Housing plan for former Woodmere Club site gains traction as town considers zoning change

A controversial plan to build housing on the former Woodmere Club site has gained supporters as the Hempstead Town Board considers a zoning change that would allow a developer to build multifamily housing there.

The site straddles the villages of Woodsburgh and Lawrence as well as Woodmere, an unincorporated part of the Town of Hempstead. New Jersey-based developers Robert Weiss and Efrem Gerszberg last year proposed a revised plan for the property that would set aside large swaths as open space while building 160 units of age-restricted condominiums in two buildings connected by a clubhouse.

The housing would be built on a northern, 34-acre portion of the site that falls completely within Hempstead while another 21 acres within the town would be set aside as open space.

Open space in the villages of Lawrence and Woodsburgh would be preserved, as would the clubhouse, under the plan.

At a hearing Tuesday, the developer’s representatives urged the town board to change the zoning to allow the project to move forward.

“The alternative to the change of zone is not nothing,” said Jack Martins, an attorney with Harris Beach Murtha Cullina PLLC, representing the developers, at the hearing. “The alternative to the change of zone is the current zone, which allows 59 large homes to be placed on this property.”

Martins said the proposal would balance the concerns of area residents while allowing the developer to build.

“I would urge the board to consider this as the proper compromise and proper resolution and proper care for what's best for the community when it comes to traffic, parking, and impact,” Martins said.

The new proposal was pitched last year as a compromise that would settle ongoing litigation between the developers and the municipalities.

Newsday previously reported that the developers bought the golf course in 2017 with plans to close it in 2021 to develop it but due to the pandemic it shut down in 2020 and didn't reopen. 

Woodsburgh Mayor Jake Harman, speaking at the hearing, said that while the golf course had been a beloved part of the community, development was inevitable.

“It's been nearly a decade since the property changed hands during which time several development proposals have been presented,” Harman said. “Many of those proposals were not acceptable to our residents as they were inconsistent with the character of our community and its surroundings.”

Harman said the new plan “appears to be the most appropriate option for our community.”

“It preserves a significant amount of landscaped open space, which aligns with the quiet and charming nature of our neighborhoods,” Harman said. "Moreover, the over-55 concept meets a growing community need while attempting to minimize environmental impacts together with the property owners.”

Harman said in a letter to residents posted on the village website that the clubhouse on the property would be “conveyed” to a synagogue.

Most of the residents speaking at the hearing said they were in favor of the proposal as the best alternative for development, though many raised concerns about traffic and strains on resources.

“While the development does look beautiful and amazing, unfortunately I live there, and the road simply cannot accommodate 160 units and a minimum of 300 cars no matter what they claim their traffic studies say,” Steven Fuchs, of Woodmere, said at the hearing. “The neighborhood is almost predominantly single-family homes and this would significantly change the characteristic of the neighborhood.”

The town board reserved its decision to an unspecified date.