By EVAN NEMEROFF
But the future of the boardwalk and these beach clubs is not definite as the Atlantic Beach Club Association (ABCA) has pitched a plan that would convert five of the privately-owned beach clubs into single-family homes.
The five beach clubs that are involved with this association are Catalina, Sunny Atlantic, Westbury, Clearwater and the Plaza.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, a meeting was held at Clearwater Beach Club with invitations sent to local residents to come to the meeting to learn about the proposal. Only seven residents came to this meeting, although there were larger crowds at the previous four meetings regarding this issue.
Hutch Ganson was one village resident that attended the last meeting. The one thing that he wants to see resolved is a long-term settlement between both sides so residents know the future of the village.
"The best way to settle this entire issue is to create some type of master plan that could last for at least 25 years or so," Ganson said. "The beach clubs and the village need to decide on a strategy and come together and unite a peace meal for this housing town."
Jeff Forchelli, the attorney representing the ABCA, informed the residents that instead of the current beach clubs that are there now, the plan is to build a maximum of 53 single family homes in the zones that occupy this area.
One fact that Forchelli made clear is that the boardwalk is not going anywhere in this proposal. All the homes will be built north of the boardwalk, and everything south of it will stay the same as well. All of the residential development will take place south of Ocean Boulevard to the boardwalk.
Forchelli also alerted residents that the owners of the homes will have to pay the village money to maintain the beach operations, which include raking and cleaning the beach. Right now, the beach clubs do this every year and pay about $60,000 in taxes combined.
Forchelli's main point was to inform the residents how building homes would generate more taxes for the village and increase property values.
The ABCA provided a release showing that property taxes in Atlantic Beach right now are almost $600,000 a year. If the single-family homes are constructed, this number would skyrocket to a little less than $3 million.
Another point that the group is stressing is that single-family homes, which will be owned by 50 separate homeowners, decreases the threat of multiple family dwellings or apartment buildings going up.
This was a big concern for members of the Preservation League that is against the idea of more people living in Atlantic Beach as the area is already overpopulated and has major concerns when dealing with flooding and other emergencies.
If the homes are built, beachgoers will not have many options to come to the south shore of Long Island. The only way the beach would be opened up to residents of Nassau County is if it was purchased by the county.
Howard Taub, owner of Sunny Atlantic Beach Club, has said that talks about this issue have been ongoing for many years. He said the village does not take any alternatives to help the beach clubs.
"The beach clubs close on Labor Day, but the beach is still opened throughout September and this is not fair," Taub said. "We also cannot hold parties at our clubs and we have to close by midnight."
Letters were mailed out to residents of Atlantic Beach saying what the Preservation League claims to be facts about the zoning area compared to the beach clubs sales pitch. Forchelli helped answer any questions that people may have had at the meeting.
The biggest concerns for residents is how high the homes were going to be, whether or not the boardwalk was still going to be here and if it was, will it be going through people's backyards. Residents also didn't understand how building homes would make the area a more attractive area than it is now.
"Even with this proposal, I am still not convinecd that someday, there will be high rises or apartments in here," Ganson said. "Their best argument was the decrease in traffic, but this only applies on certain weekends. It won't be a major issue most of the time."
There is currently no timetable as to when the single-family home proposal would actually take effect, but Stu Berman, owner of Westbury Beach Clubs believes it could happen soon.
"If it was up to some clubs, they would do it right now," Berman said. "Others are not in such an immediate rush."
Now that the residents have been informed about the potential for single-family homes in Atlantic Beach, Forchelli has expressed a strong desire to set up a meeting with the village board to officially propose the idea. The board has yet to grant a date for this meeting.
Comments about this story? Enemeroff@ liherald.com or (516)-569-4000 ext. 210.
