By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Valley Stream residents voiced their outrage of the proposed variance at the Nov. 18 town board meeting, saying that if the minimum age was lowered to 55, more people with kids would move into the complex, and it would increase traffic and possibly overcrowd area schools.
The condos are located on the property of the former Salvation Army Wayside School for Girls.
Town Councilman Jim Darcy said the developers want to drop the age requirement to 55 because the condos might be harder to sell because of the recent economic downturn the country has suffered over the last year. Darcy said the developers would add about 90,000 more eligible applicants to fill the condos if the age requirement is lowered to 55. Darcy said the board moved to reserve their decision on granting the variance.
He added that several rumors have been flying around about Dutch Gate but many are unfounded. "The project is the same project as was originally proposed with the only exception being the age restriction change," Darcy said.
Darcy said he wanted to quell any speculation that Dutch Gate would be rented condos or that it will have more than one entrance or exit. "That is not happening," he said. "How it was designed is how it still is."
The asking price for the condos, Darcy said, is around $240,000.
One of the biggest concerns for residents, Darcy said, was if the minimum age was dropped to 55 and those who moved in had children, it would add more students to the local school districts.
Russell Weissheier, who has lived in Valley Stream for 49 years, said his wife attended the town board meeting on Nov. 18, and they both think dropping the minimum age from 62 to 55 is a terrible idea. "What they want to bring it down to is going to screw everything up," Weissheier said. "What they're doing there is fine, but changing the age limit is wrong."
Weissheier, who said he lives about a quarter-mile from the development, also has concerns over parking. If households at Dutch Gate have more than one car, that could pose a problem.
A sales representative for the Dutch Gate project could not be reached for comment.
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