The Port Washington North Village Board delayed a public hearing to next year on an application by New Oasis Development LLC to use about seven acres of land for a senior living community.
The proposal has gone through well over a decade of public hearings and meetings. The firm’s plan for use of a seven-acre site was tabled amid resident opposition in June.
The original site proposal includes the construction of 44 townhouse units and a clubhouse south of Radcliff Avenue and northwest of Valley Road, located in the village’s apartment zone. All but five of these townhouse properties will be designated senior housing. The five exempt properties can be sold to any buyer on their first sale and will be senior housing for future sales.
The village Planning Board first approved the subdivision of the property in 2008, but many Port Washington residents complained that they were not aware of the housing application, which has been in the works for more than a decade, until very recently.
In June, Newsday reported that a complaint was filed electronically minutes before a May 30 public hearing on the site plan was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m
The lawsuit, filed by 25 residents, says the village is violating their rights to “clean air and water, and a healthful environment,” enshrined in New York’s constitution through an environmental rights amendment because the trees provide shade that cools nearby parking lots and absorbs pollutants according to Newsday.
“We believe it will be a financial benefit to the entire Port North community by having these homes on the tax rolls,” Port Washington North Mayor Robert Weitzner said in an interview with the Port Washington News. “It will allow seniors who are thinking of leaving Port to stay here and will also give the village the financial flexibility to work on other projects to benefit the entire community”
Some Port Washington residents have raised concerns with the proposal, saying the plan will worsen traffic and overcrowding conditions throughout the area and have a negative environmental impact.
Weitzner pushed back on those concerns.
“We believe that while there is an increase in density, we believe it is done in a smart and respectful manner that will not significantly impact the community,” he said.
The next public hearing is scheduled for February 2025.
