Iona College Zoning Changes Subject of Hearing

Zoning changes that could affect Iona College's ability to build student housing on North Avenue will be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday, April 9.

The changes will add "college-related uses" to North Avenue from the Memorial Highway overpass to Eastchester Road.

The hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

If changed, the zoning, which was drafted by city staff based on recommendations of the final report of the Community College Planning Committee, would allow buildings up to seven stories to be constructed on any parcel that has frontage on North Avenue and five stories if the parcel doesn't have North Avenue frontage.

The zoning also allows private developers to build and operate a college residence hall, something that Iona College doesn't like.

According to a memorandum from Anthony D. Dougherty of Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, lawyers for the college, "Simply put, the college cannot support this legislation as drafted."

Dougherty wrote that the words "proposed management company" should be removed from the zoning.

The reasons cited included Iona's opinion that it would create competition for its residence students and negatively impact the college's finances and "requires the college to manage a building it has indicated it does not want, and cannot manage the building the college needs" by permitting a private developer to build on North Avenue but requiring the college to manage a privately built residence hall that is not on North Avenue.

Conversely attorneys for Robert Young, whose The Young Companies LLC is interested in building private college residences along North Avenue near the intersection of Fifth Avenue, wrote to say the city should adopt the zoning changes as drafted.

William S. Null wrote that precluding private ownership or management of housing for students is inappropriate and would put a monopoly in place in favor of the college.

"Instead, the zoning amendment should be adopted to encourage the development of student housing because it addresses a comprehensive planning need and, in doing so, will generate beneficial economic revitalization along North Avenue," he said.