"S-2" -- Woodbury residents have been well-familiarized with this alphanumerical pair, which, in land zoning terms, stands for "Golden Age" Housing for local seniors. The most recent application entered by a landowner hoping to capitalize on this relatively new and controversial type of zoning was subjected to a hearing at Town Hall in Oyster Bay, held on Tuesday, July 7. While many themes remained the same as in previous hearings -- demand for senior housing, cost, taxes and saturation -- one thing that was markedly different was the town's and Supervisor John Venditto's stance on when to examine current S-2 law.

Three weeks ago, at another S-2 hearing concerning property along Woodbury Road, Venditto attempted to soothe concerned residents by promising that the Town would probe its S-2 policies once the town completed the hearing process on several upcoming S-2 proposals which were already submitted to the Town. The supervisor called it finishing what's left "in the pipeline."

Most of the S-2 opponents at the hearing three weeks ago admitted that the proposed senior complex, Woodbury Meadows, was state-of-the-art, desirable and athletically sound. But Tuesday's presentation before the Town Board by development company E.O. Associates, on its senior housing proposal was met with considerably less support, so much so that Venditto altered his "pipeline" suggestion.

Though he did not indicate his position on the project -- the board's vote was placed on reserve -- Venditto commented that the issues brought up at the hearing convinced him to, rather than wait, "start taking a deep breath now, and look before we leap."

The site of the proposed S-2 housing is currently zoned E-1 (apartments), consisting of 10.5 acres of currently vacant land, located on the northern site of Jericho Turnpike, between the Fairhaven Apartments and the Fox Hollow Inn. The major beneficiary of the project would be landowner Myron Nelkin, who also owns the Fairhaven Apartments. E.O. Associates is his development company, formed specifically for this project.

Nelkin's attorney, Jeffrey Forchelli, detailed the layout of the project. He explained that the application calls for 240 units. S-2 zoning would allow Nelkin to build more units than if he were constructing E-1 apartments, but, according to Forchelli, the resulting population density would be about same either way. Explained the attorney, "60 percent of senior housing units are occupied by a single owner." Apartments, on the other hand, would attract more families to Woodbury, he said.

Ideally, S-2 housing is supposed to allow seniors, struggling to afford their homes, the chance at remaining in the town and community, in affordable domiciles. Seniors whose income falls somewhere below the medium of the school district in which they reside are eligible for S-2 homes, which are exempt from most taxes.

But some residents complained at the hearing that, for a variety of reasons, Nelkin's proposed project is too undesirable, and will not attract enough seniors who already live in the area. They are adverse to witnessing Woodbury become another Bethpage, where two recent S-2 complexes have been forced to make units available to out-of-towners because local interest is scarce.

Forchelli countered that interest will not come in one massive wave, but in steady drifts. "It's not so much can Syosset and Woodbury absorb these units," said Forchelli. "It's a matter of time...as opposed to if the need exists."

But unlike the previous hearing, which was packed with busloads of seniors who favored the Woodbury Meadows complex, there were virtually no elders present to back this project.

Among the potentially unattractive aspects of the project is its seemingly cramped quarters. Venditto directed Forchelli several times during his presentation to disclose the actual size of each unit. Forchelli stated that plans stood at approximately 1,000 gross square feet per unit, which means, accounting for mandatory structures not included in a gross measurement, somewhere in the range of merely 950 square feet of open space.

Venditto recognized that this may not be enough. "The magic number seems to be at 1,200 [square feet]," said the supervisor. "These units are...a little smaller than desirable."

Residents also balked at the high price of these homes, set at $150,000. Even with the tax breaks, too many seniors will shy away from such a steep price, argued several opponents. Furthermore, the seniors with incomes that are large enough to spend so freely are likely ineligible because of the high income status. Call that a Catch S-22.

Those who didn't focus on the faults of the project concentrated on how it would affect the community. One of the greatest complaints concerned unfair tax advantages. If a senior who buys an S-2 home resides with his grandchildren, those kids can attend school tax-free -- too great a privilege in the eyes of some working taxpayers. The danger to underground water aquifers was also stressed.

Perhaps the greatest fear that S-2 evokes is that of oversaturation. Many Woodbury residents believe there are already too few open spaces of land left in their community, and there are too many property owners now who are seizing the opportunity to jump on the S-2 bandwagon because it appears to be easy money.

Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs, who addressed the town board and presented one of several petitions against the project, noted that this was the third recent application for S-2 units in Woodbury. She said that Venditto and the town councilmen have the "unique opportunity" to not just examine them individually, but to "look at them wholly and see if the community can absorb" so many senior complexes.

Jacobs said that the sudden surge of S-2 hearings all at once concerning Woodbury may truly be a blessing in disguise, for if the town had faced these applications over a longer period of time, officials may not of realized how out of control the situation has become, and how quickly the zoning laws had to be re-examined.

Now it appears that the timeline the town set on S-2 housing has been stepped up. "Today's hearing really framed the supply and demand issue," said Venditto. "If we're going to approve a project of this kind, one of the things I absolutely must know is that I'm doing something to benefit the seniors of Oyster Bay."