Town to consider age reduction for Dutch Gate

For the second time since construction began on the Dutch Gate senior housing complex, the developer is seeking to lower the eligible age of residents from 62 to 55.

The Hempstead town board held a public hearing on the matter on Dec. 7, and heard from Jeffrey Forchelli, an attorney for development company Broadval LLC, and from several area residents who oppose the age change. The development is being constructed on Dutch Broadway in North Valley Stream, on the site of the former Salvation Army Wayside Home for Girls.

Lowering the age is just one of the three changes being sought by the developer, and would apply to only half the units. Forchelli said that the developer also wants to reduce the number of units from 388 to 348 — by turning 40 units into two-story duplexes — and add a provision that would allow residents’ children to own the unit for purposes of estate planning.

Forchelli also said that Broadval is seeking some relief from the town to help sell units in a depressed housing market. Making half the units — about 170 — available to residents 55 and older would expand the number of potential buyers, he explained.

Town Councilman Jim Darcy, whose district includes the Dutch Gate property, questioned Forchelli extensively and asked why Broadval had not considered lowering the price of the units, which sell for $249,000 and up. Darcy said that the price is the same as it was when the complex was first proposed in 2005, and has not been adjusted to reflect the downturn in the housing market.

Forchelli responded that people are having difficulty selling their current homes in order to move into Dutch Gate, and the developer does not want to create artificially low prices that would devalue other homes in the community. “I don’t think it’s an issue of pricing,” he said. “I think it’s an issue of having a bigger pool of people.”

He said that Broadval has already made some changes from the initial approved site plan to make the development more attractive, including the addition of a swimming pool and enhancing the community center. Forchelli reported that 58 units have been sold so far, and 42 are occupied.

In 2008, the town board denied Broadval’s application to reduce the minimum ownership age to 55 for the entire complex. Neighbors fought the change then, and they are fighting it again now.

Nicole Alexander, who lives on nearby Laurel Place, said she believes that lowering the age could have an impact on the school system. “Fifty-five is still a young person,” she said.

Alfred Forte, who lives on West Gate, along the eastern end of the Dutch Gate property, said that all four of his children were still in school when he was 55. His opposition to reducing the minimum age has not changed, he said, since neighbors last fought the proposal in 2008.

Forchelli said that Broadval would be willing to include a clause that would prohibit school-age children from living in the complex. However, he said he believes the complex would appeal more to empty-nesters. “There are people of 55 who don’t have school-age children,” he said, “and want to have this type of housing and want to stay in the Town of Hempstead.”

Darcy noted that the complex was first proposed to the town as a “Golden Age” development that would not add children to area schools. Before considering whether to approve the age reduction to 55, Darcy said, he would want to see a report outlining the potential impact on school districts.

Reached later in the week, District 13 Board of Education President Frank Chiachiere said that he doubts there would be much impact on the schools at the elementary level. He said that according to statistics on the average age of parents, it is improbable, though not impossible, that a 55-year-old would have a child in the lower grades.

Chiachiere added that the district does not have a position for or against reducing the complex’s minimum age to 55, and that District 13 could absorb a few more children. If there were school-age children in the complex, however, he said, the impact could be greater at the high school level.

Jeanne Greco-Jacobs, vice president of the Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education, said she would not weigh in on the potential impact of the project until she saw some numbers and projections. She did note that the issue is not only age but lifestyle choices: Would people with school-age children want to move out of their homes and into a complex like Dutch Gate?

Other changes

Forchelli said that Broadval wants to reduce the number of units by 40 to provide more adequate parking for residents. He said there would be 525 parking spaces and, with 348 units instead of 388, that would mean 1.5 spaces per household.

But Darcy pointed out that the recommendation for 55-and-older housing is 2.33 spaces per unit.

The developer also wants a provision that would allow children to own a unit instead of their parents, though the parents would retain exclusive occupancy rights. Forchelli said this would give families more flexibility in estate planning, and units would still be considered owner-occupied. The renting or leasing of units would still be prohibited.

Keeping up the property

Several residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the construction process, saying that units are too close to their backyards and that there are no trees and fences to buffer them from the construction. Susan Sklaroff, of West Gate, said the project will destroy her privacy because the Dutch Gate buildings have second-floor balconies that overlook her backyard. A neighbor, Everett Gamory, agreed, and said that area homeowners have been asking the developer to minimize the impact of construction.

Darcy said that provisions were included in the site plan to ensure the privacy of neighboring homes, and the developer should be following them. He asked Forchelli to set up a meeting between the developer and homeowners so they can express their concerns.

The town board put off a vote on the proposed changes until some of these issues are addressed. Darcy said he wants to hear feedback from a meeting between the developer and neighbors before the board makes a decision.