Manorhaven Village considers building moratorium as density complaints pile up

The Village of Manorhaven is weighing a yearlong moratorium on building in its residential zones to slow the pace of development and address concerns about overcrowding, traffic and parking shortages. 

But some residents say the moratorium should be extended to the village's "enterprise zone," which includes Manhasset Isle, an old fishing neighborhood overlooking Manhasset Bay where mixed-use development is allowed.  

The public hearing, scheduled for Aug. 27, comes after the village board in late June approved the site plan for a proposed 49-unit, three-story mixed-use building on Sagamore Hill Drive. The project generated complaints from some residents who said the building would be too large and densely populated. 

Philip Butler, the attorney for the building's developer, Red Rock Homes LLC, did not respond to a request for comment. 

The building would be in the village's enterprise zone, on the same block as a new three-story, 16-unit development, The Sagamore, that is currently holding open houses. That building, from developer Dejana Industries, was the first three-story building in the neighborhood. The village had granted both property owners variances to build higher than two levels.

Manhasset Isle is a small neighborhood jutting out the south side of Manorhaven, with Toms Point Marina providing a view of the bay. Residents say they want to preserve its quaint charm of one- and two-story homes. 

"None of these buildings are in line with what Manhasset Isle currently looks like," resident Christian Hommerich said of the complexes. 

'No guys, enough'

Mayor John Popeleski said in an interview he had been pushing for a moratorium for more than a year to rewrite part of the housing code and "help slow the building-up." 

The village has seen an uptick in the number of two-family homes, in which a pair of houses are built on the same plot and connected to each other. Two more are on the way as part of separate subdivisions, the mayor said.

Popeleski said the number of two-family homes in the village has nearly tripled over the past three decades, from about 350 in 1998 to the current tally of 898.

"I see all these new houses go up, and I shake my head and go ‘No guys, enough,'" Popeleski said.

Density cited

Manorhaven is more densely populated than other communities on the Port Washington peninsula. The village has a population of 6,956 people packed into 0.5 square miles, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Neighboring Port Washington North is also 0.5 square miles but with a population of just 3,160. Sands Point, on the northern tip of the peninsula, has 2,712 residents on 4.2 square miles.

"It's nothing to be proud of," the mayor said. "That's one of my reasons for doing the moratorium, and to review all of our building codes." Most of that congestion is concentrated in the parts of the village outside Manhasset Isle, he said.

Popeleski said the moratorium would give officials more time to map out changes to the village's zoning code. Contractor D&B Engineers and Architects will present a plan Wednesday for the changes during a public work session.

Long Islanders' opposition to building has resulted in a housing crisis, according to a 2023 report from the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. Nassau and Suffolk counties added seven units per 1,000 residents from 2012 to 2021, compared with 35 in the New Jersey suburbs and 12 in the Lower Hudson Valley, according to the report. 

Some Manhasset Isle residents say the two-family homes aren't as much of a threat to the community as the apartment buildings.

Hommerich's husband, Thomas Plominski, has lived on the Port Washington peninsula for 64 years. He said Manhasset Isle used to be "an oasis."

"Now, with all this overdevelopment, it's going to start looking like Queens or Co-op City," he said, referencing the Bronx neighborhood comprising dozens of high-rise buildings and more than 15,000 units of housing. 

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.