Editorially speaking, the best news to come out of the forum held at the Oyster Bay Civic Association for AvalonBay Communities was the news that there will be a cumulative impact statement for all the proposed properties planned for the hamlet. That is a very big step toward finding out what is planned so that a calamity can be averted.

It seems to be hard for developers to hear local residents say the health of the harbor is uppermost in our minds, but that is the truth.

There is a great love for the harbor, the water, the local environment that makes this community the special place it is. We don't want to see that ruined by development.

Oyster Bay is a residential community. That is what makes it a great place to live and bring up children. That is what needs to be preserved as development is considered. People want to live here because of the way Oyster Bay is now. That has to be preserved.

Again, stepping out on a limb, we would like to see the former Hallock site left commercial. We like the idea of having a second supermarket in the area.

Another idea is getting a car dealership interested in the site. We believed, as did Robbie Hallock, that Island Properties was going to continue the Chevrolet business on the site. Today, there are a great many cars being warehoused at the Commander parking lot at the end of South Street. Maybe that business would be interested in the Hallock site.

We think the community should try to come up with possiblities for what they would like to see on the site. Maybe the local community should start its own outreach plan to bring businesses into town. As we can see by the vacant properties now in town, it is not an easy job to do. We have heard other entities criticized for not filling up commercial spaces and have often defended those being criticized as a result of hearing their stories.

It is not the first time we have heard Island Properties criticized for buying sites, closing down businesses and then walking away. It has been something mentioned by many people before.

IP may have been concentrating on their plans in Plainview which are a really gigantic undertaking. It is like creating a whole new village for the town. Still, it is disconcerting to see that there are projects that appear to have been abandoned in Oyster Bay.

We've driven by the Oyster Bay Laundromat on East Main Street during the year wondering about the Christmas paintings done on the windows. A few more months and they will be back in fashion when the holiday time in Oyster Bay begins. It's like having a watch stuck at noon: twice a day it is the right time.

On the positive side, there have been businesses opened that appear to be doing well. Let's just be sure we keep our priorities straight as the town approaches development.

-DFK