Wheatley Heights summer camp withdraws application for 'glamping' in its woods

Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts officials have withdrawn their special-use permit application to the Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals to allow “glamping” on its Wheatley Heights campus.

“After much thought & reflection, Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts has decided to withdraw its application for a special use permit, which would have allowed for ‘glamping’ within the woods of the campus,” executive director Lauren Brandt Schloss wrote in an email. “Ultimately, it’s more important for us to preserve our 55 year relationship with the neighboring communities. Usdan provides and will continue to provide an immersive and transformational arts experience for all.” 

A withdrawal letter was sent to the ZBA on Monday afternoon, camp officials said.

Glamping is a style of camping that includes beds and other luxuries.    

Neighbors responded in force and negatively last month to the plan, which would have allowed overnight guests to sleep in temporary tents on the grounds as part of an arts program for adults to raise money for scholarships. United Jewish Appeal Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York Inc., or UJA, owns the property on Colonial Springs Road. 

Michael Rosedale, who started a petition in opposition to the plan that garnered hundreds of signatures and whose home abuts the campus, said he was relieved and happy over the decision.

“I’ve always been supportive of the camp, and I think the community has been supportive of it; we will work together to figure out streams to generate revenues that are good for the community surrounding the camp as well as the camp,” said Rosedale, whose tennis court is partially on Usdan property.

Camp officials originally sought a special-use permit to build 70 temporary tents, but after hearing residents’ objections scaled the request to 25 units as part of a pilot program. Officials then decided to restrict overnight accommodation to those affiliated with the facility or those who were a part of a newly created member program.

But residents said any overnight camping was not appropriate given concern about fire safety, noise, stress on the water district and fear of strangers in the community.

“It’s nothing to do with the exempt purpose of the camp,” Rosedale said. “We had many concerns and we were not brought into this at the beginning.”

In May 2021, the town board approved a change to town code to allow glamping.

Huntington Town spokeswoman Lauren Lembo said that the agenda for the May 10 board meeting has not been finalized but that there is a resolution on the preliminary agenda to schedule a public hearing to rescind that code change.