The East Norwich Civic Association invited representatives of AvalonBay Communities to come to their Oct. 28 meeting to discuss their proposal, for a 300-unit apartment house to be built on the former Hallock Chevrolet dealership location. The over-5-acre site, now owned by Island Properties, is under contract to AvalonBay Communities. East Norwich residents attended the forum held by the Oyster Bay Civic Association for AvalonBay in September and made arrangements for the October meeting in East Norwich. In talking about AvalonBay, the developers said traffic leaving their apartment complex in the morning would be heading south - to the Syosset Long Island Rail Road Station and to the LIE Expressway to get to work. That means they will be driving through East Norwich since the unincorporated village is cut in half by Route 106 - that increased traffic is of great concern to the residents.

Rashid Walker, AvalonBay Communities development director and Matthew B. Whalen, VP Development AvalonBay Communities brought a rendering of the proposed apartment house complex to the meeting held in the community room of the Community United Methodist Church of East Norwich.

Mr. Whalen said they have been reaching out to the Oyster Bay community and meeting with Friends of the Bay, the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Oyster Bay Civic Association. "We are trying to reach out to folks to tell them about the benefits and to listen to valid complaints," he said. He gave a short introduction to the project saying, the rents for the apartments are set by the market rate. The site is zoned Light Industrial and it could be developed as a 75,000 sq. ft. supermarket. He said the apartment complex is set back 75 to 80 feet from the road. The current building takes up 70 percent of the land and they will use 69 percent of it.

ENCA Vice President Sean Rainey said, "The complex has 65 units per acre on the site as proposed. What other area except New York City has that density? The assisted living facility in town, Oyster Bay Manor has 55 units per acre."

Mr. Whalen said the Glen Cove AvalonBay apartments have 50 units per acre. Mr. Rainey said, "Norwich Greens apartment complex has 16 units per acre. There is no comparison - It's ridiculous, you're trying to fit Manhattan into Oyster Bay."

Mr. Whalen answered, there is a huge housing crisis on Long Island; the property is located in a downtown area; and the project follows Smart Growth principles and uses less land for more density to leave other areas preserved.

Mr. Rainey commented, "The apartments are high end, not for the workforce population."

Mr. Whalen said, "Our housing is adding stock to the housing market. In Glen Cove 50 percent of the renters are below age 35 and 80 percent are single. The studios rent for $1,000 to $1,300. They represent young working families. The two bedroom apartments rent for $2,750. We could have done affordable housing but the community doesn't want it."

Rosemary Colvin questioned the concept of luxury housing saying the Oyster Bay Hamlet Plan called for affordable housing. She said, "Oyster Bay doesn't need luxury housing. This is for people coming in to the area, not low income housing for our own children."

Mr. Whalen agreed the renters are from outside the community, from the surrounding five mile area. He said, "I live in Garden City. Where are the kids living - not here in Oyster Bay, but in garages and illegal basement apartments. There is a demand for housing. Long Island has a large percentage of illegal housing at about 17 percent."

Gil Columbo said the Glen Cove AvalonBay looks massive. Mr. Whalen answered that it has four stories over a two-story garage on a berm. "It feels like a seven-story building. We are 90 percent filled. We are 12 ft. from the road."

Mr. Rainey said, "It's a city. If the site was in downtown Oyster Bay I'd be more supportive. It's a pink elephant here. Is there a way to scale it down?"

Mr. Whalen said it already is smaller than Glen Cove and said if it was scaled down he wouldn't be able to make money. The size of the project is in relation to the cost of the real estate.

Joseph Boorstein said, "I just don't like the apartment building complex on this small lot of 5.03 acres.

Someone commented that AvalonBay will be the largest structure in Oyster Bay and asked, what does the chamber of Commerce say about it? Mr. Whalen said the chamber hasn't voted on the project as yet.

ENCA President Matthew Meng asked if the project could be built instead at the Goodyear site, more central to the village? [The Goodyear property is being developed by Al Peseri as a commercial site. He is planning to maintain the look of the building and adding green awnings over the windows and flower boxes upstairs.] Mr. Whalen gave as an explanation that Island Properties wants to bring in a larger population to jump start the town revitalization.

Mr. Whalen said they had a pre-application meeting with the Town of Oyster Bay and are being asked to work with Island Properties to make a cummulative study of what is going to be built. Island Properties has many sites including the Commander Oil terminal as well as many rental properties.

Someone commented that Island Properties is giving properties face-lifts and raising the rents.

The traffic problems were brought up again as Bob Bresca said, "We can't get out of our streets. I don't see this as doing good for downtown. A supermarket is what we need." Someone asked if the Hallock site could be switched with the Stop & Shop site.

Mr. Whalen said Glen Cove is prospering with the addition of that AvalonBay. "There is a barber, a deli, a bar and grill, a punch kick gym - 80 percent of businesses on Long Island are 10 people or smaller."

"You can park in Glen Cove," responded Bob Brusca. "Oyster Bay is a different community. You are coming in and completely changing the character of Oyster Bay. People do want to move here, but move for the life style. This is a sleepy bedroom community and that's what we like here. AvalonBay is completely out of character. AvalonBay is a city. If nothing else, this is a different kind of community because of the type of development already here." It is a community of single family homes.

A woman asked if any other of AvalonBay's developed communities let out onto a single lane road like Route 106 and added it will be a nightmare for traffic. Mr. Whalen said they all do, Smithtown, Long Beach and Coram.

Lisa Nola asked how many cars they expected the complex to have. Mr. Whalen said one per studio; one per one-bedroom apartment and two per two-bedroom apartment: he expected about 400 cars to be on the road.

Mr. Boorstein asked if they were projecting renters to be childless working couples? Mr. Whalen said they will be young professionals and empty nesters who are choosing to rent and will have one car per person. He said a supermarket would have 8,000 cars on the road.

With 400 new cars on the road, a resident asked, are you thinking of widening the road? Mr. Whalen answered that the state has been looking at the road for a long time and added, "I want my residents to be able to come and go."

Another resident estimated there would be about 450 adults living in the apartments resulting in 450 cars. A woman commented that there would be more cars than that.

When a woman commented that the proposed 300-unit apartment house will impact on the schools, Ms. Colvin said, "We're at maximum now. We'd have to build again."

Basil Nola asked what the benefit to him was if AvalonBay was built? Mr. Whalen offered: there is a housing crisis on Long Island; people are waiting for the site to be redeveloped; they will do a better job architecturally; as an alternate use of the site it is better than what could be there.

Mr. Nola said, "I can't put everyone in my backyard. You are coming into an area that is peanut sized. That road can't hold the traffic it holds now."

Mr. Whalen said he would put a light in if asked to do it. "We did close to $1 million in road improvements in Smithown. Oyster Bay needs revitalization."

Carol Gannon of Prudential Real Estate said, "You are catering to the under 35s." She said in the Glen Cove AvalonBay "There is 'dormroom' partying going on there. We don't want to be that. They want Starbucks and fast food. They won't be satisfied with the community." She said. "There are never more than eight houses on the market in East Norwich, they go so fast." She said people could own a house at the cost of the rents at AvalonBay, and added there are vacancies in Norwich Gates. She said in Glen Cove they were offering new tenants a month and a half free.

Mr. Whalen said he would never convert to a Section 8 residence. "AvalonBay Communities is a $7 billion company. We understand the market." He said giving concessions is typical of the marketplace. He said, "Kids partying in Glen Cove? I'm proud of Glen Cove. It is 91 percent leased and 88 percent occupied. It will be full by the end of the year. We were asked to come in and help re-develop Glen Cove."

A resident of the area for 21 years, a woman, said over that time she has seen the traffic double. As for shopping in Oyster Bay, she said it was just consignment shops and pizza parlors adding she never shopped there. As for young people staying in the area, she said, "Most kids leave to strike out on their own." As far as the downtown area she said. "It looks dumpy and shabby and has been allowed to look like that for a long time."

ENCA board member Bud Rappuhn asked about the environmental issues. Mr. Whalen said he has been meeting with the town's Environmental Conservation Commission on issues of the sewer capacity and added, "We've built sewer districts ourselves." He said the project should put out about 3,000 extra gallons per day into the sewer system. "I've owned a sewer plant on Long Island for 10 years," he said. "Sewage is a big problem on Long Island."

Mr. Rappuhn said there was a cummulative effect with all the development proposed in town. "When you add those to yours we are going to have a big problem that will spark people to challenge you."

Mr. Whalen said they are working on a draft environmental impact study.

Mr. Rappuhn mentioned there were two new houses on Summers Street. [Last week there was news of three houses replacing a large Victorian house and barn on the corner of Burtis Avenue and Kellog Street.]

A woman asked, "After all the meetings you have held, have you changed any of your plans?"

Mr. Whalen said the first rendering had five stories with the garage exposed and four stories of apartments above. "We buried the garage and chopped the front of the building down to three stories. It was 57 feet high and is now 30 feet high," he said.

Liane Guenther said she sees nothing good in the plan. "It will have a large impact on this sleepy community. Is it possible to have an exit onto Mill River Road?"

Mr. Whalen said no, there is a 72 ft. grade difference. He said they met with the residents of Upper Brookville, Anthony Franco and Chris Ruggiero and they looked across the roof lines and said they are comfortable with their views.

Someone asked if Mr. Whalen had been at the Oyster Festival saying "It takes a lot to get the Bay producing so well. It is a real focus of what we are about."

Matthew Meng asked about fire department access to the site. Mr. Whalen said there are eight different entities involved in satisfying the fire issues including sprinkler systems and building codes. He said the architect would deal with the problems.

Mel Warren said there is no access for fire trucks. Mr. Whalen said there is a service lane around the building as well as stone in an area that will allow trucks to drive around the site.