A PUBLICATION OF THE COLD SPRING HILLS CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.   June 2011

Golf Classic – Monday, September 19^th

Gala at the Castle – Friday Evening, January 27^th  

 Movie on the Castle Great Lawn – July/Aug (to be selected)

Dear Neighbors,

As I drive through the community I can’t help but feel proud to be a part of this picturesque neighborhood of beautiful homes and gardens, and to be instrumental in helping to maintain the beauty and uniqueness of Cold Spring Hills.  It was almost 30 years ago when I became involved in our Civic Association, hoping to beautify our many entrances and berms.  At that time, we didn’t have a treasury, so a number of us, (Ellen Schaffer, Peggy Kramer, Joe & Lois Colacicco, June Vespo and I) were out on Jericho Turnpike with shovels, clippers and garbage bags, clearing and planting.  One year, we missed being run over by a garbage truck as it lost its brakes and slid down Cold Spring Lane on its side. The neighborhood children pulled up their chairs and spent most of the day watching the Town attempt to right the truck. We’ve come a long way! 

We now have a gardener for regular maintenance and every year, we are able to add plantings to many areas throughout Cold Spring Hills so that each year it gets better and better.  Most of you were a part of our accomplishment of raising approximately $25,000.00 for installation of the custom street signs.  What a wonderful beautification project!

This year we were so pleased to get the flowers planted prior to Memorial Day.  Lowell Sassi, as always, thanks for your help…planting in the rain was quite an experience! So enjoy!  I hope as you drive around, you also think about how beautiful Cold Spring Hills is…

Gayle Snyder, Chairperson

Please join us in thanking Otto Keil and his family for donating all the beautiful flowers we plant every spring throughout Cold Spring Hills.  We fill up 2 cars with flowers!  Thank you to the Keil Family of Otto Keil Florists…

This spring, we hired Steven Fisher Landscape Design, Inc. to install plantings at the bottom of Cold Spring Lane.  We think it looks great; take a drive by!  Now that we have sprinklers installed at that location, we look forward to the landscaping flourishing.  We thank Debra & Chuck Russell for allowing us to extend their sprinkler system to cover this area.

Additionally, Steve Fisher planted hostas at the Colonial Drive/Monfort Drive berm last fall that are now blooming. The shade in that area makes hostas the perfect choice! Take a drive by!  

We will be adding some plantings and mulch to the berm at West Gate Drive/Promenade Drive as well as some mulch to the Woodbury Road/East Gate Drive entrance.

Any resident who is interested in having the Town plant trees along the street border of their property, can call the Town Highway Department at (631) 499-0444.  It may take some time until they are planted, but it’s free.  The Town will visit the site and measure; if suitable for Town trees, you will be added to a list.  Trees help make Cold Spring Hills even more beautiful!

If you have Beautification Suggestions, regarding maintenance or new projects…please contact Gayle Snyder at (516)238-4796 or by email at snydergayle@gmail.com. 

MaryAnne Brennan, due to personal reasons, resigned from the Executive Board.  MaryAnne does all of our newsletter and flyer collating and spends many hours assisting in delivering to block captains.  MaryAnne has volunteered to continue in that capacity.  Please join us in welcoming our newest Board Member, John Clerkin, who lives on Lilac Court, bordering the golf course and near the entrance to Oheka.  Welcome John!        

Please remember to visit our website regularly at www.coldspringhills.org.  Password is cshca.  Events and correspondence are posted and of particular interest to our residents is our Contractor Referral Guide which contains personal recommendations from our residents. The Guide will be updated on our website this June.  It’s a great reference.

                Cold Spring Hills children were treated to a 2000 egg hunt on the Great Lawn of the Castle again this year.  The rain didn’t stop our own Cold Spring Hills Easter Bunny, (Art Rizzi,) from delighting the children and Gary Melius, as always offered treats after his special “Golden Eggs” were found.  Thank you Gary for your hospitality and generosity!

On May 11, the CSHCA and three residents filed a Petition with the Supreme Court, Suffolk County, to annul the Town Board’s rezoning of the Dougal property from one-acre residential to high-density senior zoning. Approximately 15 acres of the land are in Huntington and 3 acres are in the Town of

Oyster Bay. Under existing zoning, the property would yield approximately 18 housing units. Under the down-zoning approved, 83 housing units would be built at the site.

In 2010, our Civic Association held a special meeting concerning the Dougal property. At that time, an overwhelming majority of members who attended voted to authorize the Executive Board to file such a Petition should the down-zoning be approved and further authorized the Board to retain counsel in this matter. In April of 2011, after an earlier meeting with Ron Rosenberg, Esq., of the Garden City law firm of Rosenberg, Calica & Birney, LLP, the Board voted to retain the services of this firm to challenge the January, 2011 resolutions of the Town Board which rezoned the Dougal Property from R-40 Residence District to RRM Retirement Community District.  The Civic Association’s financial contribution came from our Legal Fund, not from our General Fund.

The Action Seeks to:Annul two resolutions of the Town Board enacted 1/11/11 and a Findings Statement issued on 1/14/11 as arbitrary, capricious, contrary to the law and the evidence.

Bases of the Action:

(1) The re-zoning contradicts the Comprehensive (Master) Plan for the Town which designates this property only for low-density residential use and/or open space and parkland. It also violates Town Law that requires that all zoning be made “in accordance with the comprehensive plan.” 

(2) The Town Board and Planning Board failed to take the requisite “hard look” when it made its determinations regarding this application by justifying the rezoning as providing the “public benefit” of affordable senior housing when the homes are slated to be priced from $750,000 to one million dollars – hardly the “public benefit” of “affordable” senior housing.

(3) This re-zoning constitutes “spot zoning” in that it is a parcel completely surrounded by one-acre residentially-zoned properties. Its re-zoning cannot be justified under the guise of providing “senior citizen housing” when it violates the uses set down in the Comprehensive Plan (Horizons 2020) which was adopted by the Town Board in 2008, only three years ago.

History of CSHCA Involvement:For the last eight years the CSHCA has taken the position that the property can be successfully developed under existing zoning; that the down-zoning sets a dangerous precedent for future down-zonings of parcels in this part of Huntington; that the owners of this parcel have violated the Town’s building and zoning laws for years, created an eyesore and environmental danger, while the Town has done virtually nothing to alleviate the problem; that to reward these owners a “windfall profit” after a decade of violating our zoning laws is unjust and a detriment to surrounding property owners who do not want to see high-density zoning where low and medium density zoning now exists; and, that the CSHCA has repeatedly tried to convince the developer to reduce the density of its application, to no avail.  It is expected that the lawsuit will be ongoing for at least several months before a decision is rendered. We will keep you updated as the matter evolves or of any new developments.          

CUSTOM STREET SIGNS…

PLEASE DO NOT TAPE NOTICES TO THE POLES.  THE TAPE REMOVES THE PAINT.   THANK YOU!  

A NOTE OF CAUTION TO OUR RESIDENTS…

There was a disturbing incident in Cold Spring Hills recently.  An 11 year old girl, standing in the street in front of her home, was approached by a woman in a dark SUV.  The woman encouraged the child to get in the car.  Thankfully, she ran from the car and made it into her home safely.  A police report was filed.

PLEASE….speak with your children so that they are aware of this incident and know what to do if they are approached by a stranger.  These incidents seem to occur more frequently during the spring and summer.

Shortly after this incident, our Association sent out an email alert to all the residents in our data base informing them of the incident.  IF WE DO NOT HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS….IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE INTERMITTENT EMAILS FROM OUR CIVIC ASSOCIATION…please send your email address to our Board member Dayna Cioffi at…  dayna.cioffi@gmail.com.   In addition to being able to alert you to an incident such as this, we will also send you reminders of upcoming Cold Spring Hills events. 

Let’s all have a safe and enjoyable summer!