Political arena

Former Council members fight over Indian Pond

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Renewed plans to build three houses near Indian Pond in Fieldston  are pitting two of Riverdale’s former City Council members against each other.

The Bloomfield family has hired June Eisland, who represented the northwest Bronx on the Council until 2001, to help advance the controversial project.

She sat among a group of lawyers and developers at Monday night’s Community Board 8 Land Use Committee meeting to examine the Bloomfield Project, but remained silent throughout.

However, Mr. Koppell, who was on the City Council from 2002 to 2013, took the floor to attack the plans.

“To say that this doesn’t violate the idea of SNAD, which is to protect the special natural areas… just is nonsensical, quite frankly,” he said.

Indian Pond is in a part of Fieldston that is registered as both a historic district according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and as a Special Natural Area District, a zoning designation for areas with natural features the city wants to preserve. 

Much of the discussion at the Monday night meeting focused on an upcoming LPC hearing on whether to give the Bloomfield Project a certificate of appropriateness. But Mr. Koppell said authorities should require the project to apply for an Environmental Impact Statement that would examine whether it violates Fieldston’s SNAD status.

Mr. Koppell is a longtime Fieldston resident. By taking a strong stand against the Bloomfield Development, he is challenging the predecessor who endorsed his opponent in this year’s Democratic primary elections. Mr. Koppell unsuccessfully sought to oust incumbent Bronx and Westchester state Sen. Jeff Klein.

Looking ahead to a Sunday, Dec. 13 meeting of the Fieldston Property Owners Association, Mr. Koppell said, “A decision will have to be made as to whether we want to negotiate with the Bloomfield group” — a pregnant pause came as he waved his hand at Ms. Eisland in the row behind him — “or we want to continue what was the position some years ago of just simply opposing this.”

Bloomfield Development, Indian Pond, Oliver Koppell, June Eisland, Andrew Cohen, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Jeff Klein, Bx7, Bx10, digital divide, Scott Stringer, Fernando Cabrera, Political arena, Shant Shahrigian
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