By:Jeff Lipton
After battling it out in the media for almost two years in an effort to win public opinion, the developers of a proposed 120-unit assisted-living facility in North Woodmere and neighborhood residents will battle it out before the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals at a hearing May 24.
The Thursday hearing date is unusual, because almost all town zoning board hearings take place on Wednesdays. But because of the large number of residents expected to attend and speak at the hearing, town officials set aside a Thursday and placed only the one project on the agenda for that day. The hearing is set for 10 a.m. at Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street.
Those who oppose construction of the assisted-living facility, which has been proposed for the Hungry Harbor Shopping Center, said they expect more than 100 neighbors to attend, and possibly 200, with as many as 35 neighbors prepared to testify about the potential negative impact of the project on the surrounding community.
One area resident, Ira Gross, went door to door and raised about $5,000 to hire a real estate expert, Powers and Marshall, and defray legal fees for zoning attorney Alan Stein to represent the opponents. Gary Carlton, co-president of the North Woodmere Civic Association, which is organizing the opposition, said he was told by real estate experts that if the senior residence is constructed, it would reduce by 25 percent the value of homes immediately adjacent to the property.
A newsletter being distributed will offer residents the option of being bused to the hearing. "We want to fill the place," Carlton said, aware that the more people who show up, the greater the impact on the board.
Engel Burman, developer of the proposed facility, has submitted plans for a three-story, 46-foot-tall building to replace the shopping center on Hungry Harbor Road. The town building code requires a building of no more than two stories and 30 feet in a business zone. The Town of Hempstead Building Department rejected the plans on March 14, setting up the May 24 hearing before the zoning appeals board.
If the project is built, sunlight will be blocked from adjacent property by the 46-feet-high wall up against the back of the property, Carlton said.
"All the homes in the area would not have any sun. It would always be damp and dark," he said. "It would be substantially different in character than what is presently there now."
Nancy Barone, who lives across from the site of the proposed facility, said that besides blocking out sunlight, the project arouses concerns about the water table. "Once they start digging, we will be worried about the water table and the water backing up into homes," said Barone, a 38-year resident. "We're also worried about the size of it and more traffic. Things of that nature.
"It would also lower the value of homes," she said.
She said opponents are "working very diligently to get the information out" for a strong showing at the hearing.
Carlton said the community has been involved in battles before, but never like this one. He said the outrage over the proposed senior home has been building.
The developers said they have been working with the community and reduced the size from four to three stories after listening to neighbors' concerns. They agreed that the neighbors' quality of life must be protected. The developers have said the project would protect and enhance the value of nearby homes and reduce the volume of traffic compared with the amount of traffic generated by a shopping center.
Senior homes are desperately needed by families who can no longer care for elderly parents but want to keep them close by in the community, Engel Burman has said. The overall number of seniors living in the U.S. will represent one-third of the population within a decade, and a stronger demand for senior housing will be created, they added.
Carlton said he will attempt to have a graphic artist illustrate the potential impact of the project by shedding light on how much sunlight will be blocked. "The neighborhood kids will be playing in a shadow," he said.
He said he would like the neighborhood to bring back a supermarket in the shopping center. And some residents suggested building a housing complex with eight or nine homes. But opponents have accused the developers of being greedy. The typical rent would be about $3,000 per month per unit in the assisted-living facility.
Also, the developers have not been too specific about what services they will offer, including possibly an Alzheimer's or dementia ward, which would require more staff, Carlton said.
Neighbors first found out about the proposed project in the summer of 1999 but did not see initial plans until January 2000, Carlton said.
