Villanova Heights developer gets extension — yet again

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Villanova Heights, a luxury housing development just outside the Fieldston Historic District, has received another extension on its construction permits in spite of complaints that the work has already taken too long and aggravated neighbors.

At a Community Board (CB) 8 Land Use Committee meeting on Nov. 3, a representative for the site’s developer, John Fitzgerald, requested a four-year extension for eight single-family houses under construction. 

Seven of 15 planned houses at the development have been built and are currently occupied, said Jordan Most, a lawyer from Sheldon Lobel, the law firm representing Mr. Fitzgerald.

But several attendees put Mr. Most to task for how long the construction, which began in 2005, has already taken.

“We’re opposed to this construction. It’s been going on for a long time,” said Steven Nelson, who lives near Villanova Heights.

He also complained of early morning construction on the weekends that takes place with no warning to residents.

Rezoning that took place after the development began has required Villanova Heights to receive permission to extend construction four times, instead of proceed “as of right.”

The project previously came under fire from the Fieldston Property Owners Association. Residents living near Villanova Heights complained about the size and positioning of the houses and were upset by the presence of construction vehicles on private streets. Those concerns, as well as flooding caused by uprooting shrubs and trees, led to multiple lawsuits between Mr. Fitzgerald and the association. 

At the Nov. 3 meeting, Councilman Andrew Cohen spoke out about the duration of the project so far. 

“This is just dragging on year after year after year,” he said. “It is a burden on the neighborhood.”

Mr. Most replied that necessary infrastructure upgrades, including landscaping and installing drainage pipes, have protracted construction.

All the finished houses, meanwhile, are being rented rather than sold. 

Mr. Most said construction could move more quickly if more of the houses on the site were sold. 

Villanova Heights, Land Use Committee, John Fitzgerald, Charles Moerdler, Andrew Cohen, Maya Rajamani
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