Re: Residents fight Oxford Avenue development

To the editor,

I read with interest the article about the proposed six-story building on Oxford Avenue.

Perhaps a good follow up would be an informational article on how current Riverdale residents can protect themselves from the greed of developers which is cropping up to take advantage of any spare plot, no matter how small, to build a “market-rate” building.

When I moved into my pre-war residence, it was owned by a family. The landlord was far from perfect, yet there was enough of a legacy left that the owner knew the tenants and communicated with them.

They sold the building to a corporate entity, which has been nothing but a disaster.

Just recently, the current landlord appears to have sold a small patch of land adjacent to the building (everyone had always hoped for it to be a playground for the building’s children) to a developer. It will be sandwiched in between our building and the one on the other side of this minuscule piece of land.

It could create major noise and dirt during potential construction. Vermin could become a problem. Beautiful old trees may need to be cut down to fulfill this project.

Residents need a primer on how they can be proactive via their community boards and other governmental agencies to protect their quality of life.

MARCIA G. YERMAN

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