Final touches in Riverdale.

Just enough of a new 13-story building called Arlington Suites slipped into place at 3220 Arlington Avenue in Riverdale in the days before buildings of its height were outlawed in the exclusive Bronx neighborhood.

As a result, the project is currently underway and will become the last tall building in Riverdale.

The Planning Commission outlawed buildings taller than 70 feet (or about eight stories) in Riverdale on September 28. The development at 3220 Arlington managed to beat that deadline by completing its construction documents and its foundations in time, said David Mandl, president of Meltzer/Mandl Architects and the architect on the project.

City rules say that it is enough to "grandfather" the building, being developed by Arlington Suites, LLC.

"It was a race against the clock and the result saves the owner from losing millions of dollars," said Mandl. "We literally worked overtime for three months to make sure we beat this deadline."

First It Was 32 Stories.

Despite the fact that it is not yet finished, 3220 Arlington already has a controversial history. Mandl's original design called for a soaring 32-story structure, made possible by an air-rights purchase from the neighboring church.

Howls of protest from the neighborhood caused the church to back out of the deal, however. At the height of the controversy the protestors hired powerful law firm Stroock Stroock & Lavin to battle the building, even though it was perfectly legal. In Riverdale one- and two-family houses occupy 24% of the land area; apartment buildings account for only 19%, according to Community Board 8's Web site.

The zoning rules then in place permitted the developer to build a 17-story structure, even without the church's air rights. The complaints didn't stop, however, and the developers again compromised to the community's wishes by designing a 13-story structure. When the Planning Commission began discussing preventing a building of even that height, the architects, owner and contractors moved fast.

"Cutting down on the building is very much like taking money out of my client's bank account," said architect Mandl. "Every floor you remove costs the developer money." Due to all the changes, Mandl designed the building three times before the final design was arrived at.

The site is a through-lot with frontage on Arlington and Netherland Avenues.