(rshsdepot) Yonkers, NY - Trolley Barn

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Links:
http://www.philipsemanorfriends.org/7.htm  (info about trolley barn)
http://www.philipsemanorfriends.org/7_1a.htm  (contemporary photo)


Yonkers council to vote on fate of Trolley Barn

By BILL HUGHES
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: March 9, 2002)

YONKERS - All around the old Trolley Barn, work is in progress.
Across the street to the east, foundations are being poured for a new
parking garage and office building. To the west, workers are preparing the
sites of a new riverfront park and apartment complex. North of the Trolley
Barn, the Metro-North Railroad station is undergoing a $35 million
face-lift. A block beyond that, the finishing touches are being put on the
new library and school administration building.
The glaring exception to all this activity is the Trolley Barn, a red brick
behemoth at the end of Main Street, its windows still boarded up with
plywood. The September 2001 starting date has been removed from the sign the
city placed on the building depicting an artist's vision of the renovated
version.
On Tuesday night, the City Council is scheduled to vote on the fate of the
98-year-old structure, planned to become upscale live-work lofts for
artists. At issue is a resolution sent to the council by Mayor John Spencer
nearly two months ago that would award development rights for the building
to a new firm at the same time the original developer is saying he is ready
to begin construction.
The council has had a series of meetings to try to determine whether the
original developer, A&F Commercial Builders, has a legitimate claim to the
project. The principal partner in the firm, Eric Anderson, said the only
reason he was delayed in starting construction was an executive order issued
by Spencer last April that effectively mandated the use of union labor on
all city projects. The order was issued midway through his financing process
and drove up construction costs by an estimated 30 percent, Anderson said,
adding that the need to restructure his finances caused the delay.
"If we weren't involved with all this political nonsense, we'd already be
half-built by now," Anderson said. "Right now, we're ready to start. We have
all our financing secured. The only thing preventing us from starting work
is approval from the administration."
Spencer said Anderson was given plenty of time to start the project and
hasn't done so.
After first receiving the resolution from Spencer in January, the council
initially moved to extend Anderson's preferred-developer designation, but
has since backed away from that position.
"All I can say right now is that it's gotten very complicated, and we have
to meet again and discuss it before we decide what we're going to do," said
Council President Vincenza Restiano.
Joni Management & Realty Services, a new developer from New Rochelle headed
by Joseph Spiezio, also has bought two buildings in Getty Square and has a
lease on a third. Spencer said he chose Spiezio for the project because he
has a proven track record and because Anderson has been unable to move the
Trolley Barn renovation forward.
While some members of the council have questioned the motives and the timing
of the mayor's decision, saying Anderson seems better poised to begin the
project than Spiezio, Spencer insisted he had little to do with the
selection process for either firm.
"I didn't pick Joe Spiezio, and I didn't pick Eric Anderson, either - my
staff did. They do a lot of work researching these things, and after
reviewing their work, I agree that this is the best course of action for the
city," Spencer said.
The current plans for the Trolley Barn call for construction of nearly 40
live-work lofts, with retail space on the ground floor. Until two years ago,
plans were in place to convert the building, which has been vacant for more
than two decades, into a 14-screen movie theater.

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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