A public hearing on the proposed rezoning of 550 Stewart Avenue will be held Thursday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. Due to the expected turnout, the hearing will take place at Stewart School and will coincide with the village board's usual monthly meeting.

The site in question consists of two separate parcels of land on the north and south sides of Stewart Avenue, near Roosevelt Field Mall. 550 Stewart Avenue LLC, the current owner of the property, would like to construct 36 attached, single-family townhouse units on the north side and a four-story, 150-unit multi-family dwelling on the south side. The board must grant a zoning change to enable residential use in the current C-3 District.

Opponents believe townhouses would bring more traffic to an already congested area as well as more children to the school district. Although a traffic study revealed the opposite, residents living in close proximity to the proposed site don't buy it.

Proponents who readily welcome a zoning change in the area believe that housing would embellish the eastern section of Garden City and in no way overburden the school district.

Residents on both sides of the issue have come before trustees to voice their opinion. They will have yet another opportunity to do so Oct. 6.