Buildings Secured at Proposed Subdivision

Unoccupied buildings on the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane, where a subdivision of seven single-family homes is planned, have been secured. The buildings have been open to the weather since at least last fall. Earlier this month, and on several previous occasions, the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has requested that the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) require the buildings to be properly sealed until such time as they may be demolished to make way for new construction (see Better Maintenance Needed at Glenwood Landing Subdivision, April 8).

We await word from the Nassau County Planning Commission about the status of site plan review for two lots at the front of the property created by a zoning change granted by TOB; protection of the Native American artifacts documented at the site; and seismic studies being required because of the scale of the retaining walls that will be needed to accommodate the extensive amount of soil that would be removed to create seven building lots.

The existing buildings have stood on the site since the 19th century. They were originally owned by the Townsends, one of Glenwood Landing's earliest families. The civic association commissioned a historical study of the site and submitted it to the TOB Landmarks Commission with the hope that it would be possible to preserve the structures. Unfortunately, no mechanism was found.

The civic association has participated in review of the subdivsion and proposed several alternatives, including a cluster plan and a five-structure/six-unit plan.