A senior housing project is latest proposal to replace this Fort George church
LEFT: COCONUT PROPERTIES CEO ADAM ZEIDEL AND RISEBORO CEO SCOTT SHORT, AND 37 HILLSIDE AVENUE (CREDIT: GOOGLE MAPS)
Two previous development plans for the site of Rocky Mount Baptist Church have failed
TRD New York /
June 11, 2019 12:00 PM
By Mary Diduch
Left: Coconut Properties CEO Adam Zeidel and RiseBoro CEO Scott Short, and 37 Hillside Avenue
A 164-unit senior housing complex is set to rise in Fort George on church property, after two previous development efforts there failed.
RiseBoro Community Partnership and Coconut Properties LLC pre-filed an application with the Department of Buildings to build the nine-story residential complex at 37 Hillside Avenue. The 64-foot-tall project is zoned for nearly 102,000 square feet.
The project would provide housing for low-income seniors and have onsite case-management and social services, according to minutes from a Community Board 12 land use committee meeting in October, when developers presented the as-of-right proposal. The project also was expected to be financed with tax credits.
RiseBoro, a nonprofit organization that provides services including affordable housing did not return a request for comment. Adam Zeidel, CEO of Coconut Properties, declined to comment. SLCE Architects is the architecture firm of record.
The site sits on land owned by the Rocky Mount Baptist Church, whose one-story church stands there. Representatives for the church could not be reached for comment and it was unclear what role the church would have in the development.
The project is the third proposal for a residential development on the church’s property. Board 12 voted against a 19-story complex the church and a development partner proposed that required zoning variances. And in 2010, the board approved a 10-story project the church and a different partner put forward. Those plans fell through when the partners didn’t get the low-income tax credits needed to finance construction, according board minutes.
