Community Board 8 and local lawmakers discussed plans for affordable senior housing with the project's leaders Thursday night in Riverdale.

The major issues concerning the community board include the size of the building, parking spaces and commercial units. The board says it isn't against building the unit, but it would prefer that the building be smaller. Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz suggested building a nine-story building instead of the planned 11-story unit.

Self Help, the group behind the project, says it cannot make any changes to the project if it wants to be able to pay off the bonds from the state. The group also defended attaching commercial units, like doctors' offices, to the building to supplement their costs.

 

Construction has already begun, as workers have started laying down the building's foundation.