At a Town of Oyster Bay public hearing on Tuesday evening, June 16, most Woodbury residents had to agree that the 114-unit senior housing complex proposed for development on the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Name of Jesus property, along Woodbury Road, in terms of aesthetics, architecture and amenities, was ahead of its time. But despite the praise the proposal received, residents expressed concern that this and future controversial senior housing projects may someday inundate their neighborhoods if the town does not set limitations and standards.

"The question is," said Hunting Hills Civic Association President Bonnie Eisler, "do we want our community to be known as S-2 Woodbury?"

Land zoned S-2 is designated a Golden Age Housing District. Woodbury Meadows, LLC, the would-be owner; Holy Name of Jesus Church, the would-be seller; and The Jobco Organization, the developer, are seeking to rezone the land from a Res. B district to S-2, which was the basis of the hearing.

S-2 housing was originally created so that seniors who struggle to pay their high property taxes can move to a new domicile with a lesser tax burden, but remain in their home town. In Oyster Bay, seniors apply for this project on a first-come, first-serve basis, but must meet certain financial requirements to be accepted.

A sea of seniors, packing the Town Hall hearing room to its capacity, collectively made their stance known ¬ that homes such as the ones proposed for the Woodbury Meadows complex would provide Woodbury's elders the opportunity to remain residents of the community. Hundreds of seniors signed a petition in support of the application, and the South Woodbury Taxpayers Association also supported the project in writing after lengthy negotiations with the developers to compromise on the design.

Ultimately, as is routine, the seven-member board's decision was placed on reserve, but Supervisor John Venditto made several statements that suggested he might favor this project.

"Our current generation of seniors is one of the most unique generations in our county's history. They've lived through the Depression, fought the World Wars, and they built [the] homes that people like us now live in and enjoy," said Venditto. "We're trying to keep [these] seniors within the town. That's something we should be happy about doing."

But several residents were far from happy and asked for a moratorium on all upcoming senior housing projects until the town reviews its policies on S-2 land use. Furthermore, they criticized the Lew Yevoli administration for never carrying through on its promise to do exactly that years earlier.

Venditto responded that it would be unfair to applicants who have already filed with the town to change the law until their cases are heard before the board. Venditto said there are approximately three more cases remaining "in the pipeline," and that he would like to address them before examining Golden Age housing policies.

However, some worried that by the time the town empties out the pipeline, its contents will flood Woodbury in development.

"We don't personally oppose this," said Jeffrey Willig, incoming president of Gates Ridge Civic Association. "It's a beautiful development. But the impact of four or five of these in the community..."

Councilman Leonard Symons seemed to have a similar philosophy, highly praising the project and its neighborhood-minded design, but also pondering the long-term effect of such housing. "Do we reach a point where a community can say, 'We are oversaturated with these types of projects,' while other places are crying out, 'We need more projects?'"

Balancing his stance, Symons also stressed the significance of maintaining the elderly population in the community, and the need for such housing. The councilman noted that the population of seniors on Long Island is on the rise.

The applicants' representatives impressed the town board with their presentation stressing aesthetics, cooperation, sense of community, and, most importantly, elderly-friendly facilities.

The complex would be constructed across 6.14 acres of the church's current 10-acre property, located at the southeast corner of Woodbury Road. It would consist of 114 co-op units in eight two-story buildings. The eight buildings would be dispersed in a "U" shape so that, according to Woodbury Meadows LLC rep Ben Weinstock, "The project, when completed, will have a real sense of community, rather than an institutional look." A ninth building will be a community center, drawing seniors there to gather for a variety of activities. The plan was approved by the Town's Commission of Planning and Development.

Joseph Monticiollo, a member of the American Institute of Architects and consultant to this project's developer, explained the unique features of the co-ops. The most crucial feature was that every residence would be handicap-adaptable. The stairs, instead of the usual three-foot wide, would be four-foot wide to either fit a wheelchair or allow a homeowner to install a chair lift. Also, bathrooms would sport handrails for seniors to grip, and walk-in showers. A security system and buzzer intercom system with television monitoring would be wired into every home for security purposes.

The homes would be designed to include an outdoor patio, ample closet space, bay windows and, on the second floor, a cathedral ceiling. At 1,175 square feet per unit, the homes would be more spacious than most senior housing available. There would be 150 parking spaces available, with more behind the church.

Weinstock called the project an "evolution in senior housing." The purchase price of a house would be $149,900.

A real estate expert said that Woodbury Meadows would be an excellent transitional community, placed between the higher density Eagle Chase apartments and lower density homes, and would not affect the value of homes.

Robert Pascucci, representing the developer, stressed that the applicants worked with the most likely affected neighbors for two years in designing Woodbury Meadows, noting that they acquiesced to every demand from the South Woodbury Taxpayers Association Concerns were particularly strong for those owning homes along Dalor Avenue, which would face the eastern side of the complex.

Among the concessions were an eight-foot high fence on the east, a wall of evergreens near the fence planted to further conceal the view, building fewer units and making each unit larger, reducing light wattage and organizing refuse removal after 8 a.m.

Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs, a member the of South Woodbury Taxpayers' Association, said that the civic organization is satisfied with this project, but is wary that future S-2 projects will begin to add up, and that the town's S-2 policies as they stand are flawed, leaving the community open to unfavorable development.

Jacobs stressed that the town should adopt a policy that determines when a community is oversaturated with such development. Woodbury is already home to Woodbury Cove senior complex, located on Jericho Turnpike.

Several seniors complained that S-2 policies aren't flexible enough, as they may be unable to qualify for such housing because of their economic status. "Even with a good accountant, I can't qualify," said Cecil Telsey, who wanted the financial standards changed.

To determine financial S-2 qualfication, one's income is measured against his or her school district's mean income. Those who rank on the higher end fail to qualify, and are unable to receive the major tax breaks S-2 residents receive. It can also be argued, however, that those with higher income levels need no tax break.

Others argued that the minimum requirement for S-2 parking, 1.3 parking spaces per unit, is too low, especially when families might visit with multiple cars over the holidays.

Venditto acknowledged the validity of these points, and said they would be reviewed, but did not believe that setting aside all S-2 business until further review was necessary.

If this project is passed by the town, it will likely be due to the air of cooperation detectable in the applicant's presentation. "You've obviously reached out to the community, and you should be commended for that, win, lose or draw," said Venditto.