Committee OKs Mitchel Field acquisition
Nassau lawmakers gave preliminary approval Monday to the acquisition of nearly 23 acres on the northern edge of Mitchel Field from the U.S. Navy for free.
Legislators, acting in the Rules Committee, unanimously agreed to accept the property, which contains 18 single-family homes and 42 duplexes. Some dwellings still are occupied by military families, who will be allowed to remain as long as they are stationed in the area, officials said.
Once the county has closed on the property, it will rehabilitate and lease out the remaining homes in the private market; at least eight will be reserved for veterans, though a policy for allocating those units has yet to be determined, officials said.
About 10 years ago, the Navy decided to dispose of the property at the former air base in Uniondale. With the help of U.S. senators and congressmen, the Navy agreed to reserve part of the land for Nassau; it sold the rest to Avalon Bay Properties, which plans to build single-family and rental housing.
Thirteen acres is expected to be reserved for use by Nassau Community College, though that was not specified in the resolutions approved Monday.
The property transfer still needs the approval of the County Legislature.
Also Monday, the committee approved Michael Kilbride's appointment as county Veterans Affairs director, with four Republicans voting yes, one Democrat voting no and two other Democrats abstaining. The nomination now goes to the full legislature.
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