Residents and business owners in Glenwood Landing and Glen Head are thinking over a proposal that would bring into their community a 70-250 passenger ferry and marina. On Jan. 13, the Glen Head/Glenwood Landing Business Association sponsored an informational meeting regarding that proposal made by property owners Frank Barker and Cliff Rudolph. Their property is located on Shore Road in Glenwood Landing, adjacent to the LILCO and Mobil plants. It is in the "H" Industrial Zone in the Town of Oyster Bay and requires site plan approval and a special use permit for the ferry operation. Three ferry operators, (Fox Navigation, New York Ferry and Applied Marine Services), are courting the property owners. Fox Navigation, a subsidiary of the Mashantaucket Pequot Nation in Connecticut, which operates the Foxwoods Casino, is in the final stages of negotiations with the City of Glen Cove to operate a high-speed ferry from a site along the Glen Cove Creek. During a phone interview on Jan. 20, Fox Navigation attorney Henry Sockbeson said there had been talks between Fox Navigation and Messrs Rudolph and Barker. "It is still our intention to come to Glen Cove. We are restricted as to what we can do in Glen Cove, which makes it expensive to go back to New London with an empty ferry. We need a place to berth the boat overnight and a place to work on it and clean it. We intend to have a run to Manhattan from Glen Cove. The trip would take 35 minutes," said Mr. Sockbeson. He did not rule out operating a ferry from Glenwood Landing to Manhattan, saying there was a market for that kind of service. It appears that what will not be allowed in Glen Cove could happen in Glenwood Landing if the proposal is approved. Last August, overnight berthing and cleaning out the ferry were not going to be allowed at the Glen Cove site and were part of a list of recommendations made by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor regarding Glen Cove's ferry.

On Jan. 13, the president of the business association, Tucker Tongue, emphasized that the association's 96 members were not taking a stand as a group that evening and that the association wanted the public to have the information to form an educated opinion regarding the ferry proposal for Glenwood Landing. The approval process could take as long as two years, however the property owners feel they could be up and running by this October.

Mr. Rudolph provided most of the details on what he hopes to be a joint venture between him, his partner and the ferry operator. He said there are three proposals to operate a passenger ferry to Manhattan from their undeveloped property for which they have been paying taxes since 1982. "At first, the property was marketed as a full marina. Very recently, we've had a number of inquiries to run a ferry service. We have the necessary permits to build a full marina from the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Town of Oyster Bay since the late 1980s," said Mr. Rudolph. The permit allows for 56 slips, and a 12,000 sq. ft. storage and sales facility. The current zoning applicable to the parcel is for freight terminals, warehouses, garbage transfer stations and other uses." We as residents felt those uses would have a greater impact on the environment and the local business and residential community," stated Mr. Rudolph. His attorney, Louis Petrizzo, said, "My clients want to get critical input from residents to see if this is an idea that has some merit and take it to the next level. Filing is very expensive and time consuming which we do not want to get into if it's not going to look like it will be successful."

The proposal is to take what has been permitted by the Town of Oyster Bay, reduce it by making a smaller marina facility and building a 2500 sq. ft. terminal facility with floating barge. The property owners intend to use the easterly parcel for parking 280 cars. On-site will be underground storage for 8,000 gallons of gasoline and 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The septic system consists of two 1,500 gallon holding tanks as well as what's needed for the office and terminal facility. Messrs. Rudolph and Barker hope initially to have a commuter ferry and graduate to operating an excursion ferry taking passengers to Stamford, Greenwich, southern New England and Martha's Vineyard. As of Jan. 19, an application had yet to be filed with the Town of Oyster Bay.

When reached for comment on the Glenwood Landing ferry proposal and Sea Cliff Mayor Ted Blackburn's statement during the informational meeting that he was opposed to any ferry in Hempstead Harbor, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto said that some permits granted by the town are valid indefinitely; others have conditions with periods of time for review purposes. "The old line, 'if you don't give us what we want you'll get worse' fails to impress us. At this point, on my behalf and that of the Town Board, we are being open-minded to whatever proposal that comes forward. No one knows better what belongs in their neighborhood than the residents of that neighborhood. We will do the right thing. As for the Glen Cove ferry, let me clear up an inconsistency. A year ago during an installation ceremony honoring Eagle Scouts, I told [Sea Cliff Mayor] Ted Blackburn that I have been getting some input from Town of Oyster Bay residents that are unhappy. I said if it was going to have an adverse impact, I am opposed to the Glen Cove ferry. I told [Glen Cove] Mayor Tom Suozzi that as far as I was concerned this was a city matter. If residents of my town feel it is wrong, then I will go to bat for them."

The main concern voiced by residents and business owners alike was centered upon the potential vehicular traffic and its impact on the community. One person noted that any traffic study done as part of the environmental study solely for the marina operation could not possibly include the impact of traffic coming to the ferry and it certainly does not include increased nautical traffic. The traffic study also does not include the impact of 30 re-routed school buses servicing the about-to-be-renovated-expanded North Shore School District if voters approve a bond issue next month. Several unanswered questions remain concerning the ferry's impact on Hempstead Harbor itself. People in favor of the proposed ferry cited the potential positive impact on property values and an enhanced tax base giving property owners, especially commercial property owners, a much-needed boost.