Counsel Hired To Study Environmental Impact of St. Paul’s Demolition

At its Dec. 18th meeting, the Garden City Board of Trustees unanimously voted to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding with AvalonBay Communities, Inc., and in a 7 to 1 vote, agreed to hire the law firm of Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C., to study the impact, if any, demolition of Ellis Hall and the historic Main Building would have on the environment. Trustee John Watras was opposed to hiring the firm.

“This brings to a close a chapter in Village history,” said Mayor Peter A. Bee after the memorandum with AvalonBay was cancelled. “I personally think it is useful to call to mind that it was the Village that was seeking a way to preserve that building and looked at many different alternatives. Ultimately, the Village decided to put out a RFP. In response to our request, AvalonBay brought forth a proposal. And, we have now considered that proposal and received community input and concluded that it does not garner any consensus sufficient to satisfy Senator Hannon’s call for a consensus surrounding any proposal to develop that site.

“But I extend my appreciation to AvalonBay for having responded to the RFP and for having come to this Village in response to our request and put forth its thoughts as to how it might privately develop the site. Notwithstanding my appreciation of their coming forth, it appears that that is not the direction this Village is going to go.

“We now have to determine a new direction and you have seen that some of the things that are on our table might take us in the direction of demolition. But that is not a decision that the Board faces tonight because before any decision on demolition could be made, we are advised that there is a process. There are prudent, deliberative steps which the Board must undertake before it reaches certain decisions.”

The Board took the first step by hiring Sive, Paget & Riesel at a blended rate of $412.50 an hour. The rate is “blended,” meaning it does not vary based on the level of counsel. The firm’s main responsibility will be to help with the Environmental Impact Study for the possible demolition of the Main Building and Ellis Hall.

It will take the firm three to six months to study the environmental impact of demolition. Eventually a declaration of impact under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) will also be needed.

It is likely the composition of the Board of Trustees will change before the firm has completed its work. In April, Mayor Bee’s two-year term will end and he has chosen not to continue on the Board as a trustee. The property owners’ associations will soon be announcing their nominations. As reported in this week’s Garden City News, Deputy Mayor John Mauk, who was next in line to be the Mayor, has declined the position and has recommended Trustee Robert Rothschild.

Rothschild was interviewed by the Estates POA on Tuesday. He told the Garden City News after the meeting that he is interested in the position, although he did not expect to be eligible for another two years. “I was actually looking very forward to working with John as mayor,” he said. “I think he would have been a great choice. I think he was a very capable candidate for the position with great experience.”

Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C. is a law firm specializing in environmental law, litigation, development and land use, and municipal law. According to their Web site, they have been ranked the #1 environmental law firm in New York by Chambers and Partners.