Chair Louis questions Stark on existing businesses and tenant return
Chair Louis asks about the relationship with existing businesses and whether tenants can return. Stark explains some owner-operated businesses like Hatzola will stay, Mr. Rosenberg's tire shop will not return, and Site A's pharmacy and health center will remain through a straight enlargement.
What is the applicant's team's relationship with the existing businesses and existing tenants?
I know you mentioned some of it just now, but if you could just elaborate.
And will the existing tenants have an opportunity to return?
Yeah, so like I said, a few of these are owner-operated, like Hatzola, like Mr.
Rosenberg's Tire Shop.
And they're returning?
They're going to all return?
No.
So Mr.
Rosenberg, I'll start with him on the tire shop.
He has found it challenging to operate.
The tire shop there.
These are tight streets.
It's a very busy neighborhood.
There was an era many years ago when the proximity of the BQE was helpful.
It has become more challenging to operate.
What about Hatsula?
Hatsula intends to stay.
What about the others?
The others intend to redevelop the most notable site that has a large employee base is Site A that you see up there.
It's Mr.
Stern's building.
The goal that currently has a pharmacy and a health center, which collectively employ something like 70, 80 people, the goal is to have them stay by actually enlarging that building.
The building has big footings, big foundations.
It's the goal, but is it going to happen?
I think that's what we're trying to do.
The intention is to not knock down that building.
It's to do a straight enlargement.
We cannot sit here and say that of the 150 or so existing employees within the rezoning area that there won't be a displacement of some amount of employees.
There will be a very large number of employees who are able to come back, given the commitment by these owners to retain some of these businesses.
The rezoning will bring in hundreds of new jobs, teaching jobs, facility services jobs associated with it.
But are there any other existing businesses that you haven't elaborated if they're going to return?
There are others that will be lost, including on Site E.
It's an open parking lot where cars are rented.
There's a handful of employees there that will not return given the plan to redevelop.
There is a warehousing and supply store on Site D that the thought is that we will offer to have them come back.
It's possible that, you know, given the timing of construction, that they'll be unable to come back.
Okay.
But certainly Mr.
Stern has put into the record a commitment to offering spaces to existing tenants.
And again, the largest share of employees is found in Site A, and they won't even be displaced at all during a construction period because the intent is to just straighten and large that building.