It seems a constant struggle to protect our lovely town from overdevelopment. The most current fight is being waged by a handful of Bayview Civic Association members who need your voice. On Tuesday, Sept. 7, the Thomaston Village Council met to approve a rezoning petition that would allow a 226-unit Senior Housing development to be constructed on Bayview Avenue and Maple Place (under the train trestle). This property was sold to the developer by the Town of North Hempstead last year and is currently zoned for regular business use. The town provided no contractual provisions to limit the size of scope of the development and the jurisdiction now falls to the Village of Thomaston. The village is looking for a way to expand their tax base. The proposal under consideration calls for a two-wing building with two garage levels below grade and five stories high (about as high as the train trestle).

This property is above water wells that provide the Manhasset-Lakeville Water Department with 20 percent of its most pure water. The MLWD provides the water for 48,000 local homes. MLWD vacated its lease on this property (it was to run through 2002) at the town's request before the sale.

This property is in an environmentally sensitive location. The risks of pollution to Manhasset Bay and the local wetlands increased considerably. An already hypoxic bay will be subject to further stress and contaminants due to construction, run-off, and an already overburdened sewage treatment plant. Introducing food service waste to this site makes it most hospitable to rodents.

This property is being planned as senior housing. There are already two new, not yet fully occupied senior housing facilities in Great Neck at a much more desirable location (i.e. the train does not pass overhead every hour through the night). Should the building fail as senior housing a request for rezoning will make it regular family apartment units...in the Manhasset School District. Thomaston gets to keep the tax revenue. Manhasset Schools must bear the burden.

There were enough concerned citizens at the Tuesday night meeting to encourage Mayor Stern to postpone the vote on rezoning, but there must be considerable vocal opposition in order to make a permanent difference. Please write letters to Mayor Stern of Thomaston, Town of North Hempstead and Nassau County officials, the Environmental Protection Agency (which could stop any development at all) and anyone else you think might help. A list of addresses for interested parties is being circulated. Encourage your civic association to join Bayview Civic Association in mobilizing opposition to this project. The politicians and developers are hoping that this community will quietly allow itself to be taken advantage of in order that they may line their pockets. Will we?

Nina Gadaleta