Stop the noise! Neighbors can’t stand incessant drilling

In a what was once quiet corner of Spuyten Duyvil, residents have been experiencing high levels of noise pollution for well over a year. Three lots located on Arlington Avenue and Netherland Avenue between West 232nd Street have been under construction for up to eight hours a day every weekday.

The house standing at 3135 Netherland Ave. was part of the surrounding properties but when it went up for sale the purchasers only wanted the lot with the house, leaving the two neighboring properties up for the development company. These two properties and the third, on the corner of Arlington and West 232nd Street, were later purchased by Netherland Development LLC.

Netherland Development LLC signed the deed for the vacant lots in December 2020 and construction has been ongoing for nearly a year. The development company took out a $3.3 million mortgage for three lots at 3133 and 3139 Netherland Ave. and 3132 Arlington Ave.

The residents of 3135 Netherland Ave., Zachary Goldberg and Danielle Ludwin, purchased their home in April 2021 and it now stands alone, bordered on both sides by lots under construction. They purchased it from Gaya Aranoff Bernstein for $1.5 million.

The neighbors describe the continuous sound as rock drilling or jackhammering, which is due to the properties large uneven rock formation that the construction is attempting to drill through in order to build homes on the newly purchased properties. According to permits posted at the site, Netherland Development has permission to drill until April.

Despite the incessant noise, the third lot, located between 3135 and 3129 Netherland Ave., remains untouched and the fear remains that as they begin construction on the third lot there is no end in sight for the noise.

Michael Recchiuti lives in the Edmund Lee apartment complex at 3135 Johnson Ave. that directly overlooks the construction and has emailed Community Board 8 in an attempt to stop the noise and the nuisance.

Recchiuti is not just concerned for himself but his neighbors as well.

“How do they get the permission to disturb people’s lives for a year,” he told The Riverdale Press. “This is about quality of life.” He said that Netherland Development LLC have been “drilling down into 14 feet of Manhattan schist.”

According to Recchiuti, the construction has been ongoing for roughly 10 months.

Lynn Evansohn lives in a home on Arlington Avenue and her property borders one of the construction lots. Evansohn has lived in her home for 26 years and said that prior to this disruption the neighborhood has been quiet and lovely.

“I think it’s not being taken seriously,” said Evansohn. She, and a number of her neighbors, have written to Community Board 8 and called Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz to complain and ask what can be done but are always met with the same response. That is “the property was granted permits for their work and there are no grounds to terminate their work.”

Evansohn explained that the construction begins at 7 a.m. and does not stop until 4 p.m. A full work day for the construction crew but also a full work day for anyone else working from home in the area. She explained she works from home and spending most of her day home any calls she makes are disrupted by the noise, causing distractions for her and those on the calls.

“I don’t even think I have the worst of it but it’s really rather unbearable at times,” she said. Evansohn argued that the noise is both a physical health hazard and a stressor. She recounted a time she was sitting in a chair in her home that proceeded to vibrate for the duration of the drilling.

In a letter to the CB8 Land Use Committee, Recchiuti wrote, “since ‘quality of life’ is a big part of the attraction of Riverdale, I certainly hope that remediation of this issue falls within the purview of the Board, and your committe.”

CB8 responded to his email, “We will reach out to the appropriate city agencies regarding the issue and will follow up with an update accordingly.” Since this email exchange on Feb. 6, no changes have occurred.

Recchiuti is scared about what will happen come summer time. He fears opening windows will bring  about “constructive eviction,” meaning the living conditions would be so severely impacted that he would feel no other option but to vacate the premises.

In the city of New York constructive eviction is taken very seriously and must meet set criteria for a tenant to successfully claim they have to leave. State law describes it as “warranty of habitability” which agrees that tenants are rightfully entitled to a livable, safe, and sanitary space. According to the New York City Civil Court, “the warranty of habitability makes the landlord or owner responsible for keeping your apartment and the building safe and livable at all times.”

Included among the list of living conditions protected by the state is noise. However, the law is in regard to landlord or owner and tenant and this situation involves the noise coming from the surrounding area.

“It has so egregiously affected the quality of life for a lot of people,” said Evansohn. “People talk about environmental impact. People are part of the environment.”