Planning Commission gives OK to Lawrence, Woodsburgh and Hempstead town to create new zoning plan for Woodmere Club

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The Nassau County Planning Commission gave a thumbs up the villages of Lawrence, Woodsburgh and the Town of Hempstead for their proposal to create a coastal conservation district zoning plan for the Woodmere Club.

Sean Sallie, the deputy commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Public Works, said that the planning commission gave the municipalities a local determination recommendation for the potential new zoning at the June 4 virtual meeting. 

“A local determination basically says to the municipalities to do as they deem fit in their jurisdiction,” Sallie said. “It's not a go ahead, but it's a step in the process. This recommendation leaves it up to the municipalities to act on the proposal.”

Sallie added that by law, towns and the villages are required to send a zoning proposal to the planning commission for a recommendation. The commission had 30 days to respond back with a recommendation.

An inter-municipal agreement was signed by the three municipalities in May as a way to collaborate to create a coastal conservation district for the 118-acre club. A coastal conservation district is a zoning that is dedicated to enhancing and maintaining the natural resources of a coastal area.

The proposed plan for what is called Willow View Estates currently calls for 248 homes in Woodmere, 14 in Woodsburgh and 13 in Lawrence. Since Woodmere is a hamlet, the town is representing Woodmere. 

The IMA was first introduced in December 2019, but the Lawrence village board initially did not approve the resolution. At its Dec. 12 meeting, Trustee Daniel Goldstein did not want the village to sign until it spoke with the developers. They eventually signed the resolution in their May 21 board meeting.

A public hearing on the zoning plan between the three municipalities is scheduled to take place on June 23 at Town of Hempstead Hall, with a time still to be determined.