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Are More Wantagh Avenue Condos on the Way?
Originally published in the 2008 August 28 edition of The
Wantagh-Seaford Citizen. A new condominium project is being proposed for property on Wantagh Avenue that is now zoned Residence A for single-family homes. The DAO Realty Corp has petitioned the Town of Hempstead’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to change the zoning designation of the property, located at 1708 and behind 1710 Wantagh Avenue, to "C-A" zoning for multi-family homes.
A hearing will take place at the Town of Hempstead’s Town Hall to determine if the owner/builder will be granted this change of zoning, thus permitting the construction of 15 townhouses. Prior to the town’s hearing, The Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, September 3, at 7 PM to discuss the proposal. The meeting will be held at the Wantagh Public Library. William Bonesso of Forchelli, Curto, Crowe, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo and Cohn, LLP, the attorney representing the builder, will make a presentation and answer residents’ questions about the proposed development. The property under review is an L-shaped lot, directly south of the Wantagh Preservation Society and Railroad Museum on Wantagh Avenue at Emeric Avenue. The back of the property abuts a wooded brook and hiking trail. The property, once a heavily wooded lot, was clear-cut about a year ago.
Josh Soren, president of the Wantagh Preservation Society, told The Citizen that he hopes the development "will not ruin the esthetics of the area and the beautiful park like setting we have at the museum." Mr. Soren is also concerned about parking. "It’s just like when people move next to an airport and want to change things. We have several fundraisers a year and that’s when parking can be a problem," said Mr. Soren. "Maybe they [the new neighbors] won’t like those events, but we need to have them. We’ve been here since 1966."
Attorney Bonesso told The Citizen that he is "hopeful that we can show residents that this proposed development is a benefit to the community." He added that the development will help to "address the needs of the community." DAO Realty is proposing to build 15 townhouses that would be either two or three bedroom units. There would be two buildings on the property; one building would house seven units and the other would house eight units. The proposal calls for 35 parking spaces, including two handicapped spaces. Town of Hempstead spokesperson Susie Trenkle told The Citizen that Residence A zoning does not permit multi-family dwellings. "Residence A is single-family with a 25 percent lot coverage," explained Ms. Trenkle, who added that 90 percent of single-family housing in the Town of Hempstead is designated "Residence B, with a lot coverage of 27 and 1/2 percent." Residence C-A is for apartments, condominiums, cooperatives and townhouses. "This is for multi-family zoning. A 35-percent lot coverage is permitted. The zoning permits 20 units per acre. This property is just over an acre," said Ms. Trenkle. One resident, Tom Watson, voiced concerns about changing the nature of the area with this new development. "The property is in the middle of a residential area. If the change in zoning for this property is approved by the Town of Hempstead Board then what is to prevent other such zoning changes? Could this be the start of townhouses/condos up and down the residential area of Wantagh Avenue?" he wrote in a letter to the editor that appeared in last week’s Citizen. Ella Stevens, president of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association, urges residents to attend the September 3 meeting to hear and consider the plans for developing this site prior to the September 16 hearing at Town Hall. "Although the Homeowners’ first meeting for the season is scheduled to begin in late September, this meeting is in addition to our general meeting, as it focuses strictly on the issues at hand. This meeting, as well as all Homeowners’ general meetings, is open to the public," President Stevens wrote in a press release. |
