All is Not Well on Christie Place

At the Scarsdale Village Board Meeting on Tuesday June 8, residents of the Chateaux Apartments voiced their frustration with the Ginsburg Development Corporation (GDC), the developers of Christie Place. Apparently, GDC is required to do masonry and landscaping work that has been put off four times since 2008. GDC asked representatives from the Chateaux Apartments for more time over and over again and missed their May, 2010 deadline. GDC is responsible for unfinished masonry work, landscaping of the green area behind Chat Restaurant and restoration of an access path from the Chateaux Apartments to Christie Place that was destroyed during the construction of Christie Place.

Chateaux residents “have been good neighbors but will not continue to be good neighbors much longer” and a representative told Trustees that residents have spoken to an attorney who advised them that they have a strong case.

Mayor Stevens sympathized with Chateaux residents and added that Ginsburg is also in default of his agreement with the Village. The Village has a punch list of 19 outstanding items that have not been completed including construction of a park. They plan to begin proceedings to go after Ginsburg’s personal assets and encouraged Chateaux residents to take action on their own behalf. Stevens is hopeful that Ginsburg will meet his obligations when he sells more units.

In addition to complaints about unfinished work, another Chateaux resident spoke about the loud noise and music that comes from customers at Chat American Grill on summer nights. Windows from the Chateaux Apartments overlook the outdoor seating patio and the restaurant stays open until 1 a.m. The resident wanted to know if there were noise ordinances and how residents could be protected. The resident had complained to the manager of Chat who replied, “we’re trying to run a business.” In response, the Mayor asked the Village Attorney to give the resident a copy of the noise ordinance and encouraged him to call the police when it gets too loud.