Wheatley Heights Camp Aims To Make 70 Glamping Units; Residents Object

WHEATLEY HEIGHTS, NY — Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts has applied for a special use permit to build 70 units for camping and "glamping" on its 141-acre property bordering Melville and Wheatley Heights, according to the Town of Huntington. Glamping is a more glamorous form of camping than the traditional version.

The Usdan application is set to be heard at the Thursday Town of Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

Usdan is a summer arts camp nonprofit that offers children ages 5 to 18 the chance to act, paint, sculpt, perform music, dance and more. Usdan's proposal is to craft a second art program for families and arts-interested adults.

"We aim to create a one-of-a-kind overnight arts-focused 'glamping' experience, whereby visitors will be able to explore their creativity through classes in art and nature, enjoy the enchanting wooded campus, engage with family and friends, and sleep under the stars in luxury style tents," Usdan stated.

The camp aims to generate scholarship funds with the glamping units so that lower and middle-income summer art camp students can continue to participate in the programs. Usdan has been around since 1968 and draws between 1,000 and 1,200 campers per summer.

Usdan's opponents say the camp should raise funds from its alumni and not glamping units, Huntington Now reported.

The camp was required to notify surrounding residents of its plans, and many have objected to the potential camping units. More than 870 people have signed a petition to voice their opposition to Usdan's application as of Tuesday. The petition is hosted on a site named "Stop USDAN!"

Michael Rosedale, 67, of Melville, created the site because he believes the glamping units would not be in the best interests of the surrounding communities. Rosedale also wanted an easier method to garner signatures than physically going door-to-door, which he said he spent a day doing.

"There are many things that we have concerns about which will not only put the community at risk, but I’m supportive of the day camp and the children," Rosedale told Patch. "The reputation of the camp itself will be, God forbid something goes wrong, whether it’s a fire or some kind of fight, something that happens bad at that location, will impact the camp itself. This thing hasn’t been thought out, and the community is very upset. We have a lot invested in our homes."

Community concerns, according to Rosedale's site, include a lack of bathrooms, alcoholic beverages, campfires, cigarette and marijuana smoking, wildlife displacement, tree removal and land grading, ticks and general fire safety.

Lauren Brandt, executive director of Usdan, said the operational logistics of the camp's proposal are "incredibly important," and that Usdan embraces residents' feedback.

"We really appreciate hearing our neighbors’ concerns, so we can continue to refine [Usdan's plans] with them," Brandt said.

Usdan, owned by the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Jewish Philanthropies NY, was denied its application by the Town of Huntington Planning Department in September 2021 on the basis that the camp would be required to obtain a special use permit from the town's zoning board, according to town documents.

Should the Usdan project be approved, camp officials said it would take many years to fully realize the project. The program’s projected inaugural year is 2023. However, the camp would not immediately launch with 70 glamping units, but phase them in over the course of three to five years, said Joe Levy, Usdan’s chief operating officer.

The glamping units, if approved, would be built on the eastern portion of Usdan's property, site plans show. Roughly 250 feet would separate the camping tents from residents' homes.

Levy said a fence would likely be built on the perimeter to separate Usdan's property from that of surrounding residents. Neighbors have been split on whether they want a fence built, according to Levy. The fence issue is one of the items set to be discussed at the zoning board meeting. Should a fence be built, Usdan plans to work with neighbors so that it is not built directly against their property lines.

"If [residents] have been enjoying our woods for decades, we want them to be able to enjoy them some more," Levy said. "If a fence is the solution, and we think it will really contribute to helping us with our security posture, then that fence will be further in from the property line. We’re very sensitive to this, and we want to work with the local community on the placement of that fence.”

The camping season would run from March 15 through Nov. 15.

Levy said residents' concerns are Usdan's concerns, and that many of those concerns would be reflected in the camp's code of conduct.

The code of conduct prohibits many of the activities residents expressed concern about. Among the banned activities and items are campfires, cigarettes and marijuana, curfew violations, trespassing onto neighbors' properties, littering and squatting in the tents past one's contracted stay or during the offseason. Usdan said it is and will continue to be in compliance with all building and fire safety codes.

All Usdan guests would be required to show a driver's license or another form of state or federal government ID and place a credit card on file.

Residents are concerned, according to the Stop Usdan website, about how Usdan will be able to enforce certain items on its code of conduct, including alcohol consumption and grilling.

Security guards would be actively roaming the glamping sites to ensure campers are following the rules, Levy said. Residents within view of the property would also be given the phone number of the security manager who is on duty, and Levy said they would be encouraged to call security with any issues of concern, dangerous activity, disturbing of the peace or trespassing.

Security would be able to "instantly" deal with issues, and Usdan will have a network of security cameras in place, according to Levy.

The active patrols and security cameras would also prevent the homeless population from occupying the tents during the winter months, Levy said.

"It’s not possible for someone to take up residence in a tent without us knowing it," Levy said.

Usdan would offer glampers a license to stay for a night or two, and Levy said that Usdan and glampers would not have a landlord-tenant relationship.

"You can’t squat," Levy said. "We would call the police and you would be removed. You have no rights to the premises or the housing ... These things will be monitored year-round, even when they’re not occupied. Especially when they’re not occupied, because we want to make sure they’re not damaged, and we want to make sure that they’re fine in the woods and ready for when the next season starts."

Brandt said Usdan already has 70 structures on its property that it manages year-round.

"I hope that residents remember if they haven’t had disturbances from us around this issue in the past, they shouldn’t expect to have them in the future," Brandt said.

Conditions for the Usdan application include one tent for every two acres. Of the 70 tents, 47 are single tents, 18 are double tents, and there are five easy-access tents that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to documents. Each single tent's wooden base is 20 by 12 feet, according to the site plan.

Residents are concerned that trees would need to be cut down and land be graded should 70 tents be built.

Usdan preaches forestry management and sustainability to its children campers, and the camp has "no interest" in displacing trees, Levy said. The existing campsite plan is conceptual.

"Theoretically, if a tent has accidentally been drawn at a place that has a large tree, we’ll move the tent," Levy said. "We’re not moving the tree. If we are in an area that has an invasive species, we’ll pull out that invasive species."

The land will not be graded, either, according to Levy. With Usdan's property being on such a hilly and uneven area, the camp's workaround would be to switch up the sizes of the legs built on each tent platform's base. Only deadwood that could pose a danger would be removed, Levy said.

Other conditions Usdan must meet, according to the town, are that the camping units are in an adequate spot for water supply, waste disposal and fire protection; will not create traffic congestion; will not have a negative impact on the character of the neighborhood; and will not impair public health and safety.

Residents are also concerned about the potential displacement of wildlife the construction of the tents may cause, according to Rosedale's website.

The woods where Usdan plans to construct the glamping units are likely home to chipmunks, raccoons, squirrels, deer, foxes, moles and possibly some box turtles, according to the Town of Huntington Department of Planning & Environment. However, impacts to wildlife from Usdan's proposition would be "minimal," according to the department.

"Part of the rationale when the Town Board created this specific use type in the Town's Camping Code last year was that it would actually preserve more natural open space by allowing smaller campsites for temporary use only," a town spokeswoman said.

Pesticides and lawn fertilizers would have a larger impact on the native wildlife than Usdan's proposed glamping units would, according to the town.

Levy said Usdan does not anticipate ticks being an issue, adding that the camp uses a cedar oil-type pest control that is not harmful to people.

"As a matter of fact, we’ll probably decrease the tick population at Usdan, because we’re going to spray more areas of the campus with the natural cedar-oil product," Levy said.

The children's summer camp runs for eight weeks in the summer, Monday through Friday. Glampers, unless they are family to the children, will not be allowed on Usdan's grounds while camp is in session. For the two months that the children's summer camp is in session, glampers will only be able to use the grounds from Friday night to Sunday day.

Glamping will be weather-permitting, Levy said, as there is no electricity and campfires aren't allowed.

"Frankly, you’d have to be able to sleep comfortably in cold weather with thermals or warm sleeping bags," he said.

Usdan has infrastructure with electricity that glampers would need to use to charge their electronic devices. Battery-or-solar-powered charging stations and battery-powered lanterns are allowed, according to Levy.

The eastern towards the northern section of Usdan's property is where the tents are slated to be built should the project be approved. The eastern side has an existing network of nature trails, while the northern side has studios and a recreation area where the kids play, bathrooms and more, Levy said.

Brandt said the program is designed to help families or friends go deep into nature and participate in art forms.

"Really, the project’s vision was born out of a desire to increase funds for the Usdan Scholarship Fund ... We are really proud of the fact that, as of 2021, 40 percent of the students came on need-based scholarships," Brandt said. "That fund is challenging for us to fill, so we want to have such incredible economic diversity and actually take some finances to be able to do that. All the proceeds from these overnight experiences will go right to the scholarship funds. You get to experience Usdan, and while you experience Usdan, you get to give other people the opportunity to experience Usdan, too."