UPDATES

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Kingsbridge Community Statement

The issues are safety and environment. 

The facts are indisputable: 

1. The site sits on top of groundwater from Tibbetts Brook. More Frequent storm surges bring extensive flooding to the area. What is the storm water pollution prevention plan for this project? There is none because the builder claims entitlement to an exemption based on the false reporting that the site is 1 foot under 5000 sq ft requirement. According to public city records, it is exactly 5019 sq ft and as such, requires a stormwater pollution plan. 

2. The excavation caused a 100 ft crack in the asphalt of the adjacent property, rendering the parking lot unsafe and at risk of collapse. 

3. The worksite continues to accrue penalties for safety violations according to the DOB website. 

4. The ILCHS administration has ignored community requests for engagement, choosing to feed the media sensationalized reports of racial tensions that simply do not exist. 

We are Kingsbridge — residents, school, and students alike. 

Why has the issue of developing this tiny piece of land been turned into a flashpoint accusation of racial discrimination? Discrimination by whom? The families that live here and send their children to schools here? Dr. Lopez has proudly stated she serves the families of Kingsbridge and she is right. We are those families and these are our children. We proudly celebrate the diversity of our community. So let’s get beyond the false rhetoric of NIMBY racism. Let’s leave that to the Riverdale Press, a Long Island owned news outlet with no local reporters. And let’s address the concerns of our families: the safety and environmental impact of developing a school on this ill-suited site. 

The Kingsbridge community holds the same core values as the New York State Education Department (NYSED), which is authorized to oversee and monitor public schools, including charter schools that receive Title I funds from NYSED. Like NYSED, our Kingsbridge community supports a non-discriminatory education that is unbiased against any individual or group. 

Neighborhoods have the right to question overdevelopment and hazardous construction projects that threaten the environment, the residents, and the safety of students. Panstar Realty, Pancas International,  and International Leadership Charter School (ILCS) have over $20K in violations and penalty fees. What does this say about their project design for this charter school? Why didn’t they utilize NYC taxpayer money to buy and renovate any of the number of vacant buildings or available large vacant lots in the 10463 zip code?

There are currently documented structural damages caused by Panstar Realty and Pancas between several adjacent properties. Why are Panstar, Pancas, and ILCS allowed to dismantle a neighborhood for a business-funded project and destroy homes on an adjacent residential block? Panstar Realty and Pancas demolished the house on 306 West 232nd Street to design a project that was told to some residents in the earlier stages that it was to be a residential building but later came forth stating it was a charter school. In addition, LFM Realty bought a home on 3133 Tibbett Avenue not to house a family for Panstar Realty to use it for a storage warehouse to access 306 W 232nd lot. How is this contributing to our residential neighborhood, where the developers are deliberately tearing down homes for a school project that could be placed realistically in other locations within the community? 

The ISSUES are the SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS  of locating, building, & operating a school next to an active driveway, on an inadequatly small, frequently flooded, residential street. 

FACTS:

Single-family, 5019 ft2 lot unsuitable for 7-story, 28,000+ ft2 Middle School to house 300+ students

Lot is on Tibbetts Brook with exposed groundwater since 3/1/23

Excavation & standing water causing cracked concrete to adjacent property developing into a sinkhole. The neighboring property has become unsafe and is quarterd off from residents

Unsafe construction site & DOB Stop Work Order since 3/6/23

No plans for traffic mitigation on narrow street by active driveway

No Demonstrated need. The 4-block radius is saturated with 14 schools

ILC School and PANCAS developer has declined community requests to meet

Facts -Tibbett Tower Homeowners  

Sometime around 2022, the developer initially approached the Tibbett Avenue homeowners (adjacent to the 306 W 232nd Street lot) and told them they were developing a residential development; later, the story changed from a residential & a  school to currently a  proposed middle school.

Tibbett Avenue homeowners have endured no mercy from the developer, Panstar Realty, who, without any care or respect, took it upon themselves to carelessly destroy vegetable gardens, patio concrete, and backyard trees,  including a 50'+ maple tree that were on the borderline adjacent 306 W 232nd Street. Homeowners state that the developer had numerous times went on their private properties without permission to work on the construction site. Reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have. 

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Facts - How New York Teacher's Co-op (Tibbett Towers) was iniquitous forced to give up a small piece of their land in 2017 to add to the size of 306 W 232nd lot.

Part of the site was somewhst effectively poached from the New York Teacher's Co-op (Tibbett Towers), a former Mitchell-Lama building until 2016 before they went under privitization. During the Mitchel-Lama era, affordable cooperative housing was provided to moderate- and middle-income families. 

306 W 232nd Street, a former single-family for over 40 years home, was purchased by a developer in 2016 for $426k. At that time, the property boundary was strange, like a deli ticket. 

The developer threatened an "adverse possession" proceeding against the co-op, effectively claiming a trapezoidal piece of land south of their parcel - owned by the co-op - since Tibbett Towers was built.

The co-op tried to hold on to their land, spent money on legal fees, and ultimately decided it would not be worth the cost to continue fighting the claim. They decided to sell to the developer for a nominal amount to cover costs and move on in 2017.

The developer, now with a rectangular piece of land instead of funny shape, was sold to Panstar in 2020 for $1.2 million, almost 3x paid in 2017.

Without this little piece of land  from the co-op, the lot would not be developable and have even less buildable space. 

During 2017 the developer threatened an "adverse possession" proceeding against the New York Teachers Coop (Tibbett Towers), claiming that the trapezoidal piece of land south of their parcel - owned by- the co-op - was theirs and there was an error in the zoning of the adjacent properties. The co-op initially spent money on legal fees and ultimately decided it would not be worth the cost to continue fighting to keep it.  Tibbett Towers decided to sell to the developer to cut their losses costs and move on.

Speaking about inequality and social justice,  literally, a piece of land was legally manipulated from a mixed demographic of a 60+ year middle-income community in the Kingsbridge community to now be mistreated by a current land, Panstar Realty & business owner Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez who want to endeavor in a "education-for-profit" and create hate speech with false accusations of how they are victims of social injustice. This is a slab in the face.

what we want

1. A community dialogue with the ILCHS about the construction & operation of their school

       2. Accountability for the damages to neighboring property and a plan to mitigate future damages from excavation and exposed water from Tibbetts Brook

3. To hold elected officials & government agencies accountable to conduct full Traffic & Flooding Impact Assessments on the neighborhood impact of this construction

3/27 Letter to Bronx borough commissioner nyc dob 

3/13 Letter to DOT requesting traffic study

Case # DOT-582171-R9K7

3/6 stop work order  

nyc dept of buildings  Violation #39513824J/25L/26N 

2/17 Letter to DOE

2/18 uft lobbies albany to stop charter school expansion