By: Jeff Lipton
Opponents of a proposed assisted-living facility in North Woodmere won a battle last week when the Town of Hempstead rejected plans for the senior home because it exceeded height requirements.
The town's building department denied the application because the developers, Engel Burman, submitted plans for a three-story, 40-foot-tall building to replace the shopping center on Hungry Harbor Road. The building code requires a maximum of two stories and 30 feet in a business zone, said Mike McConnell, a Town of Hempstead spokesman.
The application automatically is headed for the town's Board of Zoning Appeals, which will hear arguments from proponents and opponents of the project. No date had been set for the hearing before the board, McConnell said.
Steve Krieger, a general counsel of the developer, said Engel Burman's attorneys are reviewing options and the developers are moving forward with the project. Construction would start as soon as all the necessary approvals were received, he said.
Gary Carlton, co-president of the North Woodmere Civic Association, which has led the fight against the 120-unit project, hailed the town's March 14 decision as a victory.
"They rejected their plans all on the basis of height," Carlton said. "The developers have said this will not have an adverse effect on surrounding homes. But it will, based on this [decision]. This now gives us an opportunity to present our case [before the Board of Zoning Appeals].
"At least at the zoning variance hearing, the community will have a voice."
Carlton said those opposed to the project may go so far as to hire a graphic artist to show what the facility would look like and its expected negative impact on the surrounding community. Opponents expressed hope that once a hearing date is set, many neighborhood residents would attend to voice their objections to the facility.
Last week, the developers said they had reduced the height of the facility from four stories to three after discussions with community residents. Calling it a "balance everyone is seeking to achieve," Jan Burman, a co-partner of Engel Burman, said the developers and the community agree that the neighborhood's quality of life must be safeguarded.
But Carlton said those discussions never took place and the community is still waiting to see specific plans and drawings after the height was reduced and the modifications on the building were made. "No one ever met with us, or any representatives of the civic association, " Carlton said. "It just has not happened."
He said the civic group has tried to set up a meeting but both sides have been unable to get together because of a problem with scheduling. They have not met since January 2000 at the then-Nassau County Medical Center, when representatives of North Woodmere were shown initial plans.
The civic group is opposing the proposed project because they say it is expected to increase traffic, while lowering property values and residents' quality of life. They are also concerned about water use and the area's water table, as well as the minimum staffing at a facility expected to care for some people plagued with Alzheimer's and dementia in a special ward.
The civic group has held several meetings since the plans were announced, and a vast majority of those who attended have expressed discontent with the developer's plans.
"This is not Queens," Carlton said. "It is not a highly populated area. This is a residential area that is not used to this kind of density."
Developers contend that the project will protect and enhance the value of homes and would generate much less traffic than a shopping center. All but one shop in the center have closed.
Opponents said the developers stand to make a huge profit from rents, which will go for about $3,000 a month for a single unit. Developers said the goal of an assisted-living facility is to help keep seniors in the neighborhood in which they have lived. These are seniors, they said, who can no longer care for themselves or be cared for by relatives.
Krieger, the general counsel, said the developers have attempted to meet concerns of North Woodmere neighbors. "We are trying to address the concerns of the neighborhood, and informal discussions have taken place," he said, reiterating why the building was scaled back from four to three stories.
Carlton said the developers have been waging a hefty publicity campaign to get the project pushed through, but neighborhood residents will remain unwavering in opposition because the building does not belong in the community.
