Proposal to develop Hilbert site for senior housing now in hands of Oyster Bay Town officials

Proposal to develop Hilbert site for senior housing now in hands of Oyster Bay Town officials by John Arweiler

Local citizens debated transforming the vacant, overgrown land at the northwest corner of County Line and Merrick Road—where the historic Hilbert House once stood—into a Golden Age community at a public hearing at the Oyster Bay Town Board meeting last month.

Hosts Bart Cafarella and Fern Karhu of the talk show "Seniors on the Move" on WLUX 540 AM stressed the need for Long Island to hold onto its good neighbors. Under the guidelines for Golden Age housing in the Town, residents over the age of 62 living in the school district in which the site is located get preference, in this case Amityville.

"We are bombarded on a daily basis by people calling about the lack of senior housing," said Cafarella, a senior housing consultant. "There’s an overwhelming demand."

In order for County Line Villas, Inc. to construct a senior citizen housing complex, the property must be rezoned from residential district and neighborhood business area to a multi-family public housing residence. If the change is made, the company will buy 2.43 acres of the property from current owners J. Stuart Hilbert and the Toll Gate Land Improvement Corporation.

"These are apartments I can take pride in," said Brian Stolar, attorney for the developer and native of nearby Massapequa. "This community is very important to me. We need to keep our golden assets."

Robert Thompson, a former Massapequa Park Village Mayor and member of the Massapequa School Board, as well as a spokesman for the AARP Chapter 4727 said the plan is a good one that will enable seniors who live here now to stay in the area, close to their families.

"I am asking for housing...that will enable our seniors who homesteaded this area and who built and supported it for 40 years to be able to stay here," he said. "While some may not realize it, our churches and Temples have extensive food pantries that provide the bare essentials for our less fortunate neighbors, including seniors. Yet, many of our seniors have equity in their homes that will enable them to maintain a reasonable lifestyle while continuing to live in the Massapequas."

County Line Villas would consist of 46 golden age units in four separate buildings, with 934 square feet of inhabitable space in each apartment. The development will also include a 1,300 square foot community center and a parking lot. The apartments would come complete with central air, washers, dryers, noise insulation and balconies, among other amenities.

"There will be a centralized plaza area, a nice, open space that will permit residents to take advantage of their surroundings," Stolar said.

To accommodate the special needs of senior citizens, the rooms will be wheelchair accessible, equipped with intercoms, emergency pull cords and emergency response lights.

The pull cords would be connected to a central alert station and notify local police, firefighters and ambulances of any problems. No supervisor would be at the site.

The developer has built 500 senior citizen units on Long Island, including Farmingdale Villas and Sunrise Villas in Lindenhurst. Town Supervisor John Venditto said the costs of the sale and construction will be worked out if and when the plan is ready to be voted on. Many other details must be worked out with various organizations before the vote can occur, but it could come as soon as the fall.

A Golden Age community was first planned for the site about five years ago, but this proposal is larger and more thorough.

Many in attendance still found flaws in the proposal. The risks the busy intersection poses for senior citizens and added traffic poses for the community caused some to oppose the plan.

"Traffic at the intersection is hazardous. You’re putting people’s safety in jeopardy," said area resident and senior John Mullen. "This is the wrong place at the wrong time."

Some residents believe the land is better suited for other use.

"I was appalled to see a historic site bulldozed in the Hilbert House, and a garden center taxed out of existence," said Mary B. Rice, a member of the Breezy Point Civic Association. "I’d much rather see houses there."

Rice urged the developer to save as many trees as possible and to take every possible safety precaution for seniors if the plan goes through. She suggested installing vinyl tiles and cushioned bathtubs to soften the falls many seniors are prone to.

But others feel this is an opportunity for local seniors that should be taken advantage of. Don Mariani, president of the Senior Resources Network, said that since priority is given to seniors in the school district of the housing, many in the area have missed out on the joining Golden Age communities in Oyster Bay.

"There is such an incredible need for senior housing on Long Island. In the past, people in Massapequa have always come up short."