The Town of North Hempstead Board approved zoning amendments for Port Washington’s Waterfront Business District after residents and local business owners packed Tuesday’s meeting to express their support and disapproval.
The Town Board scheduled the hearing on Jan. 8 after potential property buyers in the Waterfront Business District, which covers properties along Main Street from the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club to the Police Athletic League, met with Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena to discuss amendments. Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte said the Town Planning Department and Attorney’s Office sent her the proposed amendments on Jan. 29.
Among the most contested proposed changes to the zoning code are the additions of “mixed-use developments” alongside mixed-use buildings which are already allowed as special uses in the zoning. The proposed amendment also axed the requirement for retail stores on the lowest level and residential spaces on the upper floor of a structure but still requires at least one permitted use, including retail, in addition to residential spaces on the property.
Dalimonte released the proposed amendments in a newsletter on Feb. 4.
“Separating residential and commercial uses may be more appealing for both commercial and residential occupants while still providing public access to the waterfront, open spaces, and view corridors,” Dalimonte said in the newsletter.
Dalimonte also said that any proposed mixed-use development would still be considered a special use, which requires a public hearing and Town Board approval like other special-use buildings already undergo.
After Dalimonte released her public statement, concerned Port Washington residents created a Change.org petition, which gathered over 685 signatures in a week. The petitioners called for Dalimonte and DeSena to delay the Feb. 11 hearing, claiming that the public didn’t have enough time to review the changes.
The hearing went on as scheduled, but some were still cautious. Resident Michael Gilbert raised concerns that the amendments could prioritize new housing developments with private access to marinas like the Knickerbocker Bay Club. One of the permitted uses in the proposed mixed-use developments is public or private marinas.
Dalimonte said they would not discuss any changes to Inspiration Wharf and that the current changes were for the zoning code itself.
Andrea Tsoukalas Curto, representative of Inspiration Wharf owner, the Thompson Trust, lauded the zoning amendments, saying the changes would support the commercial strip.
“It does allow for more flexibility in development, which is needed,” Tsoukalas Curto said. “You still have the mixed-use, just doesn’t have to be in the same building.”
Other residents supporting the proposed amendments included Cindy Lee, owner of Fathoms Hotel, who condemned what she described as “online misinformation” regarding the amendments and the approval process.
Residents and business owners formed a Steering Committee in 2020, which drafted the Waterfront Business District so that the community and property owners could work together when developing the Port Washington waterfront. To the Town of North Hempstead, the zoning changes would bolster development initially envisioned four years ago.
Another amendment to the zoning code would permit below-grade parking structures to allow for more open spaces, landscaping, and view corridors to Manhasset Bay according to Dalimonte.
If approved, the zoning changes would also reduce the number of required dwelling units for senior citizens from 40% to 20% and change the definition of a senior dwelling unit from having all occupants at least 62 years old to have at least one resident 55 years old.
The last amendment to the zoning code would redefine the building height requirement, which remains 30 feet, but to be measured from the sidewalk and up rather than the property line which for many lots includes Manhasset Bay.
After listening to roughly two dozen public comments, the Town Board adopted the zoning amendments.
“You elected me in this position twice because you trusted me, and I’m asking you to trust me,” Dalimonte said. “If I find that this code is not right, I will amend this code again, I promise you.”
