228 units for Blondell Ave.; CB 11 hearing: 9 stories, parking, retail
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More arrests made in Sylvester ‘Sally Daz’ Zottola killing
The McDonald’s drive thru where Sally DAZ was executed. Photo by Edwin Soto
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DECEMBER 2 BTR 1-27, 2018 95
From page 1
video game and juke box business,
according to police reports.
Each of the three new suspects
are members of the notorious
‘Bloods’ gang, the Eastern
District Court confi rmed.
More than that, they are
now suspects in Zottola’s
murder. There’s now more of
a case to be presented in the
attempted murder of his son,
also likely connected to the
same crew.
According to court documents,
the suspects began
plotting the hits on or around
Thursday, March 1.
Before the October 4 killing
of his father, Salvatore
survived a similar attempt on
his own life on early Wednesday
morning of July 11.
Prior to the recent arrests,
that gunman had remained atlarge.
The shooting happened
outside of Zottola’s massive
Locust Point compound on the
corner of Tierney Place and
Longstreet Avenue at approximately
6:40 a.m.
After taking bullets to
the head, torso and hand, the
41-year-old rolled for cover be-
A preliminary artist rendering of how 1340 Blondell Avenue would look as proposed currently.
The rezoning application
the board is considering seeks
to change what is currently an
M-1-1 zone into a R7A with a
commercial overlay.
According to the presentation
given by the developers
on December 10, the project
has been in the works for 10
years.
The new building would
contain a total of 211,000
square feet of fl oor space, and
include a garage that would
heavily-rely on hydraulic lifts
to store vehicles.
In its current iteration, the
developers would set aside 15
percent of the fl oor area for
formerly homeless veterans,
according to their presentation.
As of press time, representatives
from Blondell Equities
did not comment further.
The proposed development
sits at the edge of CB 11, with
Community Board 10, which
includes the Westchester
Square community in its
service area, starting on the
western side of Blondell Avenue.
Matt Cruz, CB 10 district
manager said that while
the advisory opinion in the
ULURP process must come
from CB 11, CB 10 is hoping
for an opportunity to express
its views on the project as
well.
“This is a big project and
would be one of the largest
buildings in that area,” said
Cruz. “There are questions
about its impact on businesses
and the residents (that are
nearby).”
Cruz said that his board
has reached out to the NYC
Planning Commission to request
that CB 10 have a say in
the ULURP.
After conversations with
his board members, Cruz said
he was particularly interested
in the uses for the ground fl oor
commercial space.
Carl Anderson, who lives
nearby and attended the hearing,
said he would like the
building to be offi ces instead
of apartments.
“Yes, there is a need for
residential, just put it somewhere
else,” said Anderson,
who thinks it will overwhelm
the area in terms of traffi c and
infrastructure.
A Blondell Avenue resident,
Marianne Lacroce, said
she was concerned about
safety issues because ambulances
often use the street to
bypass Westchester Square
traffi c on their way to the local
hospitals.
Andrew Chirico, a CB 10
member who attended the
hearing, said that there are
many businesses on the block
now that employ people and
was concerned about their futures.
Chirico also questioned
why such a large building was
being put on a relatively narrow
one-way street.
As of press time, CB 11 is
scheduled to have a second
meeting on the proposal on
Thursday, December 20, said
Jeremy Warneke, the board’s
district manager.
hind a Chrysler mini-van as
the attempted killers fl ed the
scene.
At the time he was rushed
to Jacobi Medical Center in
‘critical, but stable condition.’
Police recovered at least
four bullet casings from that
hit.
The father and son built
a lavish multifamily waterfront
complex in Locust
Point, where that shooting occurred.
It was used primarily as a
summer home for the family.
An investigation into the
murder and attempted murder
are still ongoing as police
attempt to connect more suspects
to the subsequent incidents.
Zottola’s daughter, Debbie
Zottola, previously told the
Bronx Times how in the advent
of her father’s passing,
she just wants him remembered
as a caring gentleman.
“He was a good man not a
goodfella and he was a wise
man not a wiseguy,” she
said.