Engineers goes to RXR for $20M

Posted

During a Feb. 12 public comment meeting, the Sea Cliff Village Board reported that the sale of Engineers Country Club in Roslyn Harbor had been finalized. The Board of Directors voted to sell the club’s assets to RXR Realty Investments Inc. last September.

“The company’s stated intention is to maintain it as a golf course, but also develop the property,” said Village Administrator Bruce Kennedy. He added that the developer had purchased Engineers for $20 million.

Details of the development have not been specified, however. Eric Swenson, executive director of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, said that at the organization’s last meeting in January, Roslyn Harbor representatives reported that they had not yet received an official submission from RXR about its plans to develop part of the 210 acres at Engineers.

“The whole issue is that RXR is putting together a plan where Sea Cliff is in the middle of two of their developments, and there are multiple issues and concerns that come from that,” said Mayor Edward Lieberman. “Part of our subdivision moratorium is to address issues surrounding development.”

Lieberman appointed McGilloway to lead Sea Cliff’s Subdivision Committee task force, which reviews village code as it pertains to subdivisions and development.

“The mayor formed the task force because Sea Cliff wants to review and refine, as necessary, our own statutes as part of addressing traffic, safety and environmental challenges from overdevelopment,” McGilloway said. “Roslyn Harbor has their own statutes.”

Last Sept. 12, the Village of Roslyn Harbor approved a six-month moratorium on subdivisions, which will expire April 1.

“While reconsidering zoning statutes, they’re [executing] their own planning and considerations of what could be done at Engineers,” Kennedy said. “Any [proposal by the developer] other than single-family, detached homes would require modifications to zoning laws.”

Although the property is under Roslyn Harbor’s jurisdiction, Lieberman has been in open talks with Roslyn Harbor Mayor Louis Badolato to address overdevelopment concerns. “In part of our approach to government, we believe in consulting and conferring with other mayors, especially in our area,” he said. “The village is responding to concerns regarding any overdevelopment in our area.”

Roslyn Harbor’s mayor and clerk could not be reached for comment by press time.

“The majority of residents are mostly concerned with the environmental impact on the harbor, drinking-water quality, too much density and traffic, issues of that nature,” Kennedy added.

Deborah Gordon, of Glen Head, said she opposes what she believes is overdevelopment. “Most of the community does not want this,” she said. “We are tired of RXR overdeveloping in our North Shore community. Between what they are building in Glen Cove, and now this, we will never get out of this area to get” to the Long Island Expressway.

Swenson said it was hard to comment about issues that the pending development might cause, but denser housing would lead to more storm-water runoff and possible septic concerns.