The Village of North Hills has ruled the housing subdivision proposed to replace the Inisfada Retreat House would have a significant environmental impact on the area.
The village’s Planning Board issued Jan. 13 a positive declaration for the gated community, known as “Manhasset Crest,” under state environmental review law, meaning the developer must further study several aspects of how it will affect its surroundings.
In its ruling, the Planning Board found the project by the Manhasset Bay Group would have major impacts on ecological resources, appearance, water resources and traffic at the 30.43-acre property off Searingtown Road.
The board’s resolution echoes some concerns board members and residents expressed at a December public hearing on the plans to build 46 high-end custom homes on the site.
While current plans would protect three clusters of rare trees, the project would still clear 95 percent of the property’s existing vegetation, posing noise problems and detracting from “neighborhood character,” the decision says.
The current drainage plan’s impact on existing drainage infrastructure also needs review, the board ruled, as does the amount of water the development will use.
That drainage plan will also require approval from the Nassau County Department of Public Works, the resolution says.
Additionally, the proposed single entrance on Searingtown Road could create safety and traffic issues there that must be evaluated, the resolution says.
Construction at the site could also kick dust into the air and cause security and noise problems for the two gated neighborhoods that border it, the board’s resolution says.
The developer must now outline how it will further study the concerns the Planning Board raised in a document called a draft scope, Planning Board Chairman David Kass said.
Anthony Guardino, Manhasset Bay Group’s attorney, said the firm submitted the scope a day after the Planning Board’s decision. Consultants on the project are already working to study the issues the board raised.
While each review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act is different, Kass said, positive declarations are common for larger projects.
Guardino said the positive declaration wasn’t unexpected for the subdivision, and the decision just added a few environmental items to the list the developer needs to study.
The board postponed a second public hearing on the development, originally scheduled for Jan. 13, to March 9.
The company, incorporated in Delaware and led by four Hong Kong real estate magnates, purchased the property from the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church for $36.5 million in July 2013.
It subsequently demolished the historic but dilapidated house, built in the early 20th century, over sustained protest from local civic and historic preservation groups. Efforts to stop the demolition and designate it a historic landmark ultimately failed.
It has been trying to develop a subdivision there since 2014 and reduced the proposed number of homes from 51 to 46 this year, with plans saying the houses would sit on lots between a half-acre and one acre in size.
The developer submitted a draft environmental impact report in November, offering several steps it could take to mitigate some environmental issues.
The project also needs five variances from the village zoning board.
