Newsday (Nassau Edition) from Hempstead, New York • 31

LONG ISLAND NASSAU A31 Plan for Former Raceway Site Call for apartments, hotels in Westbury By Thomas Frank STAFF WRITER A developer is proposing to build three hotels, a four-story office building and 575 rental apartments on the former Roosevelt Raceway, one of the largest vacant tracts in Nassau County. A plan submitted late last month to the Town of Hempstead by Manhattan developer Allen Silverman calls for 1.25 million square feet of building on the 69- acre tract in Westbury where the closed raceway grandstand now sits. Another 303,000 square feet of development would be built on a nearby 22-acre tract. Previously approved plans call for 979,000 square feet of development and an 8.6-acre park on the larger parcel. The new plan makes up for the extra building by reducing the park size to 3.9 acres and situating another park of 3.7 acres on the 22-acre tract, which will have 170,000 square feet less development than the previously submitted plan.

The proposal drew concern from some in the community around the raceway, who said they fear the development will congest an area that has grown increasingly crowded with the expansion of nearby shopping malls. "The biggest problem is increased traffic," said Viki DeJong of the Citizens Committee for Civic Action in Westbury. DeJong and Alan Fortunoff, who is part owner of the neighboring The Mall at The Source, called on the town to update studies from the early 1990s that evaluate the impact of developing the raceway on the environment and traffic. "I'm in favor of whatever passes muster with the town's regulatory process, and on the assumption that 7-year-old environmental and traffic data will be discarded as obsolete Fortunoff said. Jeffrey Stadler, special counsel for the town, said town officials plan to do such a study.

The submission of the plan marks the start of the final push to develop the former raceway, which was one of the most prestigious harness-racing tracks in the United States but closed in 1988 as business dwindled. About half of the 173-acre complex was developed in the mid-1990s with retail stores and a movie theater. The remaining 91 acres are slated to be developed largely with office space, hotels and housing. Silverman is asking the town to permit 91,000 square feet more of housing than currently called for under approved plans so he can build 450 town houses and garden apartments and a 125-unit, three-story apart- The apartments would be just off the Meadowbrook Parkway, a few hundred yards from a trash-to-energy incinerator that is one of the largest in the country. William Wareham, who manages the incinerator for American Ref-Fuel, said he did not envision any problem with emissions or odors, which are contained within the plant.

Jeffrey Forchelli, an attorney for Silverman, said the housing developers preferred putting the apartments in the area where the grandstand sits because it would be more self-contained with easy access to the Meadowbrook Parkway. The rest of the 69-acre grandstand tract would include three hotels with a total of 313,000 square feet, 352,000 square feet of office space and a square-foot restaurant. The 22-acre tract, for which no blueprint has been drawn, would include 272,000 square feet of office space, 23,447 square feet of restaurant space and 7,652 square feet of restaurant space. Town planners have just begun to review the application, which will need approval of the Town Board and of the town Board of Zoning Appeals because of the proposed increased density. Newsday Photo Michael E.

Ach A Whinnying Day Enjoying the beautiful spring day, it was hard for these two not to horse around yesterday at the Sweet Hills Stable at West Hills County Park. ment building for senior citizens. Gulotta's Picks for Jail Board OKd By Al Baker Dems want for last 3 seats After the meeting she said, "I will STAFF WRITER a say not go quietly on the next three opposition from Democrats It's in our best interest to have who were upset they weren't consulted, seats on the board that Gulotta revived lawmakers, testifying that he has helped some say on the members of this board. the Nassau legislature approved Coun- in the wake of the January beating inmates find housing after incarcer- It's a legislative oversight of the executy Executive Thomas Gulotta's two death of inmate Thomas Pizzuto. ation, has a working knowledge of tive branch.

It's common nominations to an oversight panel at The board members will have access youths and gangs and has been active in Blakeman said he would consider Altthe troubled county jail late Monday. to the jail and its records so they can the Hempstead community for years. mann's proposal to change county law to lotta's first two picks, the legislature ditions, evaluate programs and make in the street a lot better than any of us process from Gulotta, and Barbara After much spirited debate about Gu- investigate inmate complaints and con- "He probably knows what's going on wrest some control over the nominating 'AVOSM3N unanimously appointed Brian Noone, recommendations to the sheriff. The do," said Presiding Officer Bruce Bla- Bernstein, the executive director of the 52, a 28-year-veteran of law enforce- law creating the board was passed in keman (R-Woodmere), who hailed Nassau Chapter of the New York Civil 33, a chiropractor, of Hempstead, predecessor to the county legislature, Levittown resident George Nager, "You have a role to play in restoring ment, of Syosset, and terms Manuel the Mendoza Board after 1990 by the altercation Board of between Supervisors, the Mendoza's medical background. public Liberties confidence Union, in urged the him to do so.

VOSING3M to unpaid two-year on an a jail in- however, told Blakeman that "the management of Visitors. Lisanne Altmann (D-Great mate and a because guard, but was at never the time em- problem is is in not the in the street. I think the to of the seize jail," the day." Bernstein said. "I urge you AVW Legis. paneled supervisors problem county jail." Neck), who had criticized Gulotta for rejected Gulotta's nominations.

Altmann had asked Gulotta to tap Gulotta said through a spokesman: '21 she conducting would only his "go own along" private with search, them said in Critics working had assailed knowledge Mendoza of the as lack- tor John of the Brickman, New York former City executive Board of direc- Cor- "I am nominees very to pleased that the my jail first visitors two 6661 ing a correc- serve on hopes that the legislature can have a say tional system. But Mendoza, who is ac- rection, and Robert Summerville, presi- board received unanimous bipartisan in nominations for the three remaining tive in the community, won over dent of the Freeport-Roosevelt NAACP. approval.".