Town of Hempstead considers scrapping 2019 transit-oriented development proposal

A 2019 zoning proposal could be shut down come July 2.

Zoning changes were approved five years ago for a so-called transit-oriented development district in Inwood and North Lawrence. In 2022, any potential plans came to a halt as a moratorium was put in place on projects in the area of the zoning change.

Several extensions of the moratorium, through June 18 of this year, prevented any plans from moving forward. Now the Town of Hempstead will hold a public hearing at Town Hall on July 2 on the option of doing away with the transit-oriented development proposal altogether.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman played a prominent role in pushing the proposal as a councilman in 2019.

“I have been focused on innovative zoning initiatives throughout my career, including transit-oriented zones in the Five Towns area,” Blakeman wrote in a statement to the Herald on June 3. “I understand the town is considering fine-tuning the existing zoning code in that area, and I look forward to working with the town on zoning enhancements that make sense.”

In late May, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, who represents nine communities, but none in the Five Towns, moved a resolution to re-evaluate zoning plans that include the transit-oriented development district, a neighborhood zoning overlay district and a residential townhouse/row house zoning overlay district for North Lawrence and Inwood.

Goosby did not respond to a request for comment.

The purpose of these proposed districts, as stated in the May legal notice, was to meet the demand for housing close to mass transportation, in this case the Inwood and Lawrence Long Island Rail Road stations, to enhance the area by creating mixed-use development, a walkable environment and a sense of place for residents.

During the moratorium, which went into effect in October 2022, the town worked with Nelson Pope Voorhis, an environmental planning firm, to review the adoption of the districts. The firm conducted an expedited environmental review of the impact of the districts and later concluded that the districts could have negative effects on community character, infrastructure, public health, quality of life, security, emergency services and traffic, as stated in the legal notice.

The town recognizes that it is in the best interests of Inwood and North Lawrence residents to rescind the districts, as written in the legal notice, but has said it would review the applications from developers who submitted proposals before the moratorium went into effect.

Paris Popack, a leading member of the Lawrence Civic Association and deputy mayor of Lawrence, has been fighting overdevelopment in the community for seven years, she said. Despite the proposed transit-oriented district’s location outside the village, Popack said she still believes it is important to fight.

“Everything going on in and around our community affects us all,” Popack wrote in a statement. “It’s a domino effect of frustrating and dangerous traffic, congestion, challenges for first responders, pollution and evacuations that could be compromised if not impossible.”

David Hance, president of the Inwood Civic Association, said he had mixed emotions about rescinding the districts.

“It’s my hope that the community can come together and realize that the town can benefit from some development — the question is, how much?” Hance said. “To throw away all aspects of (the 2019 proposed plan), I don’t think that’s smart.”

Hance suggested looking to other multifamily housing units in the Five Towns for inspiration, to find a “middle ground.”

Judi Bernstein, who has played in active role in gathering residents to voice their opinions on development in the Five Towns, was thrilled to hear the news of the July 2 hearing. Bernstein, Popack and other Lawrence civic association members were among a crowd of more than 400 at a Town meeting in September 2022 that focused on the transit-oriented development plan.

“We are thrilled and grateful that Supervisor Don Clavin and his board are going to do the right thing and keep our community ‘Suburban NOT Urban,’” Bernstein wrote in a statement. “They recognized the impact of this TOD, issues we raised regarding safety, infrastructure and impact on the environment.”

Have an opinion on transit-oriented development? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.