As a lifelong resident of the area who currently lives in Glen Cove and who is about to buy my first home here, I want to urge our city officials to do everything within their power to sit down with the developers of the waterfront so we can get this project back on track. I understand that no plan is perfect, and that there may need to be some tweaks to the plan that has been presented to the public and the city, but the best way to preserve a bright future for Glen Cove and those of us who want to live here is to ensure that this project does not get delayed while our city, its businesses and my fellow residents have to foot the bill.

I know that last year saw the Glen Isle Development become a hot button issue, and I feel that those who represent our city in elected office may not understand how many people - such as myself, and many of my friends and associates - truly want to see the project move forward, and move forward quickly. While at first I thought that most people were against the project, as I began to pay more attention I realized this was not at all the case. Yes, there are a wide range of opinions on just what the final plan at the waterfront should look like - our mayor has even stated so much - but I also know that there is a great deal of support to move forward with a mixed-use development such as the one proposed by Glen Isle.

With this in mind, I want to make two very important points. First, I think it is in everyone's benefit to learn more about this project and the future of our waterfront. Before I began to look into the matter, I heard so much conflicting information from people on the street. Only after I started to pay more attention to the local papers, looked at the developer's website and visited their office did I really begin to understand how much of a positive benefit the current plan offers our community.

Second, after initially reading only negative comments about the Glen Isle plan in the paper, I began to read some letters in support. In the past few months I have read and heard about people speaking at various city meetings in support of the development. As I am now more in tune with what is going on in our city, I sense that a growing number of people not only accept the concept of a mixed-use residential development but truly embrace it. A few of my friends noted that since I have such a strong opinion I should let it be heard - which is why I write this letter.

But I also write this letter in hopes that others like me, the silent majority of people who embrace the very progress our city so desperately needs, will have our voice heard! We too often hear the negative naysayer without any constructive solution given. So to those who agree with me, please join my efforts in letting your positive voice be heard, so our city does not end up losing out on perhaps the best opportunity our city will have to propel itself into the future that we will see during our lifetime.

Peter Speranza