Hearing on waterfront moratorium scheduled for Sept. 27

Luke Torrance
The Knickerbocker Hotel along Manhasset Bay, a stretch of waterfront that is under the BW moratorium. (Photo by Luke Torrance)

The Town of North Hempstead will hold a public hearing on Sept. 27 to determine whether  to extend a moratorium on waterfront development in Port Washington.

Should the local law be passed, it would extend the moratorium on development along a stretch of Manhasset Bay in the unincorporated area of Port. The moratorium is set to expire on Nov. 1, but the extension would take it through the end of the year. The hearing will be held during North Hempstead’s board meeting at Town Hall in Manhasset.

The moratorium was established during a meeting on Dec. 19, 2017, and extended on June 5. At the June meeting, Town Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio — who represents Port Washington — said she expected to have the code revised by the end of October. That turned out not to be the case.

A meeting in July to solicit feedback from the community drew over 100 attendees and dozens of comments. In an email, De Giorgio said the town needed extra time to incorporate those concerns into the zoning laws.

“Unfortunately, [planning officials] have not yet completed their draft proposal for changes to the B-W district,” she wrote.

The moratorium bans any building, demolition or special permits along the bay between the Town Dock and Dolphin Green. The pause in development was spurred by the Knickerbocker, a three-story structure that houses a hotel and condominiums. The building has spurred complaints from residents ever since it was built in 2015.

Reach reporter Luke Torrance by email at ltorrance@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516-307-1045, ext. 214, or follow him on Twitter @LukeATorrance.

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