It is hard to believe that five months has gone by since our father, Ken Molloy, has passed away. In these months, our family has been blessed to receive many gestures of sympathy, comfort and heartfelt caring. For all of these, we are most grateful.

Our father always spoke about how he loved the spirit of òquot;small town Americaòquot; that Manhasset reflects...the true sense of community and caring. We as a family have truly felt and are touched by this spirit.

The task of conveying our thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers that have been sent to us was quite daunting as our father was loved by so many. We have made every effort to send a note to all that we could and, if some were lost or addresses were unfound, please accept our thanks now. Every card, prayer, flower, donation or memorial means so much to us and is indeed cherished.

At the time of our father's death, we felt it very important to strive to keep our dad's passion for helping children alive so we chose to establish The Kenneth D. Molloy Foundation. To date we have received close to $10,000 and, again, we are extremely touched and appreciative. This money will be used to provide a òquot;leg upòquot; to deserving kids. Whether it be to provide a new tennis racquet to a kid who is on scholarship at Port Tennis Academy, or assist with new uniforms for an inner city lacrosse program or help one of the less fortunate in Manhasset with money for books or private instruction, these are not grand scholarships or grants, but, as our dad believed, they are the small, caring and consistent acts of kindness and interest in our youth that go a long way.

Should you be interested in assisting us, please send your contribution to:

The Kenneth D. Molloy Foundation - Manhasset RCC

PO Box 24, Manhasset, NY 11030

With great appreciation,

The children of Ken Molloy

There's a fight going on in the Town of Manhasset, one that could have serious outcomes for all of the residents in the Town of North Hempstead, if we don't join together to stop it.

Back in 1941, there was a proposal to rezone a strip of land along the south side of Northern Boulevard from residential zone to business zone. Today, part of this strip of land is known as the Filene's Shopping Center, located at the corner of Northern Boulevard and Shelter Rock Road. Due to its location next to residential zones, it was determined that it would be appropriate only to rezone the portion of the property abutting Northern Boulevard as òquot;businessòquot; and to establish a new zone entitled òquot;parking district.òquot;

The goal of the town in creating the òquot;parking districtòquot; was to allow for the establishment of a business district along Northern Boulevard while ensuring that the adjacent residential areas would be shielded from noise and other adverse impacts associated with business uses. This plan is evident from the location of virtually all businesses on Northern Boulevard. They abut the Boulevard, or close to it, and then the parking area buffers the residential areas either to the north or the south of the property.

Now this plan and all others in the Town of North Hempstead are at risk.

Fastforward to 1999, Kimco - the real estate developer, and King Kullen - the grocery store, have been trying to thwart this officially adopted plan so they can build a 24-hour King Kullen superstore in the parking lot of the Filene's Shopping Center (corner of Northern Boulevard and Shelter Rock Road).

First attempt, December, 1998 - Request for a usage variance. They lost 5-0 in front of the Board of Zoning and Appeals after a seven-hour hearing.

Second attempt, June 8, 1999 - Request for a change of zone from òquot;parking districtòquot; to òquot;Business Aòquot; -- they lost 3-2 in front of the Board of the Town of North Hempstead after a 4 1/2 hour hearing.

Third attempt, July 8, 1999 - Virtually identical change of zone request from òquot;parking districtòquot; to òquot;Business Aòquot;. Board of the Town of North Hempstead agrees to rehear the issue, only four weeks after voting 3-2 against the rezoning. Vote was 4-1 in favor to rehear.

The hearing on this third attempt was scheduled for July 27, but was postponed because of Nassau County Resolution No. 7800-99 wherein the Nassau County Planning Commission, in relation to the Kimco and King Kullen request to rezone the parking lot, found, in part, as follows:

On May 20, 1999 the Nassau County Planning Commission recommended Local Determination for a similar request for a change of zone for the subject property. The subsequent receipt of additional information and the present amended application before the town board has caused the Nassau County Planning Commission to re-exam the request and reconsider the county's original determination.

The applicant's request will not ensure the protection from negative impacts to the adjoining residential districts. The Nassau County Planning Commission notes that a portion of the subject property adjoins the special groundwater protection area. The standards of the Business A District will not ensure protection from negative impacts as presently accomplished by the existing parking district.

Granting the applicant's request as presented to the town board will result in an adverse precedent in regard to future requests for changes of zone affecting parking districts.

The intent of the parking district is to provide a buffer between commercial development and adjoining residential uses. The applicant's request does not achieve the standards necessary to ensure the protection of the existing potential residential uses adjoining the subject property.

The Nassau County Planning Commission went on to recommend modifications to the application, including stating that if the entire area were rezoned, it would be an overintensification of land use.

Because the county voted to modify the change of zone request, when the hearing on this matter is rescheduled, the town board must vote 4-1 in favor of the rezoning for it to pass. But remember, the decision to rehear passed by a 4-1 vote, after the almost identical request was denied four weeks earlier by a 3-2 vote.

So why is this case, laced with procedural sandtraps and bizarre voting patterns, so important to the residents of North Hempstead? Put simply - it's all about risk.

Over 100 people showed up to the Town Hall on Tuesday, July 27 to voice their opposition to this rezoning, only to find out that the hearing had been postponed due to the decision of the Nassau County Planning Commission. Over 800 plus signatures are already on file against this rezoning from the last hearing.

The opponents of this rezoning come from all over Manhasset, not just the area abutting the shopping center. We've waged over two wars during the past year. We've spent countless hours away from our families, taken time off from work, and even sacrificed vacations. But we need reinforcements. This isn't just about Manhasset, it's about all of North Hempstead.

If ever there was a time to voice your opinion, if you care about maintaining the integrity of town zoning plans, and sparing others the need to fight these rezoning fights over and over again, write to the town board members at 220 Plandome Road in Manhasset, NY 11030, and state your opposition to this rezoning, and also cc your local paper or civic association leader.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Karen Blaney Holm