Silvercup Studios, neighbors rally against LIC power plant.

With the future development of prime Long Island City waterfront property in jeopardy, a local business and area politicians are taking legal measures in an attempt to prevent the siting of two 44-megawatt generators at 42-30 Vernon Blvd.

Silvercup Studios is planning to file suit seeking to reverse a recent decision paving the way for the $500 million power plant project to move forward. Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, who has been a vocal opponent of the project, is among those considering filing a "friend of the court" brief in the matter. The brief would indicate Shulman's support for the legal measure, but would not make the borough president's office a legal party to the action.

"[Siting a power plant] would go against every planning document ever devised for that area," said David Von Spreckelsen, Silvercup Studios' director of real estate and development.

When contacted last week, Spreckelson said the company is planning to file suit "within 10 days."

Two weeks ago, the state Department of Environmental Conservation approved air pollution control permits for the power plants, paving the way for the project to move forward. The Long Island City site is one of six throughout the city where the Power Authority wants to install 10 gas-turbine generators by June. Other sites include Port Morris in the Bronx, and Williamsburg and Sunset Park in Brooklyn. State officials have said the generators are needed to avoid power shortages this summer.

Neighbors, politicians, and business owners have strongly opposed the placing power plants on such a valuable strip of real estate just a few blocks north of the Queens West development.

Efforts to develop Queens West have been underway since the 1980s with much progress being made in recent years. AvalonBay announced plans to build Avalon Riverview, a 32-story luxury apartment building. The 372-unit building will have average monthly rents of approximately $3,000. Occupancy is scheduled for spring 2002. The company, which has refused to comment on the power plant issue, also plans to build two more luxury apartment buildings in the vicinity.

In addition to the apartment buildings, which comprise the first phase of development in the Queens West project, plans are to build a 17,500-square-foot public school for pre-K to fifth grade, 80 units of senior citizen housing, and the 2.5-acre Gantry Plaza State Park.

"People want to look at generators and the borough president does not believe they will be there for a short time," said Dan Andrews, a spokesman for Shulman. "We don't feel that generators are a good use of waterfront property in New York City."

Plans for the second phase of construction include the construction of three office buildings, a hotel and retail space.

Silvercup Studios, which owns a parcel abutting the proposed power plant site, is planning to expand its operations but fears that having a generator next to it would render their land virtually useless. The land does not have the proper zone to site a power plant but the state has the authority to override the zoning, Von Spreckelsen said.

"They're going to override zoning on beautiful waterfront property," he said.

Opponents of the plan have also criticized the power authority for deciding to cap output at the power plants at 79.9 megawatts, a move critics contend was made simply to avoid the lengthy review process an 80-plus megawatt site would have required.

Among points that will likely be contained in the lawsuit will be that the state did not conduct a proper environmental review- of the site, Von Spreckelsen said.