At the crest of the hill where Hicks Lane becomes East Shore Road, the view of Manhasset Bay sparkles on clear days and gives hints of a beautiful waterfront with its attendant egrets and herons that patrol the waters. But as one swoops down the hill passing by a number of stately homes, an apartment building, a park and a few undeveloped parcels, the view abruptly changes to one that is dotted with industrial sites, oil tanks, car repair shops, a few retail stores and sewage treatment plants that obstruct the water view. It would be hard to find a resident who admires the view at the base of the hill.

In a move that some call visionary and others call a potential nightmare, the Village of Great Neck has commissioned the planning firm of Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc. of Rye, N.Y. to develop a zoning concept for redeveloping the area on the west and east sides of East Shore Road that falls within the village boundaries, south of the Village of Kings Point and north of the Village of Kensington. Mayor Stephen Falk began the public hearing by emphasizing that the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) prepared by the firm was being introduced informally in preliminary form to get feedback from the community before proceeding further. He said, "It is not our intention to muzzle anybody, but to open this process up to everyone on the Bay." The hearing was continued and will re-convene on Feb. 4. Currently, the properties in question are under moratoria scheduled to expire June 30, 2003.

The ambitious idea to rezone the area from commercial to waterfront development and multi-use hinges on two pivotal factors that relate to the esthetics of the strip. First, both the Great Neck Village Sewer Department at 265 East Shore Road (ESR) and the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District at 236 ESR are pursuing grants and matching funds to hook up to the existing sewage disbursement facilities at the Cedar Creek site in Wantagh. If successful, they will only be in the sewage collection and transport business opening up two large lots. It is expected that such a move would improve the scent of the air in the area. Second, the US Army Corps of Engineers has advanced plans to dredge the bay to lessen the unpleasant odors at low tide. As one neighbor summed it up, "Who would want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to live next to a stinky mudflat?"

Approximately 18.72 acres of land on the east side of ESR would be rezoned to Waterfront Redevelopment and approximately 8.21 acres on the west side of ESR would be rezoned to Multi-Use. An additional 0.18 acres of land would be rezoned from Business C to Residence B.

The major benefits, aside from the sewage plants' relocation, as stated in the DGEIS, would be the "opening up of public access to Manhasset Bay with a waterfront park and promenade; environmental benefits to Manhasset Bay with the cessation of numerous industrial uses in the area and replacement of industrial uses with development that is more in keeping with the existing residential character of surrounding neighborhoods and the village at large."

The development breakdown in the conceptual plan illustrated for zoning purposes is as follows: In section A, which is two acres, there would be 88 rental apartments. In section B, which is one acre, there would be 20,000 square feet of retail space with 10 to 15 apartments located above the stores. In section C, which is 4.1 acres, there would be 48 townhouses. In section D, which is 2.2 acres, there would be 88 condominium apartments and in section E, which is three acres, there would be 90 condominium apartments. A one-acre passive park would be located on the east side of the corridor.

David Stallman, representing the planning firm, stated that with this zoning configuration, 666 people would live in the area constituting a 7 percent increase in the village population. Based on figures from the Urban Land Institute, 61 school age children were calculated to figure into the projections. Trustee Ralph Kreitzman noted that the study should also take into account a potential increase in the school age population that would result from families moving into the houses vacated by the targeted empty nesters anticipated to move to the new proposed area.

A major concern of many residents about the proposal is the fear of a significant increase in traffic. Mr. Stallman said that traffic counts were conducted at the intersections where East Shore Road meets Grace Avenue, Ravine Road and Vista Hill during the "peak hours" of 8 to 9 a.m. and 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. Several people attending the hearing were dubious about the reliability of the traffic study, stating that the evening rush hour far exceeds a 5:15 p.m. cut-off and rather extends to 7 p.m. on many evenings. In addition, members of the audience suggested that the traffic back-up from Vista Hill to Station Road be studied and that the intersection at Northern Boulevard be taken into account as well.

At this point, the plan calls for the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of ESR and Ravine Road and a reconfiguration of certain lanes with some left turn lanes added. Mr. Stallman promised to study traffic patterns further taking into account the comments of the public.

Questions were raised about the status of the properties currently and the role of the village since it does not own all of them. The DGEIS states that "the transition from the existing mix of uses on the west side of ESR to the mix or retail/commercial and residential permitted in the new Mixed-Use District would take place over time." A number of properties on the east side have been on and off the market.

Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender was present and complimented the board for their "visionary plan" to take advantage of the waterfront. She did question how the village would get private property owners to cooperate. "We have no experience in doing that," she said.

If this proposal flies, the village would create a redevelopment authority. First, the redevelopment authority would issue RFP's (requests for proposals) in two stages. Interested parties would submit detailed financial information and would have to qualify as financially sound enough to become involved in such a development. The developer would be expected to absorb any fees incurred by the board of trustees in developing and studying this plan. Only after a development firm passed the financial hurdles would the redevelopment authority consider architectural and specific site plans. At that time, it is anticipated that an environmental impact study would be triggered that would be specific rather than generic and would address issues such as soil contamination and remediation.

There were other concerns expressed by neighbors. Paul Rosen who resides on West Terrace Road that overlooks the bay reminded the board of trustees of the major landslide that occurred 25 years ago on the hill north of Vista Hill Road. He warned that the railroad ties that were used to stabilize the hill might be undermined during a major construction project noting that an underground stream that runs through the area further compounds the run-off that rushes down the 60-degree sloping hill. Mayor Falk said that any problems in this regard could be dealt with from an engineering standpoint using improved methods to prevent erosion.

Another point raised by West Terrace Road residents, the Silvermans, was that the parcel labeled "A" on the rezoning chart was under a covenant issued several years ago when a sub-division was granted by the village that stated that further development on the site would be restricted into "perpetuity." A lengthy discussion followed with village attorney Steve Limmer concluding that the village board of trustees could "release those covenants."

Another resident stated that the people already residing in the area would be greatly and negatively impacted by the noise, dust and dirt and construction traffic generated by such a project.

Mayor Falk estimates that it would take at least a year to complete the required preliminary steps necessary for such a proposal and that it would probably take about five years to complete the construction. He responded to neighbors concerns about negative impacts as important and stated that every effort would be taken to mitigate construction travails. Mayor Falk also asked the local newspapers to circulate news of the proposal to neighboring Manhasset. He said, "We've learned the hard way that on important matters like this one, we shouldn't move too quickly and we should get input from the public. Tonight the comments have been very helpful."

The DGEIS document is available for public inspection at the following locations: Village of Great Neck's Village Hall at 61 Baker Hill Road; the Great Neck Library, Main Branch, 159 Bayview Avenue; Village of Great Neck Plaza's Village Hall, 2 Gussack Plaza. The hearing will be continued on Feb. 4 at the Village of Great Neck's Village Hall. The public is invited. For information, call 482-0019.