Residents upbeat about senior housing plan

Residents plagued by decades of noise and debris from two Hicksville asphalt plants said they are cautiously optimistic about a plan to replace them with gated senior housing.

At Tuesday's Oyster Bay Town Board meeting, a public hearing revealed details of the proposal to shutter the Twin County and Engel Street plants in favor of The Crossings at Cantiague Commons.

If the town approves a new site plan and zone change for Twin County's 15-acre West John Street site, both plants would close at year's end. The owner of the plant last year agreed to tear them down and build the development.

While 390 town homes for seniors would be built on West John Street -- possibly by 2013 -- the town would acquire the 2-acre Engel Street grounds, located nearby. Plans for that property weren't revealed.

"I'm glad we all finally agree that there's no place for an asphalt plant next to housing of any kind," said Greg Yatzyshyn, a Hicksville civic leader.

Neighbors and the town have attempted to get the plants closed since the 1980s, nearly as long as they've existed. The town once unsuccessfully went to court to try to shut them down, and previous redevelopment proposals stalled.

Sitting in the crowd Tuesday, George and Dawn Sahaidachny represented how long the dispute has dragged. They wore pins from an earlier era that read, "Stop Twin County. Breathe Free in '93."

"We get rained on with dirt and sand," said Dawn Sahaidachny. "I've picked out pieces of glass from my garden. I can't even enjoy going outside."

Town Supervisor John Venditto said he viewed the housing proposal as a start in transforming a stark industrial area into something matching the hamlet's "suburban" qualities.

"For the first time," he said, "I see a light at the end of the tunnel."

The development won't have price restrictions but is limited to buyers 55 and older. The units would be 1,300 square feet, with two bedrooms and two baths.

Buildings would sit at four and five stories. There would be 884 parking spaces, but engineers anticipate residential traffic would simply replace heavy trucks now traveling through.

"Hopefully," said Anthony Cincotta, an attorney for the applicant, "it'll be a good project for the community."

Lingering concerns include the plan's density of 25 units per acre and building heights. George Sahaidachny dubbed himself "the residents' skeptic," saying he would doubt intentions to close the plants until the moment it happened.

"I hope that I'm wrong," he said. "I really do."