Extell's UES Development Site Is Unsafe: Lawmaker, Seniors Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side lawmaker is demanding Extell Development improve conditions of its building site on First Avenue between East 79th and 80th street after receiving complaints from neighborhood seniors worried about their safety.

State Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright stood in front of the full-block development site Wednesday and said she was "outraged" that Extell allowed conditions at the site to deteriorate and become unsafe. The legislators said that she sent letters to developer Gary Barnett about concerns with the site, but the plea was ignored.

Seawright said people have been walking into her district office to complain about the poor lighting, broken windows on the site's safety fence and an increase in rat sightings on the block. The frequency of complaints increased following Extell's demolition of the row of vacant low-rise buildings that previously occupied the block.

"So we're taking action today to call on Extell buildings once more to clean up, light up and fix up this area. It's just unacceptable," Seawright said.

At the end of the day, Seawright is calling on Extell's Gary Barnett to "be a good neighbor." The development company met with Seawright and local community leaders before demolishing building's on the block to offer their assurances that the site would be kept in good condition, but the results have been far from what was promised, the state legislator said.

Betty Cooper Wallerstein, the longtime leader of the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association, said Wednesday that conditions at the site are especially troubling because Extell made promises before the demolition. Cooper Wallerstein also stressed that the Upper East Side is a residential neighborhood, so construction practices that may fly in areas such as Midtown Manhattan aren't appropriate for the area.

Shirley Sussman, who turned 105 last week, said that she is concerned to walk near the construction site because gets so dark at night. The area residents also said she fears that dust and other particles are being released from the site that may be harmful to seniors and children.

"I'm concerned not only for myself but my guests, I'd hate to ask somebody to come at night and have to cross this patch here of danger and dust and fear," Sussman said. The centenarian also warned that conditions at the site will be much more dangerous during the winter.

Extell Development responded to Wednesday's press conference by sending a letter to Seawright's office pledging to fix the lighting at the site. The firm decided to install solar lights on the construction fence — which it says is tall enough to prevent dust and hazardous materials from leaving the site — for "environmental reasons," but plans to install better lights by the end of the week.

"The site has been appropriately cleaned and graded. It is standard city practice to level the site with recycled bricks and concrete from the demolished buildings. This practice is compliant with DOB regulations," Extell's letter reads.

The development firm also stated that it has seen "no evidence of rodent activity" at the site and nobody has made a rat complaint for the site with 311.

Extell's Gary Barnett attended a town hall meeting organized by local Community Board 8 in May to discuss the firm's plans for the First Avenue site, as well as another Extell-owned site on First Avenue between East 85th and 86th streets. Durign the meeting, Barnett did not reveal specific building plans but said that neither development will be "out of scale" for the neighborhood. Extell plans to build as-of-right developments at both sites.

There are some indications about what Extell is planning for its East 79th to 80th street site, but none have been made for the East 85th to 86th street site.

In March 2018, Barnett told real estate publication The Real Deal that he plans to develop a mixed-use building with at least 250,000 square feet of buildable space on First Avenue between East 79th and 80th streets. The development may also include a school.

Read Patch's complete coverage of the town hall meeting here.