Senator Avella, AM Rosenthal See Progress on Waterpointe Development

Queens, NY – At the end of last week, State Senator Tony Avella, Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal, Community Board 7, and the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association had a meeting with New York State Department of Environmental Control (DEC) and the developers of the Whitestone Waterpointe project to discuss the future of the project moving forward. Following the meeting, the elected officials agreed that significant progress is being made.

While there are still a few items remaining to be concluded, Senator Avella and Assembly Member Rosenthal were able to talk the developer into agreeing to a number of concessions. First, the developers agreed to bring in additional “unrestricted” (virgin) soil so that homeowners will be able to grow vegetables in their garden. Additionally, the elected officials were able to have the developers agree that all monies placed in escrow to maintain the environmental monitoring system, which will require a yearly report, will remain with the homeowners association at the end of the original ten-year escrow agreement term.

Senator Avella and Assembly Member Rosenthal continue to urge the developer to increase the monies to be held in escrow to ensure that the new homeowners will not be burdened by the expense of the environmental monitoring system.

“Assemblyman Rosenthal and I were pleased that our efforts resulted in the developer agreeing to put in “unrestricted” (virgin) soil so that these future homeowners will be able to plant vegetable gardens. However, I am convinced that the current dollar amount planned for the escrow account is inadequate and will prove to be too little over time. We are pleased we have made progress with the community and the developer and we look forward to further discussions where we should be able to come to an agreement that is best for the future homeowners and community at large,” said Senator Avella.

“Given the history of this site, I am glad to see the current project moving forward in a transparent manner with the input of the community," said Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal. "Working with Senator Avella and the Department of Environmental Conservation has allowed us to secure sensible accommodations for future homeowners and the entire Whitestone community. I look forward to seeing the developer make the appropriate investments to ensure our families' homes are viable and safe in the long term.”