Draft Environmental Impact Statement Completed for 41-Acres in Port North

By Alice M. Peckelis
(appeared in the10-19-01, Vol 11, No. 12 edition)

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 4 1 acre site in the Village of Port Washington North which is the subject of an application for a change of zone from light industrial to golden age for senior housing has been completed by the applicant. Mayor Thomas Pellegrino made the announcement at the October 10th Board of Trustees meeting.

The next step is to have the Village review the DEIS. The Board approved a resolution to have its engineer Sidney B. Bowne & Son to review the DEIS and make recommendations to the Board for an amount not to exceed $15,000.

Sandy Hollow Associates, the contract vendee of the property owner, Dallas Realty, seeks to construct attached housing units restricted to people aged 55 and over. In order to do that, the property a former sand mining site, must be rezoned from the current Economic Development A zone to a new zoning category known as Golden Age which currently does not exist in the Village code.

In other business, the Board again adjourned the public hearing as it has for several months now, on the relocation of the drop off box for Blockbuster Video. The present location along the storefront parallel to the fire lane in the Soundview Marketplace which also serves as a point of ingress and egress creates traffic snarls and dangerous traffic situations as people leave their vehicles to drop off videos.

Mayor Pellegrino said that the Board's hands are tied since 'the Board of Zoning and Appeals has not yet acted on a reconfiguration of the parking plan in the shopping center. "'I lie Village is not dragging its feet," he said. The parking plan is being developed by Acadia Realty Trust which operates the shopping center.

The proposed relocation of the drop box is in the vicinity of I HISBC Bank. A change in the Village code requires that all drop off facilities must now have a special use permit. Chase Bank and HSBC Bank, the only other affected facilities, recently had their applications approved.

Village Attorney Steve Limmer advised the Board to adjourn the public hearing. "We don't have a proper application before the Board," he said.

But that drew the ire of several residents, in particular, Steve Kaplan who has long maintained that inasmuch as Blockbuster is in violation of the law, they should be receiving summonses.

"Again, this is ridiculous. The situation at Blockbuster is dangerous," said Kaplan. "This has been going on for eight or nine months. We're not fining them, they are in violation. They have to comply," added Kaplan. "You haven't done one thing in the past year to stop this violation. It's month after month of going nowhere."

Resident Hank Ratner reiterated his plea as lie has in the past, to have a member of the BZA as well as the Planning Board present at Board of Trustee meetings so everyone is on the same page. "Somebody from the BZA should be here to keep us apprised of what's going on. If they don't, they should be kicked off the Board. They never come here." Ratner asked why, "if the drop off facility is a violation, we can't close that box?"

The public hearing was adjourned until November 12th.

Likewise a public hearing on the definition of the term "Parking Space" was adjourned as it has been several times in the past since there was a lack of consensus on what the size of the spaces should be.

Trustee Gary Levi recommended the public hearing be adjourned "until we are all of one mind." He suggested that the building inspector get measurements from the Americana Shopping Center as well as the Wheatley Shopping Plaza.

However, Kaplan was irate. "This is ridiculous. We've been talking about this for how many months? This is irresponsible. I brought you measurements."

The Board also retained the services of Victor Cornelius, a development consultant and grant facilitator to apply for federal and state grants for the Village to develop its waterfront district. His fee is $5,000 plus a 3% performance bonus of the amount of funding he gets for the Village. The term of the contract is for 18 months.

In response to a query from Kaplan about whether grants are available for open space, Cornelius responded, indeed there was.

Cornelius said that the likelihood of receiving more generous funding would be based upon a waterfront plan that encompasses a "broader view of the site."

Trustee Levi noted there was a Catch 22 to approving Cornelius' contract. "We're locked in (to pay the 3% fee) if we don't accept the grant."

In a related matter, Kaplan asked whether the Village would be able to get back a $15,000 penalty it paid to extend the closing date on the purchase of the Belanich property, formerly occupied by Fearon Marine. The Village is under contract of sale to purchase the building along Shore Road fronting Manhasset Bay which is now located in the waterfront district. The Village delayed tile closing pending an award of a grant to help offset the purchase but the grant was subsequently denied. Now Belanich can't close because contamination has been found on the site which must be remediated. Belanich has requested that the Village split tile cost of an exposure test which (lie Board went into Executive Session to discuss. Kaplan claimed that going into Executive Session for this purpose is illegal, a claim that Limmer denied. If the cost of remediating the site is too expensive, under tile terms of the contract of sale, Belanich can wall, away from tile deal.

Kaplan also complained that when the Public was apprised of the extra cost to extend the contract, no mention was made of the fact that contamination had been found on the site.

Limmer defended the Board by stating that "Other things happened simultaneously.

The Board also approved appointments to the newly created Landmark Preservation Commission which will be chaired by Dr. George Williams. Appointed members are Greg Danilek, Mary Snyder, Elaine Berman and Lawrence Pinner.

The leaf removal contract was awarded to John McGowan and Sorts for the period 2001-2002, the snow removal and sanding contract for 2001-2004 was awarded to Dejana Industries and the street light maintenance contract was awarded to Lighting Maintenance.