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Volume XIX • Number 46 • Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2012 •
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Housing, commercial space planned for gas station By MIAWLING LAM A North Riverdale gas station will be completely razed to make way for a new multi-story, mixed-use development comprised of senior housing and commercial space. The Riverdale Review can reveal that the nonprofit organization Selfhelp Community Services Inc. has submitted plans to redevelop the Gulf gas station site located at 6469 Broadway. Filings submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation show the group has proposed a building with up to 95 units of senior housing on the 17,424square-foot site. Under the plan, the project will boast up to 28 parking spaces and up to 12,000 square feet of “community facility space.” According to its mission statement, Selfhelp is dedicated to enabling the elderly and other at-risk populations to live in their own homes, independently and with dignity. The project is an as-of-right development, so it does not require community board approval. The plan is still going through the approvals process, but the contaminated site must first undergo a major cleanup. Laboratory tests reveal a range of toxic chemicals, including petroleum, chlorinated solvents, gasoline-related volatile organic
compounds and metals, have leeched into the soil and groundwater, given the site’s long-standing use as a filling station. Selfhelp real estate development vice president Evelyn Wolff said she was thrilled with the project. She said Selfhelp does not currently have a housing presence in The Bronx, but does have an office located at 990 Pelham Parkway South. “Our vision is to build a residential structure for seniors and people who are 62 years and over,” she said. “We are very excited to be building in this area of The Bronx because we have a lot of our clients who live in the area. In addition to serving seniors, we have a fairly large constituent of Holocaust survivors in the neighborhood.” When asked what the community space component entailed, Wolff said authorities were still unsure but that it would be health-related and encompass doctor’s offices and the like. If all goes according to plan, Wolff said, construction could begin as early as this coming summer. A timeline submitted to NYSDEC indicates the gas station will be demolished in August 2013, with construction due to begin shortly after. Selfhelp expects to fund the development project with both private and public lenders and
Selfhelp, a nonprofit organization, has lodged plans to redevelop this Broadway service station into a mixed-use facility comprised of senior housing and commercial space. a combination of tax credits through the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program, low income housing tax credits and tax exempt bonds. “The residential units will likely be financed by a combination of New York City and New York state public and quasi-public entities whose mission is the creation of affordable housing,”
the application states. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he viewed the project with caution. “There is a tremendous need for housing, particularly senior housing. But I always think it’s important to look at these plans very carefully, both in terms of the detail and where the money is coming from,” he said.
“We have often seen the bait and switch, where we are supposed to get one thing but end up with another. We have to scrutinize this very carefully.” Public comments regarding the application will be accepted through December 14. To obtain further details about the plan or to submit feedback, visit dec. ny.gov/chemical/60058.html.
RKA high school records slight dip on latest progress report card
By MIAWLING LAM Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy’s high school earned a B on this year’s school progress report—a drop of one letter grade. The annual evaluation, released by the Department of Education on Monday afternoon, reveals H.S. 141 racked up 69.2 points out of a possible 100—down from its score of 73.9 in 2011. The local high school has registered an A grade for the past three consecutive years. A breakdown of the progress report shows RKA’s rating in the school environment category pulled down the composite score. The school earned just 6.9 points out of a possible 15 points—a D grade—after parents, teachers and students criticized the administration on the latest school surveys. Of the 358 city high schools, just 35 were slapped with a D. An additional 41 schools earned an F. Across other assessable sections, RKA
earned an A for student performance and a B for student progress, a category that accounts for 55 percent of a school’s grade. RKA principal Lori O’Mara said the high school was on the way up and insisted there were glimmers of hope. She also noted the school missed out on an A grade by just 0.8 points. “We continue to be proud of our overall achievement as represented by the graduation rates,” she wrote in an email to the Riverdale Review. “We are pleased of our standings in the college readiness section. We are doing excellent work in helping students to prepare for college and enjoy success in their first critical years in college.” For the first time ever, education authorities included a series of new college readiness measures on this year’s evaluations. The metrics detail the number of students who take on and excel in advanced courses, graduate ready for college and enroll in a college after school.
The school landed the top grade in the college and career readiness section after it managed to rack up 7.5 points out a possible 10. The school’s dip in overall performance placed it 130th out of 356 high schools citywide, with a 12-point drop in percentile ranking—officials assessed the school as being better or equal to 65 percent of the city’s high schools, compared to last year’s percentile of 77. Despite the decline in some areas, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said the city’s grading system did not necessarily reflect a school’s academic success. “(Progress reports) take into account several factors, some of which are subjective in nature, and because they are, in part, a comparison to previous years, they do not necessarily give an accurate picture of student academic achievement,” he said. “I believe that Regents scores and standardized tests, including SATs, more accurately reflect the success of students in schools.
“I don’t doubt that improvements need to be made at RKA, as is the case in all of our schools, but I hardly think that these school report cards do justice to many of the good things that are happening at RKA.” Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott said the additional college and career readiness rubrics were designed to reward schools whose students successfully engage in rigorous coursework. “Our high schools play an important role in student outcomes beyond K-12,” he said. “By measuring how well our schools prepare students for college and careers, the Progress Reports shine a light on the importance of increased rigor as a bridge to future success.” Overall, slightly more city schools received the highest two grades this year. According to a breakdown, 34 percent of the city’s schools received an A, 38 percent a B, 21 percent a C and the bottom seven percent a D or F.