Developer scraps plan for new houses
A plan to build three houses on a long but narrow piece of property on Wantagh Avenue has been scrapped.
A public hearing on the proposal before the Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals scheduled for Aug. 5 was adjourned. A new hearing date was set for Sept. 2, but that will be unnecessary as the application was withdrawn last Friday, according to Thomas McKevitt, attorney for the developer, DAO Realty.
A handful of residents attended the meeting on Aug. 5 seeking the adjournment because some neighbors who might want to speak on the subject were out of town, and others did not receive the required notification in time. McKevitt did not cite the developer’s reason for withdrawing the application.
DAO Realty was looking to replace the existing house on the property at 1708 Wantagh Ave., and build an additional two homes behind it, both of which would have been accessible from a long driveway. Variances were needed because those homes would not have any street frontage.
The property is directly next to the Wantagh Museum.
In 2008, the town rejected a plan for 15 townhouses on the property, which would have been sold to senior citizens. Three years ago, a plan for three homes was shot down. Both plans would have used the back part of the parcel at 1710 Wantagh Ave., which has the same property depth and just one home at the front of the parcel. Behind the properties are woods, which includes wetlands, separating homes from the Wantagh Parkway.
