UCCA Continues Fight Against Federal Express
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Real estate developer Joe Pistilli updates the UCCA audience as to his commitment to provide a specified number of apartments for seniors in his Upper Ditmars development.

An independent expert hired by the United Community Civic Association (UCCA) said a study on the environmental impact of a proposed 225,000 square foot. Federal Express facility in Astoria does not go far enough.

"They could have done a lot more to develop a reasonable worst-case scenario," said Hiram Rothkrug, an environmental consultant, at the UCCA April meeting.

In February, a plan to sell a 21-acre portion of Con Ed's property on 20th Avenue to Steel Equities, Inc., a commercial developer that would build the facility and then lease it to Fed Ex for 20 years was presented to UCCA. At that time, Fed Ex said there would be no significant impact on traffic, air and noise quality by about 140 trucks and vans operating at the facility.

While Rothkrug said the city Department of Traffic (DOT) did "sign off" on that report, the impact statement was based on facts given to DOT by Fed Ex. "They need to go to an operating facility to get an accurate count. This was not done," he said.

In addition, Rothkrug said the site Fed Ex wants is three times larger than necessary. "I don't think they are being truthful to us," said Anthony Gigantiello, a member of Community Board 1 and the environmental group CHOKE.

Rothkrug also questioned projections that 35 percent of 300 Fed Ex employees would take public transit to work. "Census tracts show 82 percent would drive," he said.

"We have nothing to hide and we had nothing to hide," said Joseph Lostritto, president of Steel Equities. "It's an open book."

When the Fed Ex facility is ready to open in 2010, Lostritto said, new federal standards for cleaner diesel fuel will be in place for all trucks. "Diesel trucks of the past will be gone," he said.

Lostritto confirmed that Fed Ex does have the right in its lease to expand the facility by 15,000 square feet. "That is very minor," he said. He also responded to numbers used in the environmental study, saying, "[They] were absolutely worst-case scenario."

"If this [Fed Ex facility] comes to fruition, we want biodiesel fuel," UCCA President Rose Marie Poveromo said. "This is a problem for us. We don't want you here, we don't want you to come."

Poveromo asked Fed Ex to commit to downzoning the site to limit future expansion. "How do we deal with Fed Ex?," she asked Lostritto. "You're going to give them a lease for 20 years."

In other business, terms were announced for a raffle that will enable seniors to purchase 10 condo units at a 10 percent discount at the newly opened Pistilli Grand Manor on Ditmars Boulevard.

Developer Joseph Pistilli said the units; one studio, six-one-bedrooms, and three two-bedrooms, would be raffled to eligible entrants who are 55 years of age and older, retired or not, and live between 21st and 81st Streets, from 20th Avenue to Broadway.

The discount is 10 percent from market prices. For example one-bedroom units selling at an average price of $377,000 would be sold at a discounted price of $340,000 and two bedroom units selling at an average price of $484,000 would be sold at a discounted price of $434,000. No date has been set for the raffle as yet.