Fate of 163 Washington Still TBD

The Board of Standards and Appeals has yet to make a final decision on whether to let a controversial 16-story tower rise at 163 Washington Avenue. On Tuesday the BSA decided to leave the case open but end the public hearing portion of the proceedings; the board is asking the developer to make another submission backing up its claims about when, exactly, it completed work on the property’s foundation. GLC Developers’ documentation is an issue because critics of the project have repeatedly contested the firm’s claims about when and how contractors finished foundation work, a big sticking point since GLC is arguing it has the right to put up a 16-story building because its contractors completed enough of the foundation to be vested under the area’s old zoning, which changed in June. There are basically huge problems with their concrete pouring timeline and their record of trucks, truck numbers, and even exact dates, and these problems exist not only in the developer’s own construction logs but also in the logs and official papers officially recorded by the concrete testing agency, says Peter Eide of Building Too Tall, a community group that is opposing the project. After making these submissions to the file the developer and his law team then made things even worse by submitting new logs and official papers from the concrete testing agency that are completely changed—new truck numbers, new pour times, new dates, new everything—and with no supporting documentation for these changes. It’s all just made up as far as anyone can tell. If the BSA is satisfied with the developer’s submission, it’ll rule on the project on March 4th.
BSA Considers 163 Washington Plans For a 3rd Time GMAP DOB
Day of Reckoning for 163 Washington Avenue? [Brownstoner]
CB2 Votes on Two BSA Recommendations [Brownstoner]
CB2: Thumbs Down on Washington, Thumbs Up on Grand [Brownstoner]
Clinton Hill Rezoning Rejects Pitch BSA Bail-Out To CB2 [Brownstoner]
Race Against Clock at 163 Washington [Brownstoner]