AvalonBay Communities Vice President Matthew Whalen announced that they will be holding public meetings starting May 11 at the Hallock Chevrolet site for residents to hear about their proposal. Mr. Whalen said in a letter to the editor in the April 20 issue of the Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot, "I would urge you not to be influenced by the scare tactics and inaccurate assertions of others and instead to learn the facts and make our own informed decisions. In this spirit we invite you to visit our website."

Their website states, "Its water and sewer usage would not dramatically impact the current systems and the stormwater management, which currently does not meet county standards, will be upgraded." That appears not to conform to what local authorities have said.

The Oyster Bay Water District has said the proposal for a 300-unit apartment complex on Pine Hollow Road would need a new well to be dug at a cost of $1 million. Gary Loesch, executive vice president of H2M, engineers for the Oyster Bay Sewer District said they have looked at the AvalonBay proposal. He said, "The OBSD has a permit for 1.8 million gallons per day. When the district looks at proposals for waste capacity they need to look at each application according to what the zoning will allow. We looked at our standard design numbers and based on current zoning AvalonBay can have 85 homes or units. We told that to AvalonBay and to Friends of the Bay. Regardless of whatever - the district cannot take from 300 units because it has to reserve capacity from other parcels for their zoning needs. If we take capacity for this proposal then we restrict someone else in the area under the current zoning. We have to look at the synergistic effect of everybody on the waste system plant. Those decisions are made in keeping with the Nassau County Department of Health."

The district's policy is that it would not be feasible to enlarge the plant to accommodate additional sewage flow in excess of the present state permit. Given these limiting factors, the Oyster Bay Sewer District has adopted a procedure to review, modify and if necessary, limit all new requests for service connections to the sewer district so as to allow future service to current vacant properties while regulating service to properties seeking additional service.

The East Norwich Civic Association has taken the lead in opposing the AvalonBay project along with Friends of the Bay who are opposing it for environmental reasons. Matthew Meng, president of the East Norwich Civic Association said, "We have held many meetings at the East Norwich Civic Association over the past few years discussing AvalonBay. We've had Matt Whalen at our civic association meetings at least three times to discuss and gather all the information. From the 'get go' people were opposed and as we have learned more, still opposed and as we learn of the changes they are proposing, we are still opposed to them. That process is not happening at the Oyster Bay Civic Association. Marie Knight is not being the leader she should be," he said. "Ms. Knight is remiss as president of the Oyster Bay Civic Association for not polling her membership for their position on AvalonBay Communities."

Mr. Meng said, "Mr. Whalen said he wants to clear up all the misinformation. I don't know what misinformation I have heard. There is no misinformation I have heard unless it is coming from Matt Whalen."

At the March 30 meeting of the Oyster Bay Civic Association, President Marie Knight said she is personally in favor of the Avalon project saying, "I want my village back." She believes the influx of people coming into the community will do that. When the civic association held a meeting on Sept. 23, 2004, where Avalon presented their plan, a mailing was sent out to their members. The vote came back 41 against, 6 for and 35 people didn't respond which Ms. Knight said she took to mean they didn't care and therefore weren't opposed to the project.

Charles Doering, a former OBCA member sees the vote differently, as 41 against and six for the project as representing the vote of the membership. (He said so at the recent March meeting of the East Norwich Civic Association where he is now a member.)

Tim Archdeacon did not attend the March 30 meeting of the Oyster Bay Civic Association of which he was a board member. He said in a telephone interview that he has resigned from the board. He said he has been meeting with the East Norwich Civic Association committee that is working against AvalonBay. "I plan to join the East Norwich Civic Association as a member. I was just elected to the board of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce. As a businessman I feel I can accomplish more through a business organization than through a civic. I don't have time to do both."

He said, "The East Norwich Civic Association encapsulates just what a civic association should be. It is diplomatic but it stands behind its position. There is a lot of unity there and it is well run."

Ms. Knight said at the OBCA meeting on March 30 that she and Judith-Ann Barnett, OBCA secretary attended a town hall visioning meeting on AvalonBay Communities. Attending were TOB Deputy Supervisor Len Genova, Ms. Knight, Ms. Barnett, the new Commissioner of Planning and Development Jack L. Libert, (former ZBA chair) Eric Schroeder and Ron Stein of Vision Long Island. She said that at the meeting, Matt Whalen, VP AvalonBay Communities presented his new concept for the ABC apartment complex and asked for suggestions and criticisms.

Ms. Barnett said the town is interviewing each organization in town separately to get a pulse on their views on AvalonBay, including the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Association and various others.

John Brusca and Matthew Meng also attended a town hall visioning meeting on behalf of the East Norwich Civic Association and spoke about it at the East Norwich Civic Association's March meeting. Mr. Brusca said the meeting was very fair. He said the Vision Long Island consultants were there to consider the project in terms of Smart Growth development principles. He said Matt Whalen told the group they have altered their plans. Plans for the front of the building is still three stories high and plans for the back building will be four stories high but they are setting it back from the road by about 20 ft. more. Mr. Whalen showed them a new sketch of the proposed building done by architectural historian John Collins. "It's a nice looking building. They keep changing it the more we complain," said Mr. Busca.

OBCA member Rosemary Colvin interjected, "The 300 unit complex is not appropriate for the community."

Mr. Brusca said, "The meeting went well and Matt Whalen ended his time with the group saying AvalonBay appreciated the time spent talking with the group in a dialog and not exchanging comments in the newspapers. He said he wanted to clear up any misconceptions," Mr. Meng said, "We said there are no misconceptions there are lies. He said that Upper Brookville was in favor of the development and they are not in favor of it. We know it is too large, too massive."

Mr. Brusca said if they follow current zoning as used with Norwich Gates which has 16 units per acre, their 5 acres could hold 80 units and not 300 or their new figure of 270.

Mr. Brusa said the town seemed appreciative of the meeting and said the next step is an informal public meeting, not a formal legal procedure, which may be held in April and may be a meeting discussing the carousel proposal also. "They will be hot button hearings," he said. [Town Hall couldn't confirm if the meetings for the general public to comment will be held.]

At the March 30 meeting Ms. Knight said a former OBCA Treasurer Peggy Bundis didn't like the institutional look of the first AvalonBay plan. "We suggested they talk to Tom Kuehhas, director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society and he recommended they contact John Collins, architectural historian to find a design Oyster Bay would like." [A photograph of the suggested plan is shown with this story.]

Ms. Knight said AvalonBay is offering to reduce their proposed occupancy from 300 to 270 units, which is down 10 percent to reduce density. The plan includes 67 studios, 122 one-bedroom apartments and 81 two-bedroom apartments to reduce the possible impact on schools. [A town spokesperson said that as of now they have not received an amended plan from AvalonBay reflecting the changes they are offering the public.]

Mr. Whalen is also proposing "next generation" housing: where the market price of some units will be lowered, said Ms. Knight.

They are also proposing an open space component to their offering. It would be a dollar contribution for "sterilization of land in Oyster Bay" that needs cleanup or remediation.

Rob Bresca, who attended the OBCA meeting said the AvalonBay proposal includes getting the sewage capacity from any open land they help the town to purchase and adding that extra capacity to their own to close the gap.

Ms. Knight said not until all the things proposed by AvalonBay are presented will they have a vote at the OBCA to see what their members want.

Ms. Barnett said, speaking personally, "Everybody is against AvalonBay: I'm not. I don't want to see another tractor-trailer in this town and that is what light industry means. There are 348 units at Norwich Greens and they have four applications for apartments now. The Landmark Colony has 34 units; Lexington Estates has 90; Top of the Harbour has 156. Add to that Fieldstone, the Orchard Street apartments and the Town of Oyster Bay Housing Authority - I don't see that they have brought negatives to the hamlet. See how many children are from those apartments."

Mr. Brusca said he has read four reports from AvalonBay prepared four different ways with four different numbers about the number of children who will live at the proposed apartment complex. "What do I believe," he asked. "Their website had said AvalonBay would send the district from 15 to 57 children but told the school board it would be from 15 to 30."

Ms. Barnett offered, "We also have five private schools in the district that might take in some AvalonBay children."

Still focused on AvalonBay improving the hamlet, Ms. Knight said, "I don't want the town going down. We are losing seniors, the young and the workforce. The reason is the parking." She said when the parking problems in the hamlet are addressed they can again try to bring in new businesses as they did before. When they tried previously the locations were turned down when new merchants couldn't find parking for themselves to stop and view the stores. The OBCA is working on a parking plan for the hamlet. Ms. Knight said their attorney Tony LaMarca will shortly make their presentation of it to the town board. The plan includes the walkway next to the post office. It includes the town solving the drainage problem at Firemen's Field as well as providing security there. The OBCA has worked diligently in collecting names on petitions to bring before the town board in the hopes of making them see the extent of residents' perception of the way parking is a problem in the town and that their reserved parking for town employees exacerbates the issue.

"We need a good middle class in the hamlet. There is just the wealthy and indigent in town," said Ms. Knight.

Ms. Barnett added AvalonBay will have 80 jobs on site, from a concierge to plumbers and carpenters. She said at an Oyster Bay Intra-Agency meeting attended by OBCA Vice President Stan Spiegelman, the local churches and not-for-profits who attended said they are in favor of more people in the community in that they may participate in their activities. "We need a density of people in town or it's stagnant," she said.

Member Joan London said, "I love this town but it has lowlife in it. Now I go to Jericho and Locust Valley. I can't walk the streets here. People of class don't want to go into a town that has that."

Mr. Spiegelman answered, "There is no lowlife in the hamlet. My children know I am a 'bleeding heart Jewish liberal' and anyone who pays their taxes is welcome in this town!"

Ms. Knight said again, "We need a good middle class here."

Bob Bartliotti said, "There are empty apartments in town now."

Realtor Joe Mimmo said, "There are a few, but they are out of whack in their prices. I rented two apartments over Look Who's Cooking that are $725 with utilities." Grace Searby said previously she never saw a for sale sign in town, that you had to grab any offering the next day.