Developers Of Proposed Irma Ave. Senior Housing In Port Revising Plans

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A proposed four-story senior housing site at 12 Irma Ave. in downtown Port Washington needs five variances to proceed as planned, and on Monday the developer met with concerned local residents.

Linda Maryanov heads an informal coalition of Port Washington locals who have expressed worries about the building's height and effect on pedestrian and car traffic near the busy intersection. She told Patch that at the meeting the developers and their associates told the nine residents in attendance that "they want time to modify their plans." The developers sought and received an adjournment from the town's board of zoning appeals.

Any revised plans from the developer will be sent out via notice to neighbors, Maryanov explained.

According to the Port Washington Times, Edward Paul Butt, the project architect, didn't specify if the number of units would be reduced:

“We’re trying to offer some compromise here and certainly the [scale], obviously, we’ve heard loud and clear is an issue...I don’t know if we can lop a full floor off the building. But I think we can certainly make this a three-story building."

Maryanov's objections to the project are not to possible senior housing in general, she stressed, but that the original proposed plans for the 18-unit building showed: "insufficient parking, parking spots too small, only one handicap accessible spot, and lot size too small for the proposed project, as they seek to build too close to the lot lines."

"Additional traffic would pose dangers for both pedestrians and vehicles" she wrote.

"Have you tried to turn onto or off the intersection at Irma and Main St.?"

A new hearing date on any needed variances is still to be announced.