The Town of Oyster Bay has received a grant for planning for the Eastern Waterfront. We congratulate all the interested parties for agreeing the best way to approach changes in the area is by studying what should be done ahead of time.

A press release from the town gave the information saying:

Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto will proceed with executing a grant agreement in conjunction with the award of a $37,250 grant to fund a study of the eastern waterfront in Oyster Bay hamlet.

"With the redevelopment of the western waterfront in Oyster Bay hamlet well under way, the town and community felt it was time to conduct a study of the eastern waterfront, the last remaining waterfront area on the town's north shore without a formal development/redevelopment plan in place," Venditto stated. "The town applied for, and received a grant under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund, which is administered by the New York State Department of State (NYS DOS). The DOS has now drawn up the grant agreement, which I will execute on behalf of the town."

The supervisor went on to say that the focus of the study will be on the private properties located in the vicinity of the eastern waterfront, some of which are under development pressure, and opportunities for enhancing environmental protection, economic prosperity and community well-being. The study will also look at ways to improve public access and establish connections between the downtown and the community, provide easier public access to the waterfront and Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and Beach, and provide easier access for transient boaters to the downtown community.

"The western waterfront is quickly becoming a showcase for what can be done to redevelop and revitalize a waterfront area," Venditto stated. "Now that the town has been successful in obtaining a grant for an eastern waterfront study, the town will hire a consultant to assist a steering committee comprising community and town representatives and other stakeholders, who will be formally appointed, to produce a plan containing a concrete set of revitalization strategies and recommendations for the eastern waterfront.

"Oyster Bay Hamlet has a unique charm that we must both jealously guard and further enhance," Venditto commented. "The Western Waterfront Plan and the Oyster Bay Hamlet Plan are already addressing many key issues in the community and serving as blueprints for the future of the hamlet. The town enacted a moratorium on the issuance of building permits in the residential areas of the hamlet to give the town time to conduct a study of potential preventative measures to guard against overdevelopment in the hamlet. An eastern waterfront study will further aid the town in ensuring that the hamlet's waterfront areas are protected and that any development is done in a sensible manner that addresses environmental protection, encouragement of suitable water-related uses, enhancement of visual resources, promotion of livable neighborhoods, and community and economic revitalization."

We congratulate the town on thinking ahead and planning for the future of the area with the help of those concerned citizens who are already involved in the process.

- DFK