Oyster Bay sets public hearings on two projects

The Oyster Bay Town Board has set public hearings next month to consider a proposal for a new senior-citizen condominium complex in Hicksville and a zone change allowing a long-anticipated expansion of Ellsworth W. Allen Park in South Farmingdale.

The board, at its regular meeting Tuesday, set the hearings for 10 a.m. July 26 at Town Hall, 54 Audrey Ave.

In the first, developer Peter Dejana is seeking to build 40 units of senior housing on 2.13 acres on West John Street in Hicksville. The location is not far from an unrelated proposed 390-unit senior housing project that would replace a controversial asphalt plant.

While the board is considering the 390-unit plan — after holding a public hearing last month — Dejana is applying to change the zoning for his proposed project from light industrial to multifamily senior citizen residential.

In the second July 26 hearing, the board will consider changing the zoning on Motor Avenue in South Farmingdale from light industrial to recreational, paving the way for the Allen Park project.

The town has condemned 22 acres of the old Liberty finishing site and is nearly finished with the land’s decade-long environmental cleanup.

The expansion would more than double Allen Park’s current 15.8 acres, making it one of the town’s larger parks. Officials are now polling local civic groups and athletic organizations to see what amenities are most-desired.

A large community meeting to discuss the project design is expected in the fall.