Judge Sides With Long Beach On Superblock Permits

A Nassau County Supreme Court judge has ruled against iStar in the developer's ongoing battle against the City of Long Beach, deciding that the city was within its rights to revoke iStar's building permit for the Superblock.

The Long Beach Zoning Board voted unanimously to revoke iStar's building permit in May after a resident-led lawsuit said the permits were invalid for work in 2018 because variances on them expired in 2014.

According to Newsday, the judge ruled with the city in iStar's appeal of the case, saying that the developer did not obtain all the permits it needed for construction.

However, this does not end the city's legal entanglements with iStar. The developer is currently suing the city for $100 million seeking restitution for damages it says it incurred due to the city not expressing support for tax breaks for its proposed 15-story, 522-unit apartment towers on the boardwalk.

City officials still took the current ruling as a good sign, and seemed optimistic.

"The city and zoning board are grateful for the court's decision," Long Beach Corporation Counsel Rob Agostisi told Newsday. "We expect it will have a major impact on iStar's separate breach-of-contract case, where they're seeking lost profits — on a project they're no longer permitted to build."

Photo: Patch