After three unplanned executive sessions and nearly four hours of arguing among residents, developers and trustees, the Manorhaven Board of Trustees tabled an application for a 49-unit mixed-use development on Manhasset Isle on Wednesday, April 23.
Board members tabled the application for their May 28 meeting, when they will conduct their own environmental review on the project.
Dozens of people packed the Manorhaven Village Hall to express their apprehension about the proposed three-story, 90,000-square-foot building at 30 Sagamore Hill Drive.
Some called on the Manorhaven Board of Trustees to create a comprehensive plan for Manhasset Isle’s future development rather than approving projects one by one.
The development, owned by Red Rock Homes LLC, would include 98 underground parking spaces and 31 on-street parking spots along Sagamore Hill Drive and Yennicock Avenue. The site is across the street from an ongoing mixed-use development at 22 Sagamore Hill Drive.
“We’re not against development. We’re against overdevelopment,” said Manhasset Isle resident Sherry Dunn.
Residents and some trustee members expressed concerns about the potential environmental impacts of building housing down the street from the former Typhin Steel metal manufacturing plant on 5 Sagamore Hill Drive. The property’s owner has paid over $2 million to remediate pollutants, and it is now vacant.
Attorney Philip Butler presented the project’s details on behalf of Red Rock Homes. He said soil samples taken by engineers in the summer of 2024 found no contamination on the property.
Butler said the only environmental remediation required on the property would be removing an underground storage tank, which the county would supervise following health standards.
Engineer Oscar Walters said he took soil samples on the property in July 2024 and tested them for the presence of hundreds of contaminants, including chlorides, lead, and benzines.
The samples were then sent to the Long Island Analytical Lab. Walters said the findings showed the levels of all potential contaminants were below the levels considered dangerous to life and health, according to state Department of Environmental Conservation standards.
Trustee Khristine Shahipour said that a third-party group should inspect the site, given the property’s proximity to the former Typhin Steel site.
“I just find it hard to believe that it’s not contaminated,” Shahipour said to applause from residents in the audience.
Environmental lawyer Scott Furman responded to Shahipour’s concerns by discussing his work on evaluating the potential environmental impacts the project would have.
Furman said an environmental case manager from the state had been studying soil samples on the property’s border near the Typhin Steel site for years and that the developers were confident the property was safe to build on before plans were ever made.
The developers also said they would install a vapor barrier between the building’s foundation and its above-ground portions in case contaminants were ever discovered. They also stated that the underground parking garage would be pressurized and feature open-air ventilation.
The Manorhaven Board of Zoning Appeals approved seven variances for Red Rock Homes, including 98 proposed parking spaces, when 304 were initially required based on the property’s square footage.
Before the meeting started, Mayor John Popleski called an executive session that lasted more than half an hour. After hearing the developer’s presentation, the board went into a second executive session that also lasted around half an hour.
More than three hours into the hearing, the remaining residents, Shahipour and Trustee Monica Ildefonso, were still uncertain whether to vote on the application.
Ildefonso and Shahipour said the village should not rush the application until an independent environmental inspection has been conducted. Ildefonso emphasized that the board needs to respect the residents who attended the meeting and voice their concerns.
Adding to the already tense atmosphere, real estate agent Sol Hakimian informed the board that the owners of 30 Sagamore Hill Drive told him that they were looking to find a trucking company to rent the warehouse space, as the mixed-use development process had proven costly.
As the board entered its third executive session, residents pleaded with the trustees to delay the vote as they walked down the aisle toward a private room.
With the board back in executive session, residents began discussing their concerns with the developers and other Red Rock Homes representatives, including increased car traffic and potential impacts on the water and sewer systems.
The developers and their representatives stated that the development would not add significant traffic to the area. They said their traffic study indicated that the 49-unit building would generate only 17 cars entering and 11 cars leaving during peak hours.
As the clock passed 10 p.m., some residents began asking each other when the next village election would take place. Some suggested that residents in attendance should run for mayor in June 2026.
After returning from their third executive session, the board unanimously voted to table the application’s public hearing until May 28 at 6:30 p.m.
