Saturday, March 28, 2009

North Shore Country Club Considers Selling

North Shore County Club appears to be seeking a developer to build homes on part—or even all—of the 158-acre golf course property. The main entrance of the club is located on Shore Road. The property spans the Village of Sea Cliff and the hamlets of Glenwood Landing and Glen Head in the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) and is about equally divided between the two municipalities. TOB rezoned the Glenwood/Glen Head portion of the parcel from quarter-acre residential use to half-acre residential use based on a recommendation in the Glenwood Landing Waterfront Revitalization and Redevelopment Plan completed in 2002. Zoning in the Sea Cliff portion also is half-acre residential.

The property contains may natural features and some structures worthy of preservation. During the waterfront planning process, the public and members of the task force expressed concern about the catastrophic consequences the potential subdivision of the club would produce. The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor (CSHH) nominated the property for open space acquisition under the town’s Save Environmental Assets (SEA) bond fund and recently wrote to TOB to restate the request. The Village of Sea Cliff is considering a building moratorium to study possible preservation methods.

The potential development of the club raises concern about the effectiveness of ongoing stormwater improvements at Scudders Pond. Located on the outskirts of the club, the pond collects and filters stormwater runoff before the runoff is discharged into Hempstead Harbor. Proper treatment of the runoff is critical for maintaining and improving water quality in the harbor. Years of highly commendable inter-municipal planning has resulted in several million dollars of grant awards for critical stormwater improvement projects that are or soon will be underway. Development of the club would impact these efforts.

Please consider contacting TOB Supervisor John Venditto, the Town Council, and the SEA Fund III Committee to express concern about the possible development of North Shore Country Club and to request that the town purchase and preserve the property. Town personnel can be emailed through the TOB website or reached via U.S. Mail at Town of Oyster Bay, 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY 11771-1592. A suggested letter is included below.

Sea Cliff Mayor Eileen Kreib can be reached at P.O. Box 340, Sea Cliff, NY 11579, or e-mailed at villagesc@aol.com; Bruce Kennedy will be sworn in as mayor in April. Contributions to CSHH (516-801-6792) can be sent to P.O. Box 159, Sea Cliff, NY 11579.

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Supervisor John Venditto, Town Board Members, SEA Fund Committee Members:

I am contacting you express my concern about reports that the North Shore Country Club, a 158-acre parcel that spans the Village of Sea Cliff and the hamlets of Glenwood Landing and Glen Head, may be seeking to develop the property under its current zoning (half-acre residential).

Development of this site would have a catastrophic impact on this community, including the school district, the Scudders Pond watershed, and Hempstead Harbor. In addition, the property contains several buildings and many natural features worthy of preservation. The public, as well as members of the Glenwood Landing Waterfront Revitalization and Redevelopment Plan advisory committee, overwhelmingly expressed such concerns during the planning process held in connection with formulating the waterfront plan.

I urge you to purchase the property for preservation as recreational and/or open space. In addition, please re-post the GWL Waterfront Plan on the town website.

Thank you.

2 comments:

Wilfred D Wiehn Jr said...

At our meeting, it was noted that the MEDIA would attend the picketting of the site this saturday. Unfortunately I can not be there because of a pre-committment. However I would strongly suggest that:

If the goal of picketing is to create unfavorable corporate publicity, signs stating "Seven Eleven Stores / havens for drug pushers " Should be on exhibit.

Police are well aware that 24/7 operations afford a convenient place for durg pushers and teens to meet and the association of same with Seven Eleven Stores might well be picked up by major media and damage corporat immage and assoiated expansion plans on Long Island.

Will Wiehn

Wilfred D. Wiehn Jr. said...

kids need a place to hang out and use their skate boards. How many families are there in our area? Would it be possible to raise enought money to purchase the property with a downpayment and mortgage, build a small well landscaped skateboard park
and charge a small admission fee to pay off a mortagage.