Glen Harbor condominium construction is underway

Plan includes public boardwalk promenade

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Nearly 10 years after the Town of North Hempstead approved a site plan for a 60-unit condominium in Glenwood Landing, construction is under way. The five-acre property, which was acquired by Glen Harbor Holdings LLC in June 2018, is at 1 Shore Road, at the end of Scudders Lane, and borders Hempstead Harbor.

“The land for this project was rezoned from industrial to multiple residence in 2006, with site plan approval being granted in 2009,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth told the Herald Gazette. “With any new project, it is important that the developer reach out to the community to keep them informed and answer questions, and we understand that the developer is doing that.”

Martin Racanelli is a managing member of Glen Harbor Holdings, which received permits to begin construction at the property in May. The development group partners with his building firm, Racanelli Construction Co. Inc., which is the primary builder on the project.

“We’re building according to the previously approved plans,” Racanelli said, “but we reduced the number of condos to 48 units within the same footprint.”

Construction began in mid-May. For the past two months, residents have described trucks and other vehicles moving in and out of the area, the loud boom of a pile driver reverberating from the site and large dirt mounds in the shadows of towering construction cranes.

Following a public hearing about certain aspects of the site plan, the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor compiled a FAQ sheet outlining information on the development to keep the community informed about what’s going on. The questions were reviewed and answered by the town and the developer.

The FAQs

The property was formerly an oil transfer station that was contaminated. It was remediated by previous developers as part of the approved site plan, Racanelli said. The four-story building will stand on top of an enclosed, ground-level parking garage.

There is no age restriction on the two-, three- and four-bedroom condos, and children living in the building will be eligible to attend North Shore schools.

A sewer line will run from the property along the water side of Shore Road and up Prospect Avenue through Sea Cliff to the county’s wastewater treatment plant in Glen Cove. There will be one pump station on site. County Department of Public Works Commissioner Ken Arnold said the developer would install a backup generator for the pump station.

Arnold added that Glen Harbor Holdings provided a speed and sight distance analysis to Nassau County traffic engineers, but did not indicate when the study was conducted. The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor had asked whether the curve of Shore Road would be modified to account for the influx of traffic. Arnold said, “There is a slight modification designed to improve sight distance for motorists turning off Intervale Avenue” — an access road that leads onto the property.

“The developer will be installing reflective devices on the guide rail to help delineate the curve,” Arnold continued, and “Nassau County will be installing new signage as well.”

In addition to 48 luxury condos, the plan includes a public boardwalk promenade, a waterfront clubhouse and pool and fitness centers. The property across the street from the building, which is also owned by the developer, will be maintained as open space by the town. Construction work is taking place between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, and a completion date is slated for late 2020, Racanelli said.

Residents react

Carol DiPaolo, the program director for the coalition, said the organization would continue to monitor erosion controls to ensure that the harbor is not harmed by the construction. “We now have a process in place with the town and the developer that, as we go forward, any additional questions we have, we’re in a position to be able to ask those questions,” DiPaolo said. “This allows for the most accurate representation of what will take place at that site.”

David Ludmar, president of the Glenwood Glen Head Civic Association, acknowledged many residents’ concerns about overdevelopment, but said, “There is a positive tax benefit to having well-thought-out development on this waterfront. Hempstead Harbor is a beautiful place, and while it has slowly been developed over the years, it does drive people to patronize our restaurants and stores and be a part of our community.”