A group of local residents have banded together to halt the construction of a 1.7 million-square-foot residential development on the Glen Cove Creek waterfront area, which can be seen from Port Washington. Parcels of the land are Superfund sites that are currently listed on the EPA’s National Priorities List.
The city of Glen Cove, with RXR Glen Isle Partners LLC, is planning to build 1,110 residences, along with parks and open spaces.
A major component of the development is a massive 700,000 square-foot structure, consisting of two 12-story towers that will be at least as high as the Garvies Point tree line, on the westernmost parcel of the development, the area closest to Port Washington.
“These towers are completely out of scale with the surrounding communities and we believe this development to be the largest on Long Island,” said Roger Friedman, president of the Committee For A Sustainable Waterfront. “We are not against developing the waterfront, but there are many reasons why we oppose this development in its current form.”
Even though there have been remediation efforts, the EPA has not deemed parcels of this land suitable for residential use, according to the Sept. 30, 2015, EPA Five-Year Review. Groundwater and soil contamination levels remain above MCL (minimum contamination levels) according to the same report. Any construction can disturb soil that still contains contaminants and has the potential of posing a risk to public health.
The Committee For A Sustainable Waterfront does not trust developers to take adequate precautions to prevent the spread of contaminants. The group also objects to the large new development adding thousands of additional residents and cars to already dense neighborhoods and crowded roadways, based on the Final Environmental Impact Statement of 2011.
“Huge towers…will mar the view for many North Shore towns,” Friedman said. “Construction will take at least 10 years by the developers own estimate and bring years of noise, traffic, cranes and other construction vehicles rumbling through our towns and over our waterways.”
View the development plan at www.coalitiontosavehempstead harbor.org/wp-content/uploads/CSHH-Statement-re-Waterfront- Development-Plan.pdf.
The Committee For A Sustainable Waterfront seeks to raise at least $250,000 to help defray the costs involved with a legal battle to fight the development. It asks for tax-deductible donations in the form of a check made out to The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor with “G.C. Waterfront” written on the memo line. The mailing address is Coalition To Save Hempstead Harbor, PO Box 159, Sea Cliff, NY 11579.
For more information, email info@sustainablewaterfront.org or visit www.sustainablewaterfront.org.
