Flower Hill Stands Par on Greenway

By Sharon Abruzzo

Since its reconfiguration was first implemented several years ago, the traffic flows throughout the Roslyn section of the Village of Flower Hill have continued to alternately draw support and opposition from some of the neighbors that reside there. This month's meeting saw another surge of attention to the subject as scores of residents crowded into the village hall to give their opinion on a motion made by the board of trustees to consider hiring a traffic consultant for a review of the area.

As was reported in The Manhasset Press's coverage of last month's meeting, in response to repeated requests by a contingent of residents who claimed safety was still at issue, the board voted to consider the possibility of hiring an independent consultant to review the area that was affected by the changes, most notably the one-way status of Greenway. Since it was announced, residents on both sides of the issue seem to have been busy gathering information and at the meeting several petitions and letters were handed in, including one from the elementary schoolers who reside there and were in favor of leaving the street a one-way egress.

Giving the background for the original decision making, Mayor Derrick Rubin outlined the area's history of traffic problems and concerns. "What was the best way to allow traffic to flow through, for the neighbors not to be overly inconvenienced, and at the same time cut down on the 'dragsters' running through the neighborhood?" The result was the installation of a number of street signs, as well as a permanent barricade in one area. The barricade issue was argued all the way to the New York State Board of Appeals, where it was upheld, but Rubin noted that "A traffic study was done in 1989 by the Nassau County Police Department's traffic division, and they had originally recommended installation of No Left Turn and Stop signs," but did not specifically suggest a one-way for Greenway. That, according to Rubin, was determined by those on the board of the trustees at that time.

Mayor Rubin also outlined the number of requests the board has received since 1995, when a group of longtime residents, unhappy with the one-way status, first approached the trustees about reviewing the decision to keep Greenway a one-way. There was mention of a resolution the board adopted around that time to not revisit the issue for a period of five years, but one of the trustees commented that it wasn't necessarily binding on the present board. After reviewing the details, a discussion by the board ensued and included a brief exchange on the validity and contradicting statistics of the many petitions that were circulated about the issue. By a vote of 4 to 3, the board opted to leave the issue at status-quo; the decision was greeted with a round of applause by the many residents present who were in favor of leaving the existing traffic patterns in their present state.

Another petition was presented to the board by residents who live in the Manhasset section of Flower Hill in the area surrounding the intersection of Dogwood and Dartmouth. Safety and speed were again issues, as the residents asked the board to look into the possibility of installing stop signs around the intersection. The proposal will be up for vote at the February meeting.

Although the crowd thinned considerably after the decisions on the traffic issues were decided upon, there was another sizable group of residents who remained to voice objections to a proposed building site on Hewlett Lane. Currently, a one family dwelling occupies the piece of land in question, but the builder who purchased the property and its adjoining tract of land, has proposed two homes for the location. Since the land in question lies at the highest point in the area that surrounds it, most of the concerns had to do with the style of housing proposed by the builder: "It will dwarf neighboring structures," water run-off, "It has been a problem in the past with just one structure there," and the preservation of an old stone retaining wall that skirts one section of the property. Trustees Clemency, Glavas and Mulry, members of the board's building committee, assured those present that the village's inspector would follow-up on their concerns. They also noted that the village's historic preservation committee is looking into the possibility of proposing the wall as a historic site.

There were also residents from Sunset Drive present to inquire about a proposed building on that road. They were advised by the building committee that the permit on the structure had not been issued because of some changes the committee requested from the architect, including flipping the layout of the home, adding quoins to either side of the main front window, and using brick consistent with the design proposed for the front of the building. The residents were also concerned about the trees, calling the possible removal of them "unconscionable." They were informed that the owner has also been asked to comply with village regulations that require a tree plan to be submitted prior to building.

On a closing note, after 35 years in the village's employ, Carmine Vitale retired on Nov. 25. Search for a replacement is underway.

The next meeting of the board of trustees of the Village of Flower Hill will take place on Monday, Jan. 5, in the Village Hall, One Bonnie Heights Road.