This is what a group of Garden City residents and the Garden City clergy are hoping to remind village residents of Garden City as the way is made for the development of one small piece of real estate bordering Roosevelt Field.

Much has been said in the local papers recently about whether space should be made for "next generation" housing in these new developments. Many local residents have voiced concerns of overcrowding of the schools and lowering of property values by permitting the development to include multi type or variable cost homes. The County Development Plan, as I understand it, from watching and listening to press conferences delivered at the site and from participating in local meetings on the subject, involves not mass development of subsidized housing, but housing for those people who can no longer reach and achieve home ownership on Long Island due to rising home prices and interest rates. Those people most desperately needed to keep our economy healthy, our schools functioning at their current level and our businesses booming - our young graduates and others like them.

This debate has encouraged a growing number of local residents to join together to help educate neighbors and village trustees and businesses about the importance of supporting the type of development proposed. What is so encouraging to me, on a personal level, is to find so many willing to open their hearts, minds and voices to this worthwhile cause.

For those of us fortunate enough to have been given the gift of ample housing, wonderful schools and opportunity, we are asking that a small parcel of land, bordering Roosevelt Field, be smartly developed to include those people struggling to remain in their home of Long Island.

There are many models of development that can be employed to satisfy the needs of the surrounding community and the need for smart growth and development. Countless communities have benefited from employing successful models that served both needs and the results can be beautiful.

Allow the young college graduates, teachers, police officers and others like them struggling to achieve what we have already been able to reach by supporting multi use development in every community. Garden City has been given an opportunity.

Jackie Cara