the fact that Mount Vernon, Yonkers and White Plains charge off-street parking 24/7. DiBart recommended extending on-street parking meter limits to 11:00 p.m.
At Citizens to be heard in Council Chambers at 8:00 p.m., resident James O’ Toole told Council that he observed excessive colorful graffiti, “three dimensional and obscene” at Exit 16 off of I-95 by Stop and Shop at Fenimore as well as Main Street.
Showing an orange “Psycho-Suit,” resident Ward Henderson decried that the Council’s irresponsibly recommending that swimming in the Sound was safe “when it is [allegedly] contaminated with rabid animals and recent Fire Department personnel cuts, leaving 143 firefighters with a ratio of one fireman for every 531 citizens might merit my buying these suits for Council members ‘in bulk.’”
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