Green light for delayed Rockaways YMCA

The proposed $25 million YMCA at the Arverne by the Sea complex in the Rockaways is nearing reality, with the mayor’s office slated to approve the long-awaited project, the Daily News reported. The YMCA had been delayed because of a local law that requires construction projects receiving more than $10 million in city funding to be LEED-certified, but the city is now planning to waive that stipulation after the developer agreed to several environmentally friendly alterations to the design. Provided that the waiver is granted, construction is to “begin very shortly,” Ryan Whalen, chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson, said Tuesday. Gerry Romski, who is heading up the development efforts for Benjamin-Beechwood, said the building could be complete within a year-and-a-half. [NYDN]