Company to appeal rejection of proposed residence in Glen Cove
A public hearing was held Feb. 7, 2018, on a proposed eating disorder treatment facility in Glen Cove. Credit: Raychel Brightman
A California company announced Friday that it is appealing Glen Cove’s rejection of its application to open a residence in the city for people with eating disorders.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously rejected Malibu-based Monte Nido & Affiliates’ proposal to convert a three-story house across St. Andrews Lane from Nassau Country Club into a 14-bed facility for people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia and other disorders.
Monte Nido is appealing to the state Office of Mental Health, which under state law can require the city to allow the residence. The city or Monte Nido could go to court to challenge the state decision.
Tuesday’s council resolution says the residence “would result in such a concentration of similar community residential facilities that the nature and character of the area would be substantially altered.”
Jennifer Gallagher, the company’s chief development officer, said there are no such facilities within a half mile of the St. Andrews Lane site.
“Just the number of facilities is not the issue,” Gallagher said. “What the city has to provide evidence of is how it will negatively impact the character of the neighborhood. The city did not put any evidence on the record about how it would.”
Mayor Timothy Tenke said that as the city prepares its defense, “we’re going to continue to look at other sites and offer them up and see if we can get some kind of agreed-upon resolution.”
The city has offered Monte Nido several alternatives, including one Tenke proposed on Thursday, but Gallagher said they are too small or not for sale.
Tenke said the residential St. Andrews Lane location is inappropriate, but acknowledged a need for such a facility on Long Island.
“And if they want to put it in Glen Cove, I’m very proud to have it here,” Tenke said. “We just have to find the right location for it.”
