It was a standing room only crowd at the meeting hosted by Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Councilman Wayne Wink on Wednesday, June 8 at Town Hall. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the owner and developer of the property located at The Gate (the site of the old Village Bath Club) in Strathmore Village an opportunity to present to the community a proposal for the site. Supervisor Kaiman indicated that since the proposal would require rezoning from Residence A to commercial/retail community support for the rezoning would be required.

The proposal that was presented by Mr. Paul Bloom, attorney for the owner, Mr. Belanich was for a 10,000 square foot building consisting of 6,000 square feet of retail space and 4,000 square feet of office space. The building would be two and one half stories tall and would be accessed from an entrance off The Gate. Parking would be provided on the site on the portion of the property that runs along The Gate. The building would be set back approximately 30 feet from the first residence on the corner of Rockcrest Rd. and Village Rd. and due to the sloping nature of the property rise above the residences on Mill Spring Road.

The reaction from residents was negative. Concerns were voiced about the existing traffic situation on The Gate as well as the negative impact on the adjoining residences. Further it was pointed out that a change of zone at this site would set a dangerous precedent for further spot zoning within the town. Representatives from the Strathmore Village Civic Association voiced their concerns about the plan as well and submitted a letter outlining their opposition to the plan. This letter included an opinion of the board of zoning and appeals which denied previously the request for a change of zone and cited the adverse impact on the nearby residential community. An additional letter that voiced opposition to the plan that was signed by residents whose property backs onto the site was also submitted to the town supervisor.

At the conclusion of the meeting Mr. Kaiman asked for a show of hands to indicate how many people would support the development plan presented. In an almost unanimous vote the residents present rejected the plan and any change of zone from Residence A to commercial/retail.