Garden City trustees engaged consultant Frank Fish, principal of Buckhurst, Fish & Jacquemart, Inc., to review the proposed zoning for 550 Stewart Avenue and probe the feasibility of having an assisted living facility included as a viable use for the site.

Trustee Nick Episcopia said his committee is still awaiting information it requested from Sunrise. "We made requests now for 30 to 45 days for certain information in my opinion we thought was necessary to do an analysis on whether or not there were any adverse effects to comparable communities," he explained. "Frankly, the information we received from Sunrise was not acceptable. We communicated this to them and sent them various websites, where the proper demographics could be obtained, and we're still waiting for it."

John Donachie, a former Sixth Street resident who now resides on Brook Street, was pleased to hear the board was considering an alternate site besides the Cathedral House property. "If we're going to do this as a village, is Sunrise the appropriate partner? Trustee Episcopia is learning what we on the CPOA committee learned a long time ago. Sunrise is not the kind of partner you can count on. They were horrifically selective with the data they provided us. In fact ... Sunrise never did any due diligence on any other property but the Cathedral. They declared that openly and went on record as such because they were handed the crumpet on a plate that they wanted. They never looked at the Bookspan parking lot, the Social Services facility and they never looked at the property you, mayor, put out tonight that is under consideration, 550 Stewart Avenue."

Harry Irwin of Lydia Lane thinks 550 Stewart Avenue is an "obscene" site to construct an assisted living facility. "I believe assisted living should be brought up to all the people through a referendum," he said. "This involves the whole village. It doesn't involve the Eastern or Central Property Owners' Associations or someone that lives on Third or someone that lives on Sixth Street. I believe a referendum should be put through whereby the zoning board knows whether the village, as a whole, wants it at the Cathedral property, or as you people are leading into, putting it into a factory zone, which I think would be obscene. Rather than dodging a bullet, postponing it and causing delays, I believe the whole village should make the decision on whether or not they want it or don't want it and where they want it," Irwin added.

Central Property Owners' Association (CPOA) President Daniel Karas added, "The Central Property Owners' Association has taken a stand that we are against changing the zoning from residential to commercial. The Episcopal Arch Diocese is not going to run this facility; a privately run corporation will run it. I don't believe it's the business of the board of trustees to be bailing out the Episcopal Arch Diocese in trying to create an avenue for them to make money. They have sold off properties in the past ... and not look to farm it out to a third party. Again, the Central Property Owners' Association is not against assisted living anywhere in the village. It is about changing the zoning from residential to commercial use, and that goes village wide, not just in the Central [section]."

The application, which Sunrise Assisted Living (Sunrise) filed with the village back in 2003, seeks to amend the village zoning code to allow for the facility's construction, operation and maintenance on at least three acres in a R-20 District. R-20 districts allow for one-family residences. Other uses, like this type of facility for example, are allowed by special permit. Sunrise, together with the Cathedral, requested that the facility be permitted as a special exception use in this zone.

After modifying their original proposal, Sunrise wants to erect a 56,000 square foot, 74-unit facility on the property, which they want to lease from the Cathedral of the Incarnation.

It is important to note that although the board has taken no action on Sunrise's petition, they are under no legal obligation to do so. According to Building Superintendent Mike Filippon, trustees are not bound to make any decision. If, however, they opt to entertain the petition, the entire process could take anywhere from 10 months to two years to complete.