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A Message to Our Harbour Green Neighbors
Our Community, Our Safety, Our Responsibility
Dear Harbour Green Residents,
Last night's Harbour Green Association meeting was an important one. I want to begin by acknowledging the HGA Board for conducting a professional and respectful meeting and allowing residents to express their concerns and opinions. It was encouraging to see people speaking openly about an issue that could have a lasting impact on our neighborhood.
However, one thing became very clear: we need greater resident participation and stronger community involvement. This is too important to leave to a small group of residents or to assume that someone else will take care of it. Our neighborhood needs to stand together.
First, let's keep our focus on the cemetery proposal.
There was considerable discussion about Grace Episcopal Church and Day School's financial situation and what might happen to the property if the cemetery proposal is not approved.
Those are understandable questions, but I believe we need to keep our priorities straight. Our immediate objective must be to oppose the proposed cemetery and make certain that the Town conducts a thorough review before granting any restricted zoning change approvals.
We are dealing with a religious organization represented by experienced legal counsel. We should expect a well-prepared presentation from the Church. That makes it even more important that we be organized, informed, prepared and united.
The Church has described the cemetery as a faith-based undertaking intended to serve parishioners, local residents and the general public. Residents are entitled to ask for a clear explanation of the purpose, expected demand, financial assumptions and intended scope of this operation.
If financial considerations are part of the reason for pursuing the cemetery, there are legitimate questions about other options available to the Church. For example, residents have raised the possibility of selling the Reverend's home (estimated 1.3 million) and possibly an acre of residential exclusively for a home or 2 (estimated sale value 1.8/2.0 million) subject to zoning, ownership and market considerations. Those possibilities deserve clarification before anyone assumes that a cemetery is the only practical option.
The Church has indicated that it may expect only four or five plot sales annually. If that estimate is accurate, residents deserve to understand the financial reasoning behind a permanent cemetery development and whether other alternatives have been considered.
And let's remember something else: denying this cemetery proposal does not automatically mean that a shopping center or some other incompatible development can be built there. Any future proposal would still have to comply with applicable zoning requirements and go through the appropriate review and approval process. We should not allow speculation about a hypothetical future development to weaken our position on the application before us.
Neighborhood safety must be a priority.
One of the most important subjects discussed last night was safety.
If this cemetery is intended to serve parishioners, local residents and the general public, we need to understand who will have access to the property, how it will operate and what safeguards will be in place.
Our concerns extend beyond the cemetery grounds themselves. They include:
The safety and privacy of residents and their families.
The Daycare children on the current property plus the likely addition of a universal pre k program
Children walking to school, riding bicycles and using e-bikes.
Grandchildren playing and visiting throughout our neighborhood.
Pedestrians, dog walkers and residents using our streets.
The possibility of increased loitering, trespassing or unwanted activity around the cemetery.
Adequate security, lighting, supervision and maintenance.These are reasonable questions that deserve specific answers. We should not have to wait until a problem develops before asking how the property will be managed.
Traffic and emergency access cannot be overlooked.
Our streets already present traffic and visibility challenges. Additional activity could make those conditions worse.
We need a serious examination of:
Vehicles entering and leaving Cedar Shore Drive.
Limited visibility when turning onto Cedar Shore Drive or exiting onto Merrick Road.
Increased traffic on Bayview Drive and the surrounding streets.
The impact of school traffic, church activities, funerals and cemetery visitors occurring at the same time.
Street congestion and pedestrian safety.
Whether emergency vehicles can move quickly and safely through the neighborhood.
Consider a situation in which Grace Church is holding a funeral while St. Rose of Lima is holding a wedding or another major event. We need to know whether the surrounding roads can safely handle those simultaneous demands.
Emergency access is not an abstract concern. Delays involving ambulances, fire trucks or other emergency vehicles can have serious consequences.
The Town must require a realistic traffic and safety analysis before making a decision.
The 60-foot setback must be defended.
Another critical issue is the requested reduction of the required 60-foot setback to approximately 20 feet.
That is a substantial reduction. The Church should have to demonstrate why the required setback cannot reasonably be maintained and what alternatives have been considered.
The Town should not approve a reduction simply because it makes the applicant's preferred layout easier. The impact on neighboring homes, privacy, landscaping, safety and the character of our community must be carefully considered.
We should remain united in asking the Town to preserve the required 60-foot setback.
Environmental questions need real answers.
Residents also raised concerns about groundwater, water levels, drainage and the possibility of seepage associated with burials.
These concerns should not be dismissed, nor should anyone assume that harm will necessarily occur. They need to be answered with credible, site-specific information.
We should insist on appropriate technical review of groundwater conditions, seasonal water levels, soil conditions, burial depths, drainage and any potential effects on surrounding properties and the local environment.
A project of this permanence deserves a thorough examination before it is approved.
The Church's upcoming community meeting
We understand that Grace Episcopal Church may hold a meeting with residents next week.
We should welcome the opportunity to hear directly from the Church. The church and attorney by now have detailed information regarding our meeting and what was discussed. We must recognize that the Church has legal representation and will be prepared to present its position. We need to be equally prepared with organized, specific questions.
I encourage residents to attend and listen carefully. We should ask for clear answers about the cemetery's purpose, anticipated sales, operating hours, security, traffic, parking, maintenance, environmental safeguards, setbacks and any future plans for the property.
We should also remember that a private community meeting does not replace the Town's formal application review, public hearings or approval process.
What happens next?
I believe our next steps should be straightforward:
Increase attendance and participation. Every resident who cares about the future of Harbour Green should make an effort to attend meetings and stay informed.
Prepare for the Church's meeting. We should coordinate our questions, review the submitted plans and make certain that important issues are not overlooked.
Continue working with the Town. Residents should submit written comments, request public records and make certain that our concerns become part of the official application record.
Focus on the facts. We need to understand the site plans, requested variances, parking arrangements, maintenance building, proposed lots, traffic impacts and environmental review.
Find a zoning lawyer.
Work together. We do not all have to agree on every detail, but we should recognize that the proposed cemetery could permanently change an important part of our neighborhood.
Remember what Harbour Green has always stood for.
For generations, Harbour Green residents took pride in preserving the character of this community.
We fought to protect our trees. We maintained the distinctive appearance of our streets and resisted changes that would take away the character of our neighborhood. We even made a conscious effort to preserve the look of our streets without sidewalks.
Those decisions were not accidental. They reflected a community that cared about its appearance, its quality of life and the environment in which our families lived.
It is difficult to believe that we are now debating whether a large cemetery should be established in our neighborhood.
This is not about disrespecting Grace Episcopal Church or its religious beliefs. It is about whether this particular location, with its proximity to our homes, streets, children and community entrance, is appropriate for this proposed use.
We have invested years, and in many cases decades, in making Harbour Green the community it is today. We should not stand by and allow a decision of this magnitude to be made without a determined, informed and unified effort.
We need more residents involved. We need to stay focused. We need to ask the right questions. And we need to make our voices heard.
Harbour Green has always been worth protecting. It still is!
Jay Valentine 36 Cedar Shore Drive