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Mostly Cloudy Cedarhurst resident creates petition to stop over-development
The proposed 17-apartment residential development on 68 Washington Ave. in Cedarhurst has caused mixed reactions from residents who live on the street.
Washington Avenue resident Michael Hatten, who has made clear his opposition to the project, has created a petition aimed to put a stop of the development.
“I do not want to live in Brooklyn south I want to live in this village,” he said at the Nov. 15 Board of Zoning Appeals when the proposal was discussed.
Hatten, a Lawrence School District Board of Education trustee, has lived on Washington Avenue for more than 25 years. The street is also home to the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway Lower School and the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department.
Current zoning of the site only allows single-family homes. Cedarhurst businessman, Samuel Nahmias, the developer, is seeking a variance for a multi-family development. A lobby, a common room on the ground floor and 39 parking spaces are also part of the three-story building.
Hatten has taken action by creating a petition on change.org to protest the development. He aimed to get 100 signatures, but as of press time, it has over 220.
“People have given their names, email addresses and are signing the petition in opposition of the development,” Hatten said. “They took the time and effort to voice their opinion on this project.”
He did not comment on whether he has spoken with elected officials about the proposal. But Hatten did say they are aware of the petition and the residents’ opinions.
Signees on the website petition have signed and left brief messages expressing their sentiments. “It is already problematic as it is,” Lawrence resident Abe Siegelman wrote. “Do you really want to destroy the little of what is left of this village?”
“This is an ecologically fragile peninsula with limited space and resources,” Cedarhurst resident Michael Merwitz wrote. “Over-development is not only architectural vomitus, but it’s an imminent threat to the safety of the current residents.”
At the Nov. 15 meeting, Nahmias’ attorney, William Bonesso, made the case for the variance.
Residents expressed their concern about traffic, limited parking and emergencies that the fire department would be unable to reach in time due to the traffic the apartment complex would cause.
Before the apartment building project came to light, other ideas on what to do with the site were floated, including a boutique hotel, office buildings and a parking lot.
A decision on the variance will be made at a future Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. Meetings are usually held on the fourth Thursday of every month.
Nahmias said he is aware of the petition and did not comment further.
“We’re not done yet,” Hatten said. “Maybe we’ll get another round or we’ll find another venue to advertise this in. As of now, the petition has only been advertised in the 5 Towns Central (a local chat group) and you see the response and it’s extraordinary.”
