BY ZACH WILLIAMS | Seismic monitors are now in place at Extell Development’s construction site in the Lower East Side following complaints that ongoing pile-driving there has caused cracks in nearby buildings and sidewalks.
Excavation and foundation work at 250 South and 229 Cherry Sts. will likely finish by the end of 2015, according to a representative of the developer. But for now, the loud pounding of long, steel support poles deep into the ground will remain a recurring and annoying sound for residents living near the construction site.
The project features a 68-story condo tower, as well as 204 units of affordable housing in a separate 13-story building. Construction is scheduled for completion by 2018.
Local residents had issues about the dual-building project at a C.B. 3 Land Use Committee meeting last June with Extell Development leader Gary Barnett. They were especially concerned about the height of the luxury tower, future plans for commercial spaces at the site — previously the location of a heavily used Pathmark supermarket — and, as The Villager has previously reported, the “segregation” of affordable housing in a separate structure. However, a certain level of acceptance has settled in with the project’s critics, who are now focusing their energy on ensuring that the developer remains accountable to neighborhood residents who will be impacted by it.
Lend Lease, the company overseeing construction at 250 South St., sends regular updates in English, Spanish and Chinese via e-mail to those who signed up for a mailing list. Other notices have been placed in nearby residential buildings, though not always in each of those languages. A community meeting was also held on Feb. 25 to address construction-related questions.
“The main concern right now is the pile-driving and the noise because they are pile-driving six days a week,” said Trever Holland, president of Two Bridges Tower Tenants Association, at 82 Rutgers St., which is adjacent to the construction site.
The design of the residential tower has yet to be finalized, according to an Extell spokesperson.
Ten complaints about the construction have been reported to the city Department of Buildings since July. Some cited cracks in sidewalks and nearby building walls. One from September claimed that construction started too early in the morning while another alleged jack-hammering on Sun., March 1. Seven after-hours variances were obtained for Saturday work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the project for reasons of “public safety” according to D.O.B. records. Listed work was excavation-related and pile-driving, according to the records.
Holland showed The Villager several spots where vibrations from pile-driving created gaps in nearby sidewalks which were subsequently patched up by the contractor. Building residents have also reported new cracks in their apartments, purportedly from the pile-driving, Holland said.
“If you are in a building that shakes it is unnerving,” he said. “They can tell you it’s O.K., but I challenge anyone to stand on the 22nd floor while the floor is moving and the walls are cracking and not have a concern.”
Seismometers were installed along the construction site’s perimeter, as well as within 82 Rutgers Slip, Lend Lease said in a March 9 construction update. Notifications are sent via text message to the project team when vibration levels reach a threshold level that is set at “below a value” generally recognized as potentially damaging. Another alert happens when vibrations reach half of the threshold level.
“Certain vibrations can be very unsettling to a person, but would have a very low likelihood of causing any damage to the surrounding infrastructure,” Extell said in a statement.
