Seeking to alleviate a traffic problem, the Town of North Hempstead is hoping to oversee lane widening on Lincoln Avenue in Roslyn Heights, a project that would include the installation of a right turning lane and a turn signal on that same thoroughfare.

The project also entails dealing with open space on Lincoln, one that is under the jurisdiction of the Community Development Agency, a state agency whose members are chosen by the Town of North Hempstead. In time, the CDA would deed the land to the town, whose members hope to create a "green space" out of the land.

Members of the Roslyn Heights Civic Association fear that the town might build a park there, one that might bring in undesirable habits to local residents. Roslyn Heights residents themselves live under TONH jurisdiction.

Councilman Thomas Dwyer, who attended a recent public meeting with members of the civic association, said that the town only would do what local residents desire. "We will follow their lead," he said. "If they want to beautify [the green space], we'll do it. If they want it landscaped, we'll do it."

The councilman also said that the town wants the green space to be dedicated as a parkland. That way, it would be near impossible for any future developer to lay claim to the land. At the same time, the town, Dwyer added, does not want to create a park with "swings, swing sets, or a park with benches."

The intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Roslyn Road does not have the traffic volume on, say, the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road, but the area, nevertheless, is becoming congested.

Chris Cavaliere, president of the Roslyn Heights Civic Association, said that his members do not want a park that would bring "loitering and littering" into the neighborhood. He noted that the space is an empty lot that was once slated to become home to low income housing, before public opposition scuttled those plans.

"If they want to place a sign around it [the green space], that says 'Welcome to Roslyn Heights'" that would be fine with civic association members, Cavaliere said.

Cavaliere suggested that the town, once they gain jurisdiction over the area, could simply maintain a lawn with "nice shrubbery," similar to what has been constructed in East Hills. Such a lawn space, he said, would be both easier to maintain, while costing the town less money.

However, he also voiced his opposition to any final plan that would eliminate parking spaces in the Lincoln Avenue area. The current plan, Cavaliere said, would eliminate five parking spaces, which comes out to a good 20 percent of all parking in the area.

Cavaliere also worried that the design plan, as one local politician put it, is already "carved in stone." Thinking of the possible loss in parking space, some politicians, he said, are not taking into consideration what the plan might do to both residents and businesses.

But Cavaliere did acknowledge that road widening is necessary. The town, he said, could widen the road and "squeeze in a parking lane." He also suggested that the town install a traffic light at the 7-Eleven store on Roslyn Road. That, he said, would alleviate the traffic problem only by enabling cars to avoid traveling onto Lincoln Avenue.