While receiving a recommendation from the Village of Roslyn Planning Board and approval from the Site Review Board for its senior housing development in downtown Roslyn, Forest City Daly, the Manhattan-based firm which hopes to build the housing, also obtained some important Special Permit and Development Incentive Bonuses from the village.

These two provisions were granted mainly because Village officials perceive numerous benefits from the development and because Forest City has promised to do more for the village than just build up to 250 senior housing units.

The official approval notices from the Planning Board, the Board of Trustees and the Site Review Board all contained the same positive statements about the project. The official proclamations declare, in part, that the proposed development, "will promote the objectives of the Village's Comprehensive Master Plan in that such will contribute to the establishment of a working and recreational waterfront, will promote development that....contributes to a waterfront and recreation theme, [that] will strengthen the linkages between Roslyn's downtown and waterfront, and will protect the waterfront's harbor, natural features and vistas."

In addition, the Planning Board, BOT and SRB all praised the project on environmental grounds, maintaining that such housing and waterfront development "will result in the remediation of a significant environmental contamination from the site's prior use as an oil and gasoline distribution center and asphalt plant."

Special permits have been granted by the BOT to Forest City on the condition that the firm abide by all conditions imposed on it by both the BOT and SRB. Forest City must also ensure that access to the site for construction purposes be through a point on Bryant Avenue at the northeast portion of the property for purposes of delivery of materials, ingress and egress of construction equipment and parking of work crews.

Forest City is receiving special permits because, according to the Village, it has "offered to provide certain benefits, facilities and amenities" to the Village. The recreational waterfront cited above is one of those facilities as is a proposed walkway from the site to Old Northern Boulevard.

With the special permits come some Development Incentive Bonuses. These include 97 units, which complete the total 250 units planned to be built. Forest City will receive an extra 46,433 square feet, for a 270,000 sq. ft. total in land space. The firm will also be granted an additional floor area ratio of 8.5 percent, resulting in a total floor area ratio of 48.5 percent.

In return, Forest City has agreed to contribute $250,000 to the Village's Sewer Reserve Trust Fund. It will contribute $130,000 to the Village for general "maintenance, repair and construction of public improvements" in Roslyn.

Forest City will also pay $115,758 for the purchase of the roadbed of the Highway to Bedell's Landing that reaches the Roslyn Viaduct. The firm will pay $20,000 for the maintenance of an easement property running along the waterfront of Hempstead Harbor to the easterly direction to Bryant Avenue. Forest City has already agreed to pay $700,000 to purchase property in Roslyn previously owned by the Town of North Hempstead.

In addition, Forest City will agree to not seek a reduction of the Village's assessed valuation of the property for "such year or years for an amount less than that which assumes a market value of 1.3 times the market value upon which Nassau County shall have based its assessment."

The firm will waive its right to municipal solid waste disposal services and will provide and pay for "the removal of all solid and other waste...by means of a private sanitation service." Finally, the BOT has warned that any failure by Forest City to adhere to all conditions "shall be grounds" for the revocation of all bonuses provided and the entire site plan approval itself.

The Planning Board statement noted that Forest City had "consented to certain modifications....which will result in a mitigation of visual impacts upon surrounding properties and an increase in view corridors at the site." More specifically, Forest City agreed to slightly reduce the overall size of the project, including the size of the Administrative building, the Assisted Living building and the Dependent Living building.

The Planning Board also stipulated that the local fire department should indicate that the site plan provides suitable access for emergency vehicles. In addition, the Village Engineer should confirm that the drainage system at the new property is adequate and meets Village standards. The Planning Board also asked that it serve in an advisory capacity if Forest City seeks to make modifications to site amenities, such as landscaping, walkway pavers and lighting.

The Site Review Board's statement noted that final approval is subject an area variance concerning the height of the proposed building from the Village's Zoning Board of Appeals, plus further approval by the Historic District Board for the architectural features of the development.