A. Thomas Levin Quoted In The Island Now, "Church Plan Revision Decision Postponed"

Media Source: The Island Now

Old Westbury trustees on Monday postponed a decision on a site plan revision requested by officials of Central Presbyterian Church for a new church and recreational facility.

Church officials requested a 52,144 square-foot church building that is slightly smaller than the 52,581 square-foot facility that was first approved two years ago and set back four feet further from the 169-foot distance from street at its 154 Old Westbury Road location.

In addition, a small courtyard at the southern part of the property was removed from the plan and replaced by a small lawn.

“We’re not asking to change the approval, but we are asking for some modifications to the plans, all of which I think the village will like because the property will actually be a little bit smaller than it was before,” said A. Thomas Levin of the Garden City-based contracting firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, the church’s representative at the meeting.

The board postponed its decision until next month’s board meeting, during which another public hearing about the property will take place.

Kevin McAndrew, the church’s engineer, said Central Presbyterian requested the revision to use the property more efficiently and make the church’s main sanctuary more accessible.

Residents in attendance at the meeting expressed concerns about the revision to the site plan, which was first approved in October 2010 and revised in August 2012.

Gerald Berman, of Fox Hollow Lane asked the church’s representatives why there hadn’t been anything in the plans about shrouding the church from view along the south service road of the Long Island Expressway.

Berman was also concerned about traffic flow of cars circumventing the traffic light outside the church’s parking lot by using Fox Hollow Lane.

McAndrew said the alignment of the driveway leading out of the church would prevent a large number of motorists from using Fox Hollow Lane to avoid the traffic light, and Levin said the church could place an attendant at the driveway to monitor traffic if necessary.

In addition, McAndrew said a four-foot high land bank would be built on the edge of the property with deciduous trees growing out of it and two rows of evergreen trees behind it, as well as clusters of trees and bushes on the property for privacy purposes.

“There are multiple layers of green between the road and before you even get into the interior of the property,” McAndrew said.