Oyster Bay Cove planning board approves Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory housing plan

The Oyster Bay Cove Planning Board approved Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s site plan to house postdoctoral fellows on an 11.75-acre property in the village, marking a step forward in a proposal that has been met with local opposition.

The eight-member planning board unanimously approved the laboratory's application seeking site plan and historic scenic and byways approval during a two-hour meeting Thursday night at the East Woods School in Oyster Bay Cove. 

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory purchased the 57 Sandy Hill Rd. property in January 2024 with plans to rehabilitate its historic main house, built in 1910, and lodge early career scientists on the sprawling grounds. The planning board's decision moves the laboratory closer to starting the $2.2 million project, which still requires final sign-off from the village's building department, according to Lisa Cruz, a laboratory spokeswoman.

A handful of residents spoke in opposition of the project at the meeting, including by raising concerns over lighting and landscaping on the property. 

Gary Ain, one of the neighbors, said he feels the residents surrounding the property have been "steamrolled by the village" throughout the process to consider the laboratory's plan. He said the plan doesn't do enough to shield neighbors from light on the property and questioned if the institution would be responsive to issues after it receives approvals. 

Steve Monez, the laboratory’s vice president of facilities, committed to working with neighbors to address issues as they arise on the site. 

"We're not a developer. We're not just looking to just get an approval and leave," Monez said. "We're here with you, and that's the type of neighbor that we want to be."

John Bralower, the chairman of the planning board, said the board's approval is subject to compliance with the village's stringent laws. 

The property was previously owned by Harmony Heights, a school for girls with social and emotional needs, that operated there from 1981 to 2023.

The village, with a population of 2,067, according to 2023 census estimates, made a zoning change in 2023 to allow the site to be converted into housing for postdoctoral fellows or faculty of a higher education institution. The previous code only allowed for primary or secondary school students to live there, according to Oyster Bay Cove Mayor Charles Goulding.

Some locals firmly pushed back to the zoning change and the laboratory’s plan earlier this year. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scaled back its housing plan to allow 28 total laboratory workers to live on the site, down from 30, among other concessions.

The village’s zoning board of appeals in February approved a special permit for the property that allows the laboratory to house postdoctoral students on the property. That approval came with a list of conditions, including a limit to how long visitors can stay and a requirement that the laboratory show it’s complying with regulations every three years. 

A group of residents filed a lawsuit in March accusing the village of “spot zoning," which occurs when a municipality carves out special conditions for a single property that would make it contrast starkly with surrounding ones. Village officials have denied the charge.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory said it needs more space to house researchers at a time when housing prices on Long Island have soared. Housing at the Sandy Hill Road property, which laboratory officials said is designed to be temporary, would run about $1,500 a month for postdoctoral students, Newsday has reported.