Sunday, June 15, 2025
Residents of North Lawrence and Inwood have won a five-year battle against what they see as overdevelopment with the Town of Hempstead’s repeal of a controversial transit-oriented development plan.
At a meeting on Nov. 19, the Town Board voted to rescind zoning changes initially proposed in 2019 that would have allowed the construction of apartments near the Lawrence Long Island Rail Road Station.
Councilwoman Melissa Miller, whose district includes Inwood and Lawrence, made the motion to put the repeal to a vote.
“I vote ‘yes,’ and want to echo Supervisor (Don) Clavin’s sentiment that we really appreciate the communities coming out and voicing what we need to hear — it’s how government works,” Miller said. “We give you the opportunity to explain pro or against what you think, and the voices were loud and clear. We heard you, and thank you for participating.”
The original plan, advocated by then Councilman Bruce Blakeman, who is now Nassau County executive, would have rezoned 11.7 acres for high-density residential developments.
The plan was delayed by a moratorium in 2022, which was in place until June 18 of this year. At a pubic hearing on July 2, 40 people spoke out in opposition, including Lawrence Mayor Samuel Nahmias who voiced his dissatisfaction with transit-oriented development.
“The Village of Lawrence officials are committed to working with all levels of government to support sustainability that preserves the character of our community while meeting the evolving needs of families and businesses today and in the future,” Nahmias wrote in an email after last week’s decision.
Paris Popack, president of the Lawrence Civic Association and a former village trustee and deputy mayor, has been at the forefront of the fight against transit-oriented development from the beginning, she said.
Popack added that she had monitored the reports from the TOH’s outside consulting firm Nelson, Pope & Voorhis on the environmental impacts that high-density development near the LIRR would have on the community.
“The detailed analysis and findings of the Nelson Pope Voorhis engineering report had bolstered my belief that the evidence was firmly on our side, clearly demonstrating the detrimental impacts these zoning changes would have,” Popack wrote in an email.
She said she was thrilled to hear of the outcome at the Nov. 19 meeting.
“When Supervisor Clavin and the Board voted unanimously to rescind all the 2019 zoning changes, including the grandfathered projects, I was beyond thrilled and deeply grateful,” Popack wrote. “This courageous and appropriate decision by the Town’s leadership has now firmly prioritized the safety, health, and quality of life of our community, not just for the present, but for future generations as well. This will help keep the Five Towns as one of the jewels in the crown of the Town of Hempstead.”
Heatherwood Communities LLC, of Commack, developers for the transit-oriented development plan which spent $30 million to construct apartment complexes in North Lawrence and Inwood, filed a lawsuit against the Town of Hempstead on Sept. 10 because the town did not appoint a design review board to oversee their plans.
“Our client is very disappointed by the action and is evaluating its options,” Daniel Shapiro, a representative of Heatherwood LLC, said after the repeal.
Blakeman did not respond to a request for comment.
