By Elizabeth Sagarin
Now, nearly a year since announcement of those plans, a chasm exists in the community. And it was deepened by an information packet and questionnaire that Blue Island Development LLC sent a couple of weeks ago to 600 neighbors of the property, a leading critic of the project said, who would prefer to have single-family homes there instead.
For Karen Monaco and the 45 other people who make up The Harbor Isle Preservation Network, the packet exemplifies the organization's problems with the developer's plans to build 94 condominium units on the site and members of the community who endorse the project.
We feel like they're trying to ram it down our throat, said Monaco, who owns a house only a few feet from one entrance to the proposed development.
The packet, aimed at speeding the process of getting the Town of Hempstead to change the parcel's zoning from industrial to residential, includes a letter from the Harbor Isle Development Committee supporting the project.
According to Monaco, the letter, with its list of reasons the 31-member group decided to help the developer's efforts, demonstrates why a steering committee that was formed in September to oversee the project broke apart in spring this year.
She and other members of the Preservation Network said they were asked to leave the committee because they wanted to exert more pressure on Blue Island to build single-family homes or reduce the number of condominium units.
If you don't support the developer and the 94 units, you are not welcome, was the response Kathy Novak said she and fellow network members received when they objected to the plans. We were basically ordered out of the group, Monaco said.
But according to Diana Caracciolo, co-chair of the development committee and former co-chair of the steering committee, the split had to happen. We couldn't get anything done, she said. In order to have some input into the developer's plans, she said, the committee decided it would be better to concede rather than risk being cut off from any negotiations. We would all like to see single-family homes, but I have to be realistic, Caracciolo said. We wanted to work with the developer.
However, Monaco and members of the network see the group's concessions as shortsighted and easily won. There is an intellectual curiosity that is lacking, Monaco said.
Moreover, she and Kathy Thilman, also of the network, are dismayed by the survey included with the packet. The survey asks residents if they would or would not like the property changed from industrial to residential. And a third option, if chosen, indicates the resident has no opinion on the matter. According to Thilman, the limited choices on the card demonstrates the developer's unwillingness to compromise on the issue of condominiums over houses.
Michael Posillico, manager of Blue Island, said that for the company to recoup its investment, condominiums are the only option.
The cleanup alone costs millions of dollars, he said. Furthermore, he said, Blue Island has been receptive to community input, agreeing to alter the look of the complex to one designed by Harbor Isle resident Chris Horvath.
Another concern Posillico said Blue Island has addressed is increased traffic and potential impact it would have on schools. He said the impact would be little, according to a formula based on a Rutgers University study and the increase that resulted from the Yacht Club condominiums on the other side of Island Park.
Even still, Monaco and the Preservation Network remain skeptical. We all want it cleaned up, Monaco said of the site. But we want what's best for the community, not for the developer.
In order to do what Monaco and the network considers best for the community, they have distributed a few different flyers condemning the developer's plans and the development committee's support of the project. They hope the flyers will garner enough community interest to start a powerful movement against the complex, forcing town officials to pay serious attention to their objections. But the zoning board is beholden to laws that forbid them from deterring a property owner's right to build multiple dwelling complexes on land appropriately zoned for that purpose.
However, according to Kevin McDonougha, a lawyer with Bennett, Rice and Shore, residents have recourse if they are able to comprehensively show the town that the developer's master plan will upset the character of the neighborhood.This might be difficult for the network, McDonougha speculated, because the site was formerly home to an industrial plant, which is usually considered more of neighborhood blight than a condo complex.
Still Monaco believes that despite the prospect of a clean up increasing with development of the area, placing 94 condominium units on the property will upset the quiet balance residents have become accustomed to. It's a very different feel and texture, she said of the plans compared to the current look of the surrounding community.
Thilman agreed with Monaco's assessment, It's way too big for a small community, 94 is over developing, Thilman added.
The network has yet to formulate a plan of attack, however they are still confident they can make a difference before the plan is approved by the zoning board of the Town of Hempstead. We do believe we have some political power, Monaco said.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is reviewing Blue Island's cleanup plan, awaiting results of a few tests. The Town of Hempstead is currently reviewing the company's submission for change of zoning and will notify the public of a hearing upon completing their examination of the proposed plans.
