Board discusses large senior-affordable proposal at 275 Fifth Avenue, tables multiple-variance request for follow-up

Developers seeking to build a 73-unit senior-affordable building at the Fifth Avenue site spanning several parcels presented a complex proposal that would require multiple variances; the board tabled the application to allow the applicant to supply additional technical information and to let the planning board complete coordinated environmental review.

Samik Gupta of 5 Corners Development introduced the project and described partners Home Leasing, Abella Associates and Sowerton Regoso Architects. The team described the site as heavily constrained by steep slopes, shallow bedrock, contamination from long-standing industrial uses and existing ruined structures. "The site has about 25 feet of grade change from east to west, as well as steep slopes of 25 up to 75% along the western part of the property," said Kelsey Carr of Abella Associates.

The proposed project is a five-story building with 73 units of senior affordable housing, 23 enclosed parking spaces on the ground floor plus seven exterior ADA/visitor spaces with electric-vehicle charging, streetscape improvements on Fifth Avenue and a compact building footprint to avoid costly bedrock excavation. Proposed variances include an increase from the allowed three stories to five (58.5 feet total height), a reduced parking-setback, ground-floor transparency exceptions, and front-door orientation that does not face the primary street.

Board members sought additional technical evidence about how the building would be supported over bedrock outcroppings and how much excavation or foundation work would be required. Members requested clarified elevation comparisons to nearby Mount Olympus and to show sightlines; one member asked the team to provide exact elevation differences between the proposed roof and the surrounding topography.

The board also discussed pedestrian safety at the proposed front parking area and urged the applicant to show precise sections showing curb, sidewalk and ramp transitions; staff and members were concerned about vehicle access directly across the sidewalk and preferred setback or design measures that would reduce hazard to pedestrians and senior residents.

The applicant confirmed the site requires substantial remediation; soils testing has found metals and arsenic consistent with historic industrial use, and the team said the site is likely to be a candidate for brownfields cleanup and state/EPA coordination.

Because the planning board is the lead agency for coordinated review and had not yet issued its SEQR determination, and because the board identified multiple outstanding questions (encroachment/clearance details for the proposed canopy and marquee-like elements, exact elevations, parking-section dimensions and alternate security/ventilation designs for the garage), the Zoning Board voted to table the application and asked the applicant to return with additional drawings and documentation at the next meeting.