The Tennessee-based Southern Land Company is on an all-out P.R. blitz campaign to promote a false narrative in the hope of gaining public support for the development of 145 West Shore Road, a proposed 7-story, 176-unit luxury apartment building and motorboat marina on the last remaining open space on Hempstead Harbor.

To get the deal they want, they have embarked on a publicity tour and want you to believe that their development will be an environmental oasis, return wildlife to the area, provide public access, and have no discernible negative impact on the surrounding towns of Port Washington and Roslyn.

These claims are self-serving absurdities, a sales pitch of an out-of-town developer, whose only interest is to make a profit and leave with pockets full of cash while we, the residents, are left to deal with the fallout of a bloated, polluting, ill-conceived eyesore for years to come.

Here are the facts:
The proposed 7-story (5 above ground and two below the water table in a flood zone!), 212,000 sq. foot high-rise on 2+ acres violates multiple zoning code protections.

The developers want to get around this by getting permission from the town to build. At one time, they went so far as to claim that public water be counted as their private acreage so the proposed building would meet certain zoning restrictions!

Their claim was so absurd that they were forced to abandon it and now want to circumvent zoning ordinances by having the town grant permits that override current zoning laws. If they are not stopped, a dangerous precedent will be set for further development along our precious shores.

To get what they want, the developers have made wildly far-fetched and false statements about all the good the development will bring, including the enticing promise to “clean up” what is now an industrial site and an environmentally-blighted area. This is a spurious claim and a PR publicity stunt with no legs.

Any “clean-up” they initiate will be negated by the long-term impact of over 400 residents and their cars, their sewage, and their trash.

To build their 2-story underground parking garage they will need to dredge and dig causing further damage to the fragile waterfront. This development will pollute local beaches and parks, and over-stress town infrastructure for years to come.

But there is more to this “clean-up” charade. The Southern Land Company have no plan to fund the “clean-up” privately. Instead, they plan to apply for public funding to do it!

Yes, they will use your tax money to help them build a private development to enrich themselves all the while pretending they are helping you saving the environment!
Southern Land Company wants us to believe their false narrative that we only have one choice: either we support their development, or we are left with an undeveloped and unsightly mess that is currently the industrial area in question.

This is a blatant falsehood. The Town of North Hempstead can vote NO on the Southern Land Company proposal and can itself take steps to acquire the land or allow others to bid for it.
But wouldn’t that mean public money and possibly cost us residents in the long run?
NO! The Department of Environmental Conservation has offered to support such a town acquisition, should it be on the table.

There are grant options, such as the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative that can be mobilized for the purpose of public land protection and conservation.
We do not have to be forced to choose between the Southern Land Company’s abysmal project or having a messy undeveloped industrial area.

There are far better alternatives that will be more environmentally friendly, far less costly, provide actual public access, protect our wildlife and marshlands, and not stress the fragile eco-system and infrastructure on our peninsula
Don’t be fooled by Southern Land Company’s glitzy PR campaign. They are only here to make a profit and go, leaving the residents of our area with irreparable ecological and financial damage for generations to come.

Dr. Jack Hoppenstand
Port Washington