By Mike Russo
A Nassau County Planning Commission hearing on the possible leasing of the property is scheduled for May 29 at 10 a.m. - a time that some residents say is inconvenient, and designed to limit public comment.
Residents say that the Coes Neck matter had been put on the Commission's agenda on short notice for May 15, but when many Baldwin citizens attended the meeting, the item was adjourned until May 29. Reached for comment on Coes Neck, Planning Commissioner Jeff Greenfield said he could not discuss the matter.
Janice Preisz, president of the Baldwin Lions Club, is concerned that no matter what residents are told, the property will eventually be transformed into Molloy College athletic fields. "I am also disappointed that the planning commission will not receive as much community feedback as they would have had they kept Coes Neck on the agenda of May 15," said Preisz. "Now that the hearing is rescheduled to 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 29, a work day, I believe it will be very difficult to get the working people to attend. So, without that important community feedback - specifically that the residents don't want the property developed with athletic fields - another steppingstone has been put in place for Molloy College to come in."
The Baldwin Oaks Civic Association has in the past suspected the county of attempting to sell the property to Molloy so it could expand. Jacqueline Bell, the organization's president, said she feels that the postponement of the meeting is yet another example of the county trying to avoid residents' criticism.
"I think the meeting was postponed due to the number of requests to speak, and the rescheduling is to quiet the community voice," said Bell. She added that letters were not sent to all homeowners regarding the public hearing on the sale or development of the property.
The county had assured the Baldwin Oaks Civic Association that residents would have an opportunity to offer their opinions on the development of the Coes Neck property before the county's request for proposal is released in early June.
The property was once the site of an asphalt plant. The county condemned the parcel in 1977, and it now serves as a storm basin for the surrounding residential community.
According to the county Office of Economic Development Web site, once the environmental conditions of the property have been determined, the county will partner closely with local community organizations and prospective developers to finalize a plan for its use. Both the county and Gannett Fleming, an environmental engineering firm hired by the civic association, have conducted environmental studies of the property, and concluded that a small area is contaminated, but the county does not anticipate that the area will be a barrier to development.
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
