Manorhaven residents worry proposed mixed-use building could spur overdevelopment

Residents said a proposed three-story mixed-use building on Manhasset Isle could lead to a precedent of overdevelopment in Manorhaven and have asked the village board to respond to community outcry.

The applicant, New Jersey-based Secatoag 20-26 LLC, will appear Nov. 13 before the village Board of Zoning Appeals in a continuation of a hearing adjourned from Sept. 17.

The initial proposal called for building a pair of 52-foot-tall mixed-use buildings, each with nine apartments and two commercial spaces, on a combined 26,000-square-foot parcel at 22 Sagamore Hill Dr. and 20 Secatoag Ave. The height would have exceeded the village’s zoning code limits by more than double.

Peter Dejana, a Port Washington-based businessman who recently sold his landscaping business, owns the property. Dejana runs the Peter and Jeri Dejana Foundation, a nonprofit that awards charitable grants to local and regional organizations, according to the foundation's website. Jim Avena, Manorhaven’s mayor, is the foundation’s grants administrator.

Plans have since been revised and the project’s scale reduced “to make it less of a concern” for residents, said the project’s attorney, Howard Avrutine. The applicant now intends to construct one 42-foot, three-story building with 16 two-bedroom apartments and a single commercial space, Avrutine said. 

“Hopefully we’re satisfying the need of the developer with the desires of the community,” Avrutine added. “Clearly some in the community felt that the previously proposed version of the project was overly ambitious.”

Lucretia Steele, a former village deputy mayor, said that “the entire village is against this.”

“There is public uproar about this,” she said. “It’s affecting 7,000 residents here, and it’s going to be profitable for one builder. . . . Even if one building, it opens the door to future buildings and should not be allowed.”

To advance the project, known as Sagamore Manor, the BZA would have to approve eight variances, including allowing the building to exceed height limits by about 19 feet and having 50 fewer parking spaces than required.

Resident Caroline DuBois said it seemed like the “developer is trying to change zoning law through variances.”

“It’s a flagrant manipulation of our zoning code, which will set a precedent for future building in Manorhaven,” DuBois said.

At the previous hearing, residents contended that if the project is approved, similar variances would be awarded to future development in the area. They flagged the 11-acre former Thypin Steel property, which is also on Sagamore Hill Drive, and other properties owned by Dejana.

Dejana said in a statement issued Thursday that he has “no economic interest in the Thypin property” and that as an “experienced real estate developer” he is interested in bringing “attractive, luxury apartments to the community to provide needed housing alternatives to meet the needs of all our residents.”

A representative for Dejana said that he also owns 30 Sagamore Hill Dr. and that the property is currently rented, with no development plans.

Avena did not respond to a request for comment on whether the village board might hold a public hearing or discussion about residents’ concerns.

The BZA meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Port Jewish Center, 20 Manorhaven Blvd. in Port Washington.