By:Beth Wallach
Some 20 Rockville Centre residents were there to discuss the proposed building of two homes on a corner lot at Lakeview and North Forest avenues. Most of them live in the immediate vicinity of the proposed construction. There is currently a single home on the property that fronts both streets, but Villa Pointe LLC has already been issued building permits to construct one colonial and one Victorian-style home on the site. Architectural review took place at a public hearing Nov. 29, held by the village-s Exterior Design Review Board, and the board unanimously approved the project.
Although the meeting had officially ended, several members of the board and village attorney Martha Krisel remained to listen to some of the residents- concerns. One point they raised concerned the notification process to neighbors who live within 200 feet of the property. Each resident was sent a piece of certified mail on Nov. 20. The records of building department Deputy Superintendent Tom Domanico, according to Krisel, confirm that there is a U.S. Postal Service certified-mail receipt postmarked on that date. But according to one resident, Jean Farnan Mulry, not everyone received the mailing, and the green card supplied by the post office was not returned by every resident in the area.
Krisel said that the mailing was done according to code, with postmark proof that the certified mailing went out. The law states that people must be notified seven days in advance of a meeting, but when it was suggested that 14 days- notice would be better, Krisel agreed. She also suggested that a regular mailing accompany a certified mailing.
Another concern residents raised was the size of the backyard of the proposed colonial home 10 feet from the back of the home to the property line. Steve De Clue, the building department superintendent, said that this property is typical of a corner lot situation, and that he has reviewed the house many times. He said that while the dispute about the size of the backyard would apply for interior lots, corner lots do not have the same requirements.
I-m extremely disappointed in the outcome, but more disappointed in the process, said Brenda Formes, who lives on the corner of nearby Lakeview and Lee avenues. She said she had to go through more steps to get a variance when she added an extension to her home a couple of years ago.
Trustee Wayne Lipton said the issue is all about balancing the right of the individual and the wants and needs of the entire community. DeClue said the proposed project more than meets the requirements of two legal lots, to which one resident replied, We-re not objecting to two houses, it-s the size of the houses.
The new homes will measure approximately 2,800 square feet in a neighborhood where the average size of the homes is considerably smaller. Trustee Lipton said that there were many parts of the village where large and small homes co-exist. While he said he was not unsympathetic, he added that in this case, the developers were in compliance. Formes said she respected the board-s position to interpret the law, but they need to protect our community.
Trish Meindl, who lives next door to the property and is worried about how the demolition will impact the well-being of her 4-month-old baby, said, Overall, we-ve never been given the opportunity as residents of the village to voice our concerns. People need variances for extensions, but that they can knock a house down and build two seems absurd. I-m very disappointed. As of Monday, according to Superintendent DeClue, the developers, who must comply with state environmental regulations, have not applied for a demolition permit.
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