The amendments were previously sent to Mayor Eugene Murray and trustees Wayne Lipton, James Sutton and Andrew Karamouzis as well as Martha Krisel, the village attorney, on Aug. 25 for their review. Mulry had requested that the proposed density amendments be added to the agenda for the Sept. 12 board meeting, which they were not. Copies of the proposal were made available to the public at the meeting.
In her proposal, Mulry detailed her findings on the topic of density restrictions. According to her research, 30 percent of housing units in Rockville Centre are multifamily units. By comparison, the figure in Garden City is only 7 percent. "There is a significant and immediate need for density restrictions in this village, to protect itself from the negative impacts on infrastructure and increased congestion from overdevelopment," said Mulry in her memorandum.
Mulry concluded with a proposal for a legislative amendment: "No multifamily dwelling shall contain more than 20 units per acre." Mulry and Karamouzis requested that the remaining board members agree to take action on this item in the next 60 days.
"The village hired an outside consultant to report on the density issue," said Lipton, the deputy mayor. Murray suggested that the consultant come to a board meeting and present his findings to the public.
Lipton and Sutton were hesitant to agree to the time frame set forth by Mulry and Karamouzis without a further review of the findings themselves. "Acting hastily can do more damage than good," said Lipton.
"The solution may be a separate density number for townhomes," said Sutton.
The next public work session of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m.
