Hempstead Town board to consider rezoning property

The Town of Hempstead board is expected to hold a public hearing next week on a petition to rezone a nearly 3-acre property in Levittown to make way for a 50-unit condominium complex.

The project proposed by Crocus Lane Estates Llc and Josato Inc. would look to build housing for residents 55 and older on a site that is part of the former Vanderbilt Motor Parkway.

The nation’s first superhighway was built in 1903 and stretched 48 miles, from Flushing to Ronkonkoma.

Levittown residents had blasted the rezoning request to turn the parcel, on Crocus Lane between Blacksmith and Orchid roads, from a single-family housing zone to one that would allow building multiple residences.

Residents have said they would prefer the site to be turned into a park to protect the community’s residential character.

The complex would include three separate, two-story buildings with 117 street parking spaces, but developers would need a variance because zoning code requires 133 spaces. The condos would sell for less than $300,000 and have separate entrances and a 20-foot side yard.

Josato, formerly called Terra Homes, has been battling since 1984 to change the town’s zoning laws so it could develop the property.

The town meeting will be held Sept. 4 starting at 10:30 a.m. in the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion, adjacent to Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington St.