The Goddess of wisdom and war has prevailed.
After 18 months of public outcry and courtroom back-and-forth, city officials voted unanimously to revoke a construction permit for a seven-story South Slope condo that could have obstructed a historic view corridor between the statue of Minerva in Green-Wood Cemetery and the Statue of Liberty.
“We’re pretty darn happy,” said Aaron Brashear, who has fought to preserve the view and the surrounding neighborhood’s low skyline since he learned of the so-called “Minerva building” in 2005.
“There are multiple victories here for the community, the cemetery and the city, which has taken a strong stance against a less-than-stellar [project],” he said.
The Board of Standards and Appeals ruled on Tuesday that developer Chaim Nussencweig had not gotten his building started before new zoning restrictions went into effect. The decision will send Nussencweig’s architect, Robert Scarano, back to the drawing board.
The plans for 614 Seventh Ave. fell under intense scrutiny earlier this year when the Department of Building disciplined the prolific DUMBO-based architect for designing condos larger than zoning rules allowed.
Nussencweig’s lawyer blamed activists like Brashear for encouraging the city to penalize the developer for Scarano’s behavior.
“What transpired … is not something that should be attached to our client,” said the lawyer, Howard Hornstein.
