The developer-owner of 3101 Albemarle Street is no longer pursuing approval for six units of housing on the unlandmarked section of the property, and will instead develop it as “matter-of-right.”
Father-and-son team P.G. and Bobby Gottfried purchased the property and historic mansion in 2017, and had sought zoning relief through a PUD for as many as five townhomes and one single-family home on the lot. P.G. told Forest Hills Connection on Friday that he was not happy with this outcome, but due to an unnamed neighbor’s position against the PUD, he said the risk was too great that this project would be delayed for too long by an appeal.
On the phone call, P.G. Gottfried would provide no details about how the property would be divided. At the October 2017 ANC 3F meeting, Bobby Gottfried showed how the lot could be divided into as many as three parcels, with a single-family home on each one.
Bobby Gottfried is the developer of record as Soapstone Valley Ventures and the architect is Christian Zapatka. The site work for a house on the corner of 32nd and Albemarle could start as early as today. The Gottfrieds have all the necessary permits, and there will be no additional curb cuts. Access will be from a driveway already on the property. Neighbors should expect 8 to 10 months of construction work.
The Gottfrieds, neighbors and ANC 3F had engaged in a lengthy community process, which began with lots of enthusiasm and a substantial investment of time but devolved into distrust and acrimony. The Gottfrieds bought the one-acre property for $2.8 million in February 2017, went on to get the former Polish ambassador’s (and defector’s) home landmarked, then submitted an application to the Zoning Board for a PUD in November 2017. They sold the landmarked mansion on September 17th, 2018 for $1.4 million. It will be renovated and used as a single-family residence.
