Civic leaders and senior citizens gathered last Thursday at the Hicksville Public Library to learn about a proposal that, if approved, would grant Robert Behringer, president of Carriage Hill Associates, a change of zoning and the right to construct Cantiague Commons, a group of senior housing units at the current site of the Twin County Asphalt Plant. While many would like nothing more than to see affordable housing offered to the elder community, many who attended the Hicksville Community Council's meeting expressed concern that the proposed site is an inappropriate choice.

Currently, the proposal calls for the construction on a 15-acre parcel just off of West John Street with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to the south and Agway and the Engel Street Asphalt Plant to the west. The project would be divided into two phases for a total of 276 units. Phase I would focus around the area where Twin County's stone piles are currently located and include 100 units among nine buildings. Phase II would encompass the remaining portion of the property and include 16 buildings for an additional 176 units. Each unit would be two bedrooms, measuring 1,175-square-feet each. The complex itself would also include a clubhouse, pool and outdoor activity area as well as continuous walkways and park-like settings throughout the community.

While members of the community unanimously understand and support the need and importance of senior housing, it is the proposed site in and of itself that they have deemed unsuitable for numerous health and safety reasons. For starters, while passage of the application would mean elimination of the Twin County plant altogether, the Engel Street Asphalt Plant, located to the west, would remain.

"[The Engel Street] asphalt plant causes so many fumes at the Burns Avenue School, which is six or eight blocks away, that the principal has to keep the kids off the playground. This is three times closer than the school," said Tony Sorvillo, vice president of Hicksville's NorthWest Civic Association. "It is the responsibility of the town board and the community to make sure that our seniors are not exploited and get the best housing they can."

Greg Yatzyshyn, a NorthWest trustee, said he is concerned that people will get the impression that both asphalt plants are being removed when that is not the case. "It was inferred that the asphalt plant is leaving, but there are two. The Twin County Plant will eventually be removed if this [application] is approved. The other asphalt plant is staying," said Yatzyshyn. "I recommend that you drive down West John Street and look down Engel Street. You can see this big, brown rusty plant just west of Burns Avenue. That plant is staying!"

He added that the Engel Street plant currently operates 24 hours a day, processing asphalt throughout the day and shipping it out at night, for a total of 150,000 tons a year. In addition, the plant is seeking approval from the Department of Environmental Conservation to increase production to 400,000 tons a year.

The way the application now stands, there would be roughly 425 feet and two industrial buildings in between the southernmost senior housing unit and the Engel Street Plant. According to Behringer, the total number of units originally proposed was 280, but was lowered to 276 in order to increase the distance between the housing units and the Engel Street plant.

While the close proximity to the asphalt plant is a large concern, so is the proximity of the most southern units to the train tracks. At this time, the proposed distance between the tracks and the closest unit is between 76 and 100 feet, but is expected to be less if the LIRR installs a third track.

"In addition to increasing freight on Long Island and reopening the Hicksville Freight Yard, the Long Island Rail Road is going to put in a third track [which would be located] between the housing and the tracks that are there," said Sorvillo. "Another track will be another 30 feet closer [to the complex]."

According to Behringer, various steps will be taken to create a buffer between the railroad and the units. "We were concerned about the perimeter and how we can encompass the development to produce a successful project in an esthetically pleasing and safe environment," he said. "In working with the county, we are proposing to put a four-foot concrete wall between [the development] and the railroad and an eight foot fence on top of that. In essence, you will have 12 feet of fencing and an additional landscaping plan."

Representatives of the Duffy Park Civic Association - which represents those families south of the proposed location, however, are keeping an open mind about the application. "The developer in this situation is bearing 100 percent of the risk. They will request a change of zoning and once the zone is changed, the asphalt plant will become an illegal use and be shut down," said Dave Staton, president of the association. "Once that happens, the risk is on the developer to build these senior housing units and to sell them. If people decided not to buy them and the project does not become profitable, reopening the asphalt plant is not an option."

Staton added, "If senior housing is developed in such a way that it can be safe and comfortable, then everybody wins. Our position is we are better off without the asphalt plant at that location then we are with it. Senior housing is better than an asphalt plant."

Behringer agreed, saying, "From a developer's standpoint, the end result is taking an area that everyone has been complaining about for many, many years and turning it into something that will help clean up the area [and make it] better than what currently exists."

Since construction of the Cantiague Commons senior housing community at the proposed location would require a change in zoning, the application must go before the Oyster Bay Town Board. The application will most likely not be heard until late fall 2003 at which time there will be a public hearing for members of the community to voice their concerns and offer suggestions.

"Just because you are here tonight getting information about an application regarding senior housing does not mean that these units will be built. I have to underscore that," said Councilwoman Bonnie Eisler. "Our seniors are very important to us. We recognize the contributions, the many years you have all worked hard to make this a nice town, a nice place to live ... and we are very sensitive to the demand there is for this type of housing."

She added that it could take months after hearing the proposal for the board to render a decision. "When we look we will be looking at the big picture. It is our job as a town board to look at any application that comes before us and make sure it is the right application," said Eisler. "We will deliberate as a board [and] discuss what we like, don't like, what needs to be changed, negotiated or fixed, if possible. We will look at all the pluses and minuses, the pros and cons, then we will discuss it and discuss it again."

Due to the high demand and low supply of senior housing at this time, residents who may be interested in senior housing, whether it be the proposed Cantiague Commons or one in another Town of Oyster Bay community, are urged to apply as soon as possible.

According to Maureen A. Fitzgerald, commissioner of Intergovernmental Affairs - the office which oversees senior housing in Oyster Bay, there are only 1,200 senior housing units available in the town at this time with 6,000 applications, some which date as far back as 1996, currently on file.

"Anyone who has an inkling that someday, maybe not today, maybe five years from now, that you like the idea of this, [should submit their] application and documentation. There are some people who are still not sure what they want to do or where they want to be, so we keep it on file. We file and date it and go by that application date. There is no commitment whatsoever."

If approved, eligibility for the proposed Cantiague Commons, like other Town of Oyster Bay senior housing facilities, would be divided into the following five priority categories: 1 - residents of the Hicksville School District; 2 - town of Oyster Bay residents; 3 - parents of Hicksville residents; 4 - parents of Town of Oyster Bay residents; and 5 - Nassau County and all other residents.

"Honestly, we have not gotten to the fourth priority," Fitzgerald said. "In most cases we have gotten to the 'school district,' 'Town of Oyster Bay' and 'parents of' categories."

In addition to an application, residents 62 years old or older who are interested in Town of Oyster Bay senior housing must submit their most recent tax return, proof of date of birth and proof of residency in the form of a tax bill and LIPA or phone bill. Residents who do not file tax returns must submit a statement from their accountant. To obtain an application for senior housing in the Town of Oyster Bay, contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at 624-6176.