By Odelia Bitton
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BAY RIDGE — Although a controversial condo developer in Bay Ridge initially claimed that it would restore three century-old Victorian homes that it recently bought, records show that the developer instead seeks to demolish the antique structures.

The Basile Builders Group on Sept. 6 filed applications for the demolition of three next-door properties at 318, 326 and 334 74th St. that it bought earlier this summer, according to records from the Department of Buildings (DOB). The DOB processed the applications last Monday. Building plans have not yet been presented.

The revelation follows a statement made to the Eagle last month by a member of the firm, Rocco Basile, in which he said that the homes, deemed “in bad shape,� would be restored.

“This is the history of our neighborhood� that Basile Builders is demolishing, said Victoria Hofmo, who heads the Bay Ridge Conservancy. “What are they giving us to replace it? Nothing better.�

Joe Basile, who is said to be overseeing the matter, did not respond to calls asking for comment on building plans.

Current zoning on each of the lots allows for a multiple-family structure with a maximum height of 33 feet, or a three-story building, as modified in the 2005 rezoning in Bay Ridge. The three lots together contain 16,200 square feet of usable space, according to propertyshark.com

When community members first received word of the sale, several were immediately suspicious of the developer’s plans. They cited Basile Builders’ history of building condominiums, including seven in Brooklyn.

They pointed to Basile’s development at 364 90th St. in Bay Ridge, one of the multiple “Fedders homes� that they say have contributed to the loss of Bay Ridge’s traditional architecture. That term, employed by frustrated activists, refers to “cookie-cutter� condos whose most memorable features are their exposed Fedders-brand air conditioners.

Hofmo and other preservationists find Basile’s track record discomforting. For one, “they’re legally responsible for putting in trees in residences they’ve built. They haven’t,� Hofmo said.

Concern about overdevelopment is escalating in the community, amid possible plans for condo developments at other well-known sites. The 100-year-old United Methodist Church at Ovington and Fourth avenues, currently listed under contract for $12 million, has garnered its share of support and concern over what might replace it.

The Bay Ridge Funeral Home at 7614 Fourth Ave., recently acquired by prolific local developer Mousa Khalil, is currently being prepared for demolition. A rumored seven-story condo complex would replace the current four-story building structure.

“Between [Basile] and Khalil, they’re just knocking down the whole neighborhood. Forget architects. It’s cookie-cutter developments. Legally, what can we do? We can do nothing.�

Still, Hofmo is mobilizing other locals in the cause for preservation of old sites. Hofmo is currently planning to hold a vigil that would take participants on a tour of these local sites. They would include Ovington Avenue at Fifth and Sixth avenues, where several of Khalil’s properties still lie undeveloped.

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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