Senior facility proposed on Oceanside Jewish Center property

Hempstead Town Board members are expected to vote Tuesday on whether the Oceanside Jewish Center can rezone and divide its property to build a senior assisted living center.

Board members will hold a second hearing in person and online to hear a request from the center and developers to build a 119-bed facility on the southern half of the Brower Avenue property.

Residents spoke out against the project at the first public hearing last month, citing concerns about parking, additional traffic and blocking sight lines of surrounding homes. A second hearing was scheduled to allow residents to comment on the project in the evening.

The board on Feb. 23 heard a presentation by Uniondale attorney William Bonesso, who represents Wantagh developers Broward Ave LLC, which is led by Charles Weinraub and Mandalay Holdings.

"Long Island is an aging community," Bonesso said. "We are in need of senior housing and assisted living facilities."

Bonesso said the population of residents 65 and older in Nassau grew 22% over 10 years through 2017 and residents 85 and older grew 52%. The population of Oceanside includes 17% of residents 65 and older.

The Jewish center proposed dividing its property as membership declined, Bonesso said. The northern half of the property would still be used by the center for a religious and nursery school, but the congregation would give up its catering hall.

The Conservative temple has operated at the site since 1947, said William Gurman, a member of the Jewish center’s board.

"The community is unique because it serves all three branches of Judaism," Gurman said. "It strengthens the diversity of Oceanside as a whole."

But even with its rich history, its class sizes have dropped to 20 or 30 students compared with 500 children at the center's height, Gurman said. The congregation has dropped from 800 families to 150 families.

Holiday services can attract 400 people, filling the parking lots, Gurman said, but the center’s 96,000-square-foot synagogue is too large for current needs and requires improvements. Gurman advocated for the assisted living facility to reduce the temple to 40,800 square feet.

Neighbors contend the Jewish center’s parking lots are already overflowing onto city streets.

"As I’m sure most people are aware, traffic has become more congested over the years," resident Dawn Kennedy said in a letter to the board. "I can’t imagine how it will worsen with 40 employees and visitors coming in and out daily and adding in the school and congregation on a daily basis. This will become a huge issue."

If approved, the project would also need town zoning board of appeals approval of variances on parking and height requirements of a proposed three-story building that could reach up to 44 feet tall.

Current zoning would require 107 spaces for the assisted living facility, based on square footage and bed spaces. The existing lot would then leave 27 spaces for the Jewish center. A traffic engineer hired by the developers said it will have enough parking without additional traffic. Developers are asking for a variance, saying that many residents would not have vehicles or add to traffic or schools.

Developers said they do not intend to apply for tax breaks and the property would return to the tax rolls. The center is currently tax exempt.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.