It could be home sweet home

Jenny Marder

Location, location, location. That’s what real estate agents say it’s

all about.

That’s why city planners are gearing up for a tough sell as they

propose building condominiums across the street from the city’s

refuse plant.

Although planners deny that the garbage site will hurt the quality

of life for potential residents, Ron Shenkman, senior vice president

of Rainbow Disposal, says he has some concerns.

The proposed development, south of Warner Avenue between Beach

Boulevard and Gothard Street, would consist of 53 two- and

three-story condominium units around central courtyards with

Mediterranean-style architecture. The units would be 35 feet tall and

from 1,573 to 1,819 square feet. Six would fall within affordable

rates to accommodate the 10% required by the city in every

residential complex.

The complex would sit across the street from Rainbow Disposal,

which collects commercial, industrial and residential garbage from

the entire city.

Douglas Woodward, south county division president for developer

Greystone Homes, said the smell could be an issue, especially on warm

or windy days.

“It’s an issue that exists and something buyers will have to

consider,” Woodward said.

The city looked at state regulations to determine whether odors

from the 2,000 tons of waste collected by Rainbow Disposal daily

would waft across the street to the condominiums and disturb the

residents.

“We did research into what the permitting process was for Rainbow

Disposal and felt that it was adequate in determining odors,” said

Paul DaVeiga, associate planner for the city.

They determined that there would be no problem since Rainbow

Disposal already controls the smell by sweeping the streets at least

four times per day and cleaning the trucks out after every load.

But Shenkman fears his company may not make the best of neighbors,

with the amount of noise and traffic generated by Rainbow Disposal.

“We do have an industrial operation that is a critical, critical

operation for our community,” Shenkman said. “People living there

will be subjected to traffic and noise.”

The bulky garbage trucks leave as early as 5:30 a.m. from the

plant.

“The area is already congested, and this will create additional

congestion,” Shenkman said.

It would be the duty of the real estate agents to disclose

information on noise and traffic to whoever buys it, DaVeiga said.

The city will study the effects of traffic and noise and, along

with the developer, is already looking into ways to cut back on

noise. Triple pane windows is an option they will consider, as is

central air conditioning in all of the units so that residents can

close their windows to the noise and still have air circulating

throughout the rooms.

“We understand there could be a potential for noise coming from

trucks, but we’re not anticipating a significant impact to

residents,” DaVeiga said. “We are looking at all of these different

issues and we feel we can handle them through our conditions so they

won’t result in a significant impact.”

There is a need for housing, DaVeiga said, and this project could

fill it.”Based on the zoning, this type of project is anticipated and

allowed for,” he said. “I think there’s a demand not only on our city

but on the whole state for housing.”

But before planning can even enter its preliminary stages, the

city must decide whether historical buildings on the site can be

demolished.

Six abandoned buildings that are on the property -- a barn, two

churches and three residential buildings -- have been identified in

the general plan as valuable. The city must first prepare an

environmental impact report to analyze the value of the buildings and

determine whether they should be preserved.

“At this time, we are searching for a consultant to prepare and

determine the report,” DaVeiga said.

The old buildings could be incorporated into the project, he said.

A public hearing to notify residents and seek community input

could be held as soon as the end of this year.

“We are concerned about the project and will be expressing our

concerns to the city,” Shenkman said. “However, it’s up to the city

planners to make the decision as to whether it’s an appropriate

project.”