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Roosevelt Island residents started a fund raising campaign Fridayto stop a state-approved housing development from being built on theEast River island. The project, a five-building, 1,108-unit apartment complex to be built by Roosevelt Island Associates, whose general partner is the Starrett Housing Corp., was approved Thursday by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp., the state agency that administers the island.
ROOSEVELT ISLAND
Roosevelt Island residents started a fund raising campaign Fridayto stop a state-approved housing development from being built on theEast River island. The project, a five-building, 1,108-unit apartment complex to be built by Roosevelt Island Associates, whose general partner is the Starrett Housing Corp., was approved Thursday by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp., the state agency that administers the island.
A lawsuit to block the development should be filed against the agency and the state Urban Development Corp. in about two weeks, said David Lustig, first vice president of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association.
At a town meeting attended by about 500 residents last week, the association overwhelmingly rejected the housing development and voted to mount a court challenge.
The major argument in the suit would be that there is not adequate transportation on the 5,200-resident to accomodate tenants in the new development, Lustig said.
The Roosevelt Island tramway, the only direct link between the East River island and Manhattan, is currently running at capacity. An environmental impact statement prepared by the state Urban Development Corp. predicted the new development would cause waits of between 40 and 55 minutes to board the aerial cable car.
The only other proposed link to Manhattan is the troubled-plagued 63rd Street subway, which would have a station on Roosevelt Island. The $800-million subway line is 12 years behind schedule and has no opening date.
Starrett officials said they expected to start construction on the project, officially called Northtown Phase II, in September.
(Copyright Newsday Inc., 1986)