A recent change in the ordinances of the Town of Hempstead requires developers of large commercial projects, such as supermarkets, drug stores and fast-food restaurants, to make a stronger case in front of the town's Zoning Board of Appeals so as to secure appropriate variances in advance of the venture proceeding. The new law sets relatively low thresholds for building size, in effect triggering the "special-exception" rule that requires the developer to demonstrate, at a public hearing, that the project will not have an adverse impact on a community.

The town board, taking notice of the adverse impact that unrestrained commercial development has had on traffic, the environment and the very appearance of our towns and hamlets, has wisely taken a constructive step toward planned development and smart growth. Adding a necessary and important layer to what some (notably, the developers) see as an already onerous process, the Town of Hempstead has given residents an extra safeguard - one which will hopefully make the "special exception" the true exception to the rule, and the granting of a variance anything but routine.

For far too long, there had been an apparent quid pro quo - developers appearing before the zoning board with a proposal, no matter how outlandish or out of character for a community, would (barring vigorous local opposition), with a wink and a nod, see the "special exception" carved out of the law and a variance granted. "No more," said the town board, much to the dismay of developers who had come to expect that their applications for variances to "build to suit" their own financial needs would be given pro forma approval.

Yes, there is much more that the Town of Hempstead can and must do on the planning and development front. Members of the town board, as well as the Town Supervisor, must maintain their focus on redeveloping the aging and oft neglected infrastructure of the township. "Downtown" revival, business district rehabilitation, the rethinking of the Master Plan, must be given top priority. Still, the initiative taken here by the Town of Hempstead is a demonstrable showing of a willingness to take the lead in charting the course of our suburban landscape. As for the indignation and wrath of the developers as expressed over the town's adoption of more stringent zoning measures, think of it as proof positive that the town board has us headed in the right direction.

Seth D. Bykofsky

West Hempstead

(The writer is chair of the West Hempstead Civic Association's Zoning Committee, and co-chair of The Community Alliance, an umbrella organization advocating quality of life concerns.)