Glen Cove approves zone change to allow for housing near LIRR station

Glen Cove City Council has rezoned nearly 2 acres near the Long Island Rail Road station to allow for transit-oriented housing, but some critics said the change could result in overly dense housing.

The city rezoned lots south of the Glen Street LIRR station to permit housing there. The land, which spans 1.9 acres and includes parking for the train station, was previously part of a light industrial district. 

The council on Tuesday approved several steps to make the property eligible for residential development. One measure created the "Glen Street Station Transit Oriented Development" zone that allows for the property to be redeveloped with as many as 55 units per acre. There is also an option for a 10% boost in overall units, according to city documents and officials.

The council voted 4-3 to approve the zone change. Councilman John Zozzaro, Councilman John Perrone and Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola voted no.

Cedar Swamp Redevelopers LLC applied for the zone change because it wants to build housing on the land, Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said. The developer has not formally submitted a site plan for the project, Panzenbeck said. But, the mayor said, the company offered $750,000 to the city in community benefits.

Panzenbeck said the zoning will bring more sorely needed housing.

“I think we’re answering a call for affordable housing,” Panzenbeck said at the meeting. “Everywhere we go, people are looking for affordable housing.”

Opponents said the plan would result in more traffic and bring parking problems. Panzenbeck said the developer agreed to build more parking on the north side of the LIRR tracks to replace parking spots that would be displaced by a potential development.

Perrone said the zone change would result in more density than the site can handle. 

Allowing up to roughly 120 units of housing on the property "is a lot of people being put in 1.9 acres."

“We bend over backwards for developers,” Zozzaro said during the meeting. “To me, it’s ridiculous.”

Republican Councilman Grady Farnan said the zone change would "bring great revitalization to that area.”

The council also voted 4-3 to accept a "negative declaration" that waived the need for a more extensive environmental review of the zone change.

Max Stach, a planning consultant, wrote in a memo “that the project will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.”

The memo acknowledges impacts to traffic, groundwater and other city infrastructure.

Christopher Pierce, a Glen Cove resident who spoke at the meeting, called it “wholly irresponsible to pass this when there’s a lot of unanswered questions.”

Tip Henderson, the city’s attorney, said the planning board “could require a more extensive environmental assessment” during a later stage.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ