Over 100 North Shore senior citizens attended a luncheon last Wednesday at the Claremont Hotel, one sponsored by Sterling Glen Communities. The luncheon served as the unveiling of the proposed senior housing facility in downtown Roslyn and what it has to offer prospective tenants.

It took several years for Forest City Daly, the company of which Sterling Glen is a subsidiary, to get all the necessary building permits from the Village of Roslyn. And with Forest City involved in other building projects, groundbreaking on the Roslyn site may not happen until January 2003. After that, construction may last another 24 months. Still, Michael Daly, president of Forest City, calls the Roslyn development---dubbed Bryant Landing after the famous poet and newspaper editor---as the "flagship property" for the Sterling Glen projects in the New York area.

Mr. Daly emphasized that he is a Long Islander, a native of Garden City. He also explained the Forest City philosophy, namely that they like to run their businesses "like a Mom and Pop store." Forest City likes to construct their properties close to both the amenities urban areas have to offer and nearby Forest City offices. "If you can't drive there in an hour," he said of himself and other Forest City personnel, "[then] we won't do it." Forest City people, he added, like to visit their properties on a daily basis.

As he has on other public occasions, Mr. Daly praised the location of Bryant Landing, which is scheduled to be built on land off Skillman Avenue. The facility, he said, will stand on 11 acres in a "beautiful downtown," one with access to the North Shore neighborhoods where the prospective tenants now live. In other words, no one is going to feel like they are being uprooted from their familiar surroundings.

Mr. Daly also emphasized that Bryant Landing will not be assisted living quarters. Rather, it would be closer to resort-style living, an apartment complex with services.

To take advantage of the natural surroundings, Mr. Daly said a walkway would be built, one connecting the facility to both the waterfront along Hempstead Harbor and to Old Northern Boulevard. The grounds will also include a four-acre park, and natural springs that will allow for three freshwater ponds to be constructed. Not just Bryant Landing residents, but also local Roslyn Village residents will use the grounds, making the new residents feel they are part of the village. In addition, the ponds and the waterfront will allow for both blue fishing and bass fishing opportunities.

Bryant Landing will contain 250 rental units, either one or two bedrooms. The tallest building will be three stories, with an elevator. Mr. Daly admitted that with the real estate market in a "continued state of flux," he could not predict the actual size of the apartments. But he praised the architectural company, Robert A.M. Stern, as being one of the finest in the country, claiming they would construct a "spectacular building."

Furthermore, Bryant Landing will be located in the village's Historic District. As such, it will resemble all the historic homes located there. Forty to 50 percent of the apartments, Mr. Daly said, will have outdoor terraces. On the outside, there will be grounds with chairs overlooking Hempstead Harbor, while the indoors will contain a library, a movie theatre, a store and a cafe, and an arts and crafts room for sculpture, painting, and water coloring. Residents will be eligible to receive 30 meals a month, and that number may eventually be doubled or tripled.

The cafe, Mr. Daly said, would have a panoramic view of the harbor, while Forest City would provide two forms of transportation. A town car would assist those on medical visits and a shuttle bus would be available for trips to the supermarket, pharmacy and post office.

In all, Mr. Daly praised his company as one that is loyal to its residents. This does not only mean providing services, but also the fact that Forest City Daly, in its 80-year history, has never sold one of its buildings, a move that might put its tenants' fate in limbo. Recently, the proposed site made news for its environmental cleanup, where, according to Sterling Glen officials, the groundwater along the northern shore of Hempstead Harbor tested clean for the first time in decades. State and local officials traveled to Roslyn earlier this month to praise the voluntary cleanup for a model that could be used on "brownfield" sites all throughout the state.

On the subject of the immediate surrounding area, Mr. Daly said he thought that the large space of land off Skillman Street---land where Stop & Shop had wanted to build a supermarket---would eventually be developed. He also predicted that it would be the future home of townhouse development.