will Zinc sink the nabe? / trembles & tribulations reported in Tribeca Trib
Pile driving driving cracks up walls, then neighbors
The Tribeca Trib carries the news about early construction work at the Zinc Building in the northern reaches of Tribeca (475 Greenwich St, between Canal and Watts). Developer Fabian Friedland, a partner on the project with Douglaston Development, had gotten neighborhood kudos earlier in the process by reducing the height and bulk of the project two years ago before winning a variance to go forward from the Board of Standards and Appeals and praise from Community Board 1. His level of esteem from his neighbors (he lives nearby) has fallen since then.
“This was not your garden variety annoyance,” said [a neighbor], who lives across from the site at 472 Greenwich St. “This was a threat to our building.”
Just the two days of pile driving caused cracks in three apartments, according to Noel Dennis, a lawyer representing a group of neighbors around the site. An engineering report commissioned by one of the buildings said that “excessive vibrations which could occur [from additional pile driving] will likely cause damage” to the building.
Pound the piles or screw ’em?
Now there is a dispute as to whether the developers promised to use auger (screw-in) piles for the whole project, which the Port Authority required for a part of the site above the Holland Tunnel. While Friedland still makes ‘nice’ noises, he may not control the project at this point.
“We have to lower their level of concern,” said Friedland …. “The appropriate way to do that is to have their professional talk to our professional because it is very technical stuff.”
“Any influence I have in construction practices is now limited,” he said, and referred questions about the construction to a Douglaston executive, who did not respond to a call for comment.
lovely lofts atop the Tunnel
The Zinc is slated to be 21 units in 8 stories (Corcoran is doing the marketing, using lots of CAPITAL LETTERS). I assume they are falling behind schedule.
© Sandy Mattingly 2006
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