The Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's finally revealed its recommendation Oct. 4, putting its faith in RFP responder AvalonBay to "save St. Paul's" from the wrecking ball. Many residents, however, weren't excited to hear the news. Instead they became angered because in designating AvalonBay as the recommended developing firm, it in essence knocked Canus Corporation - another finalist - out of the running.

The Albanese Organization, the third finalist, withdrew after the committee requested it scale back its proposal. The Albanese Organization, which proposed an attractive, high-end project expected to cost $100 million to develop but would result in what committee members call an "unacceptable investment by the village," did not think a reduced development was feasible.

Deputy Mayor John Mauk, chair of the Mayor's Committee to Save St. Paul's, publicly stated that he and fellow committee members Jim Carney (resident), Bob Davis (resident), Cosmo Veneziale (resident) and Trustees Tom Lamberti and Gerard Lundquist (who replaced Peter Bee when be became mayor), along with consultant K. Backus & Associates, collectively decided to "discontinue any further consideration" of the Canus Corporation and its development proposal for several reasons.

"This decision has not been made lightly," Mauk said. Specifically, Mauk cited his committee's "serious doubts" about the ability of Canus to undertake and successfully complete the project without imposing "considerable and unacceptable risk on the village, its residents and our financial resources."

After many months of analyzing and considering detailed options for preserving the building, the committee concluded that Canus has "no experience" with a project of comparable size and complexity; Canus' project financing structure is "complex and stretched to the breaking point;" Canus' project depends on an annual payment of nearly $1 million from the village that would continue for the 99-year life of the project; and most importantly, the project would require the village to subordinate its ownership of the property to Canus' lender. "This means that if Canus defaults, the lender's foreclosure would cause the village to lose control over the project and the property itself," Mauk said.

Tenth Street resident Peter Negri, president of the Committee to Save St. Paul's, which worked side by side with its developing partner, Canus, to come up with a suitable proposal that met all the RFP's needs, spoke on behalf of his committee when he said "we are disturbed and dismayed" by the recommendation. "Number one, we think the process is flawed. Number two, we feel a poor selection has been made."

He provided a timeline since December 2005, including the efforts of the Committee to Save St. Paul's during this time. After hearing village consultant K. Backus & Associates say that the "highest and best use" for St. Paul's is upscale residential condos and its recommendation to sell 7 to 10 acres to a developer, several committee members launched a lawsuit to stop the potential sale. The suit was later dismissed and the committee began to assemble a team of consultants. In October 2006, the committee submitted a proposal and began a campaign to inform the public. The following month, the committee brought Canus on board and met with the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's in December, a meeting Negri points out was the first and only. In April, the three finalists were announced, including the Committee to Save St. Paul's/Canus team.

"Where's the 'extensive community input' and 'community dialogue?'" Negri asked. "The Committee to Save St. Paul's has been open and transparent in its presentations to the community ... If Senator [Kemp] Hannon is to introduce legislation, where's the strong show of public support that he has stated is necessary? The Committee to Save St. Paul's has done that with a list of over 1,000 supporters and already has broad-based community support."

Negri continued, adding, "Presenting one proposal doesn't give the community anything to compare. The Committee to Save St. Paul's urges you to keep at least two proposals on the table."

Mauk noted that the board of trustees intends to hold a public meeting sometime at the end of October - possibly Wednesday, Oct. 24, or Thursday, Oct. 25 although these dates are subject to change - to present both the AvalonBay and Canus proposals to the public. Negri, however, doesn't believe this makes sense.

"Negotiating 101 says it's tough to negotiate with one party when the other finalist have been knocked out," he said. "Keep Canus in the running ... You have made promises - keep them. The residents paid for the site, they deserve to be heard."

In addition to the lengthy parkland alienation process, Mauk said there is still the need ahead to get information out to the public about AvalonBay, to get information out about the specific development proposal and to receive questions and comments back from residents. "Sometime after all this is done - or at least well along the way - the board of trustees, as representatives of all the residents - will decide how the village will move forward on St. Paul's and with whom," Mauk explained.

The redevelopment proposed by AvalonBay would convert the Main Building site into 99 luxury rental apartments. Approximately 12,600 square feet of space in the building, including the chapel, would be set aside for public use. Parking would be satisfied with a dual-level structure with some stalls above grade and some below.

"Overall, the committee found the AvalonBay proposal to be very attractive. The development has the potential to enhance the village in many ways, in addition to achieving our primary objective of preserving the front façade and other historic features of the Main Building," Mauk said, adding though that the committee does have reservations about AvalonBay's plans for additional above-grade development to house some of its rental units.

Mike Ciaffa, a member of the Committee to Save St. Paul's since May 2007, told trustees that their failure to lay out each vision side by side has skewed the entire process. "A group of local residents, using their own time and money, have proven that St. Paul's could be saved, preserved and used by residents," Ciaffa said. "Staying within the footprint has the best possibility of getting home rule."

Tom Poole, one of three residents who filed the lawsuit to stop the potential acreage sale, told trustees they have done nothing to try to make the public understand there were ever two sides. "I don't think I've ever been more upset with the way the residents have been treated. You just threw us out and now you want us to be your political front ..."

Hilton Avenue resident Kevin Curtin encouraged the board of trustees to disband the mayor-appointed Committee on St. Paul's and bring residents a committee of people who "knew what it meant to buy that property."

Mauk admitted he was just as distressed as many of the angered residents, saying that it wasn't the committee giving them one choice but the market. "We got the bare minimum of seven responses ... It's all about the money. Who is going to pay the bills? ... It's not Canus but the taxpayers and village who will take the risk. We're not going to offer the Canus proposal to the public. It would be a travesty. The true loser in this is going to be St. Paul's and the residents who truly want to save this building."

Trustees voted 5 (Trustees Nick Episcopia, Robert Rothschild, Lundquist and Mauk and Mayor Peter Bee) to 3 (Trustees Lamberti, John Watras and Donald Brudie) in favor of designating AvalonBay as the exclusive developer and in favor of dropping Canus completely from the running.