(Editor's Note: This letter was originally sent to Mayor Peter Bee and the board of trustees. It is being printed here at the author's request.)

The last several village board meetings, as well as the Estates POA meetings, have been very frustrating to attend. They failed to address the singular issue that is clearly on the mind of everyone in attendance-St. Paul's. Contrary to the board's belief, this isn't about them. This isn't about perceived conflicts of interest and this isn't about a few "contrary" residents not getting their own way. This is about giving away a valuable piece of property to a developer, without the endorsement of its owners: the citizens of Garden City. We can debate the numbers all day long since they change almost weekly. We perceive that we are about to be embarked on an irreversible course of action and we call upon our village officials to reconsider their position regarding the development of high density rental (not condominiums as many have been led to believe) housing at St. Paul's.

A few key points...

• With overstressed schools, can we afford an influx of children? Other communities such as the one located in the Half Hollow Hills Central School District have been forced to add trailers to accommodate the influx of children from AvalonCourt. While that project is admittedly slightly larger in scope, the issue remains daunting;

• There is a bipartisan bill (S 6823), which is positioned to pass in Albany (despite the strongest assurances from Village Council and several trustees that it doesn't exist). This legislation not only exists, but it is the pride of our legislators and virtually certain to pass. AvalonBay is aware of this legislation and has publicly stated at the March TMA meeting that they will look into utilizing this legislation when it goes into effect Jan. 1, 2009. This legislation allows developers to supersede local zoning and increase density-hence the scope of the project inevitably increases and our village will be powerless;

• The plans for this rental development have already changed several times since the initial presentation to the village and the scope of the project has been expanded to off-set the developer's costs. Thus, profit margins for AvalonBay are seemingly unaffected; and

• AvalonBay is projected to make hundreds of millions of dollars in rental income over the course of the 99-year lease while receiving tax credits. What does Garden City get? A one time, $1 million payment, unsubstantiated PILOT payments and the suggestion that the village could rent a small "community space" in the basement of the Main Building. While we have no doubt that advocates for AvalonBay will debate the figures, our own conservative calculations (according to numbers published in Newsday, Nov. 12, 2007) suggest that the developer will recoup their investment in less than 10 years. We certainly appreciate that AvalonBay is not doing this for the greater good of our community and they are in business to make money; however, the residents of Garden City can ill-afford this arrangement.

• A recent rendering from AvalonBay showed upward of 62 rental units in the Main Building and as many as 37-55 rental units housed in four-story town homes along Rockaway Avenue-and yes we know the four stories are slightly lower than the Main Building but they are still four stories tall. It really doesn't matter.

In a time when green space is precious, why are we in such a hurry to give it away? Living in Garden City is a privilege and should be treated as such. The honor to develop in our community should cost the developer as much as this privilege affords. We don't take it for granted. Do you?

The Andromidas