Residents fight development

Dozens of Rockville Centre residents packed the seats at the village board meeting on May 5, many of them to protest the proposed rezoning of the property at 62 Rockaway Ave., which would allow a local developer to build six townhouses on the half-acre lot.

Attendees cited many reasons for their opposition to the plan: traffic in the area (which is a four-way intersection) is already a nightmare, and six more townhouses would only worsen the problem, they said. Some said they were also concerned about the precedent it would set for rezoning areas of the south side of town to allow more apartments to creep in.

Currently, the property is zoned as Residence A, which allows only single-family homes. There is only one house on the parcel. If the zoning were changed to Residence B, which the developer is requesting, he would be able to build up to nine townhouses there.

“If our path forward as a village is going to be tearing down old homes and replacing them with two- or multi-family dwellings,” said resident Michael Mulhall, “we will harvest this community and … take away the very beauty that draws everyone here.”

David Leno, a lawyer speaking on behalf of developer Jim O’Reilly, spoke of the benefits to the community that the development would bring. It would remove an ugly home, he said, and replace it with six townhouse-style homes that would draw higher-class residents. The homes, which he described as “entry-level,” geared toward young professionals, empty-nesters and retirees looking to downsize, would most likely be priced at around $600,000.

The new development would also create new tax revenue for the village, bringing in an estimated $15,000 to $16,000 per unit — about six times the current amount.