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Volume XXI • Number 2 • January 9 - 15, 2014 •
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Montefiore agrees to alter building plans By ANDREW WOLF Montefiore Hospital Has agreed to ask its developer, Simone Development Corp. to revise its plans for a new 11-story medical building between Riverdale and Oxford Avenues, south of West 238th Street. Informed sources tell the Riverdale Review that while issues such as access and egress, particularly on Oxford Avenue will be addressed as will parking, the height of the building is likely to remain, or be just moderately reduced. The area is zoned, under the current highly restrictive zoning resolution, so that the proposed building can be built “as of right.” Following detailed conversations with Congressman Eliot Engel; Senator Jeffrey Klein; Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz; newly sworn in Council Member Andrew Cohen; and Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center and Joe Simone, president of Simone Development, Montefiore has requested that Simone withdraw its current plan for a Riverdale facility so community concerns can be more fully taken into account. These conversations concluded Monday night.
“After meeting with the four of us, we are pleased Montefiore has agreed to withdraw its current proposal. We are very hopeful that when Montefiore and Simone submit their revised plan, it will be a compromise that can garner community support by taking into account the concerns raised by local residents,” said Congressman Engel, Senator Klein, Assemblyman Dinowitz and Council Member Cohen. “We have asked Simone to revisit its architectural plans. Montefiore has a long legacy of working with its community as a partner. We have deep ties to Riverdale’s residents and its physicians and are optimistic that Simone can develop a creative solution that respects the concerns of the community and delivers a less fragmented, more holistic healthcare presence in Riverdale,” said Dr. Safyer. Assemblyman Dinowitz noted that “many people in the community oppose any project by Montefiore at the Riverdale Avenue site. Others oppose the plan as previously proposed but are not necessarily against Montefiore building at that location if a much better
plan were to be presented. I believe that the services that would be provided by Montefiore would be welcomed by many people in the community. “Unfortunately, the plan that they had put forth was totally unacceptable and would have caused too many problems. It is my hope that they will come back with a proposal that takes into account all of the concerns of local residents. They need to make revisions with respect to the size of the building and the location of the garage entrance and must deal with parking and traffic problems and other concerns. I look forward to productive dialogue among the elected officials, the Community Board, concerned residents and neighbors and Montefiore and Simone Development.” The building is designed to address the huge demand for more comprehensive medical care in the community. “Local residents who look to Montefiore for medical care are seeking to get those services closer to home,” noted one community leader. “Bad news for the car services, good news for local residents.”
Major Deegan Expressway becomes ‘Airport for a Day’ By DAVID GREENE The stars must have been aligned perfectly as a single-engine fixed-winged plane with three passengers onboard made an emergency landing-- on the northbound Major Deegan a 1/2 mile south of the E. 233 Street exit. The unusual incident was reported at 3:26 p.m., on Saturday, January 4, when a member of the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit confirmed the incident, frantically telling his dispatcher, “Small plane down in the right two lanes.” The difficult landing on the three-lane highway was made more difficult as the two outside lanes had less room than normal due to the recent snowfall. Less than two minutes later the officer told his dispatcher, “We are at the job, it looks like the airplane is in an upright position... were not confirming any injuries or not, but it looks to be a pretty good hard-landing at this location.” Partial credit for the averted tragedy goes to the quick-thinking road crew with the Department of Transportation, who were already blocking two lanes, filling potholes when they spotted the troubled plane and quickly used their vehicles to block the third lane, so the pilot could land. First responders removed the 50-year old male pilot and two female passengers, ages 43 and 20 who were transported to St. Barnabas Hospital with minor bumps and bruises. One of the passengers suffered a nasty bump on her head, but was expected to recover.
Rescue crews surround single-engine plane that made an emergency landing on the Major Deegan Expressway.--Photo by David Greene The Piper Cherokee PA-28 was built in 1966, took of From Danburry, CT. for a sightseeing trip around the Statue of Liberty and was returning to Connecticut when engine failure forced the aircraft down. One Woodlawn resident who
declined to give his name, explained a friend had seen a ticker across the television screen, adding, “We live a couple blocks away and we came over.” Asked if he was surprised by the site, he replied, “Everything hap-
pens over here, you never know.” The miracle landing was reminiscent of former American Airlines pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who set a jumbo jet down on the Hudson River back on January 15, 2009.
The incident was the first breaking-news story of Mayor de Blassio’s administration, prompting his remark to members of the media, “I thought I’d seen everything in my life,” and calling it, “a bit of a miracle.”