Mr. Moerdler tried to get CB 8 to pass a resolution urging the DEP to fix the retaining wall immediately, but Traffic and Transportation chair Dan Padernacht, who lives in Kingsbridge Heights and has represented FIPNA as an attorney, held off because he said the board should wait for public input before taking any action.

An architect representing Long Island-based Jackson Development said at the April CB 8 meeting that the company would not touch the retaining wall during construction. FIPNA hired Grigg and Davis Engineers, P.C.  to conduct a study of the project. The group reported that the amount of rock excavation required for the project would result in a “very high” probability of damage to adjacent properties on Cannon.

In May, Jackson announced it would build a parking garage with an  entrance on Fort Independence instead of Cannon Place to address the community’s concerns over a retaining wall collapse as the result of increased traffic. 

Jackson’s proposal is for a 96,000-square-foot mixed-income apartment building on the same 30,000-square-foot site Urban Pathways once planned to build a homeless shelter, which was also met with strong opposition from the community.

Mr. Weisman of Jackson did not respond to a call for comment.

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