What happened to these guys? My wife and I have noticed that a couple new homes they began around town are abandoned along with several renovations they were working on. Apparently, the new home left unfinished on Prospect is being sold "as is" now. Meanwhile, a beautiful home they bought and gutted on Montclair is still left exposed. Actually, the wife and I was seriously considering buying that home and doing an addition ourselves, but C. George snatched it up before we could move on it and now its been left abandoned and open to the elements for close to three years. What a shame.

My impression has always been that they were the least aesthetically pleasing builder in town, and apparently their business accumen seems to support that.

I'll say this...those houses were always big...and if you absolutely loved turrets...C. George was your company.

Check out page seven here.

"Commissioner Swanson questioned why some of the petitioner’s other projects in the Village have taken such a lengthy period of time to finish and also questioned how long it will take the petitioner to complete the subject project. Mr. Scigousky responded that personal reasons were responsible for the delay regarding some of his projects in the Village and explained that one house required considerable renovation when sold to a new buyer after the original buyer was transferred out of state before moving into the home. Mr. Scigousky added that the subject development is a fully funded project."

I don't know anything about GS, nor do I know anything about the Duane Street Rowhouses. I will admit that I will not miss the buildings that are currently on the site. Just can't figure out why someone would want to live sooooooooooo close to the RR tracks. And pay close to $900K to do so. To each his own, I guess.

I will say this...as a layman...seems odd to start a big project while so many are apparently sitting unfinished. But I really don't care one way or the other. I'd just love to see that site leveled...so miserable. Especially given that kick-@ss building across the street. Is that an office building or residence?

I agree, I believe he was starting or bidding on a bigger project -the row houses as evidenced also by the Architectural Review board, back in February.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
Just can't figure out why someone would want to live sooooooooooo close to the RR tracks. And pay close to $900K to do so. To each his own, I guess.

Perhaps they would be marketed to people who lived along the L. City living without the third rail. You could have a different class of people peek into your windows.

As completely reprehensible as this builder's actions have been, a fair share of blame must be afforded to our dear village, which has woefully deficient inspection and code enforcement, and no system of fines or other penalties for an uncooperative builder. The village's ONLY response to improprieties is to halt construction - just what you want when a builder has been holding your neighborhood hostage for 3 years or more.

We have the pleasure of one of this builder's neverending projects in our neighborhood. I believe it has now been 4 years since he bought the pre-existing home and began his damage. It is by turns amusing, amazing, and frustrating to see how many other projects in the neighborhood have been begun and completed, while his white elephant sits decaying before it is finished. Lately a woodpecker has developed a taste for the siding. Once he makes it all the way through, I assume the squirrels will move in...

And then the village gleefully allows him to tear up new houses (see Turner W of Park - begun a month or so ago, and mentioned on these boards) while his existing projects remain unfinished.

There have been a number of threads in the past critical of certain in-town builders. (Not sure whether they survived Ted's purge.) Many of those threads directly described activities of the builder you name. And my initial questioning of a certain candidate was due to his sharing a profession with this neighborhood desecrater.

Oh, and without mentioning any particular builder, you ought to talk to some poeple who have had the misfortune of buying homes, to hear some horror stories. Also observe what builder's name is associated with the trashiest worksites in town - again, neither monitored nor controlled by our wonderful village.

In this same vein - Who knows the story with the partially finished project on Lenox? It is amazing that this is allowed in the CLE area and directly across from the park. It is an eyesore and, I think, dangerous situation.

I know!! But I ain't talkin'. Know the owners too well.

Have to agree with their stance. I'm certain that can be looked up on the internet.

Just a hint?

No.

What many don't know about me...except GEFan and Fish...is that I am fairly discreet.

It is clearly more interesting a tale than I'd suspected!

Not really. Just your run-of-the-mill legal battle.

I bet that open and unfinished foundation looks really terrific from the very expensive houses overlooking it! Maybe they bill it as a water feature.

quote:

I don't know anything about GS, nor do I know anything about the Duane Street Rowhouses. I will admit that I will not miss the buildings that are currently on the site.

Call me crazy, but doesn't it seem like sensible development of some of the existing buildings along this stretch of Duane, along with a new one or two, could really benefit our CBD? A couple of the small existing structures would be nice homes for small incubator businesses (like the yarn place, a card and candy shop, bead store, a photo studio, the hot dog place, etc.) As The Maude Group, the insurance agent and Out on a Whim prove, existing buildings can be renovated nicely into profitable venures. People would frolic between our downtown and our library with the right mix of small businesses there.

Residential rowhouses are often labeled as uninspired and do little for our tax base, our schools, etc. This seems like a prime opportunity for development incentives that could really make a difference in GE.

i believe some of his former clients have had liens slapped on their properties (hopefully resolved by now!) and hey, how about the house on montclair that has been torn up for almost FOUR YEARS!!!! this guy has HUGE nerve (insert any other word you choose). i would have moved to another STATE by now.
any here's a heads up to the village...how are sales going for the behemoth Mews? looks pretty empty to me...
and as for the 900K price tag for these duane townhomes...the new townhomes going up at penn. and kenilworth(i think it's kenilworth)are starting in the 500's. let's see...8 X 900K= 7.2 MILLION. maybe he can finish the house on montclair with the profit.
yuk.

quote:

Originally posted by howdy60137:
any here's a heads up to the village...how are sales going for the behemoth Mews? looks pretty empty to me...

While I do not have a good word to say for the subject of this thread, I believe a different fine upstanding contributor to our community is responsible for the Mews - with an able assist from the village.

sorry dins...i should have made that clear that the mews and the duane project are not related...except for the elements of behemoth-ness(new word) and overpricedness(another new word.) time for this village to get some guts and, as nancy reagan used to say...JUST SAY NO!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by howdy60137:
sorry dins...i should have made that clear that the mews and the duane project are not related...except for the elements of behemoth-ness(new word) and overpricedness(another new word.) time for this village to get some guts and, as nancy reagan used to say...JUST SAY NO!!!!!

Why did you hyphenate "behemoth-ness", yet you did not hyphenate "overpricedness"?

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:

quote:

Originally posted by howdy60137:
sorry dins...i should have made that clear that the mews and the duane project are not related...except for the elements of behemoth-ness(new word) and overpricedness(another new word.) time for this village to get some guts and, as nancy reagan used to say...JUST SAY NO!!!!!

Why did you hyphenate "behemoth-ness", yet you did not hyphenate "overpricedness"?

Why did you put the comma outside the quotation mark?

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

Why did you put the comma outside the quotation mark?

Is there a hard and fast rule on that?

quote:

Originally posted by Fish:

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:

quote:

Originally posted by howdy60137:
sorry dins...i should have made that clear that the mews and the duane project are not related...except for the elements of behemoth-ness(new word) and overpricedness(another new word.) time for this village to get some guts and, as nancy reagan used to say...JUST SAY NO!!!!!

Why did you hyphenate "behemoth-ness", yet you did not hyphenate "overpricedness"?

Why did you put the comma outside the quotation mark?

It isn't a spoken quote.