The Village of Manorhaven took a major step toward shaping the village’s future development during a special board of trustees meeting on Wednesday, March 18.
The board approved a $152,500 contract to launch a long-awaited comprehensive plan while also outlining a sweeping traffic study and fielding extensive concerns from residents about growth, congestion and environmental impacts.
The board approved BFJ Planning’s proposal to develop the village’s comprehensive plan, a document intended to guide zoning, development, and infrastructure decisions over the next decade.
Mayor John Popeleski called the initiative a turning point for the village, noting that previous administrations had attempted but failed to complete such a plan.
“I’m very proud at this point now as mayor of the village where we are with the comprehensive plan,” Popeleski said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s all positive for the future of Manorhaven.”
Village Attorney Christopher Newman said that the selection process yielded fewer responses than expected. The village’s request for proposals drew only one submission, but officials said they were satisfied with the proposal’s qualifications and scope.
“We thought we’d get more responses, but we only got one,” Newman said, adding that the submission met all requirements and was a “good, qualifying response.”
The comprehensive plan will examine a wide range of issues, including housing, transportation, environmental concerns and development pressures. Representatives from BFJ Planning introduced the process during the meeting, emphasizing that community input will play a central role.
“This is not a top-down process,” said Noah Levine, an associate principal with the firm. “This is really a process where we learn from you, as the residents, what issues are.”
Levine explained that the plan will serve as a long-term framework, typically covering a 10-year horizon, and will ultimately guide future zoning changes and policy decisions.
“It’s a vision for a community,” he said. “Then it provides a list of policies and recommendations … for zoning changes, capital planning and so on.”
The planning effort comes amid ongoing concerns about what residents call overdevelopment, particularly in the Manhasset Isle section of the village, where several large residential projects are proposed or underway. Residents repeatedly raised issues related to density, infrastructure strain and quality of life.
Resident Christine Zahn pointed to what she described as a “creep factor” in zoning variances, where incremental approvals have led to significant changes in neighborhood character.
“When does it stop?” she said. “When does it actually become a health issue when we’re all on top of one another?”
Others highlighted environmental challenges, including stormwater management, land contamination and high water tables, particularly in low-lying coastal areas.
“Contamination is a huge issue,” another resident said, urging planners to address longstanding concerns on Manhasset Isle.
Popeleski said the comprehensive plan will work in tandem with a detailed traffic study, which was also outlined during the meeting by village engineer Rebecca Goldberg, who is leading the effort.
The study will analyze vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic across the village, using cameras installed at key intersections and collecting data during peak weekday and weekend periods. It will also evaluate accident history, traffic flow and road conditions.
“We’re going to go in depth with this — cars, pedestrians, bicycles, buses, everything,” Popeleski said.
Goldberg said the study will include peak-hour traffic counts, accident data from the past three years and modeling to project future conditions based on anticipated development.
“There’s decades’ worth of data on that,” she said, referring to standardized methods used to estimate traffic generated by new housing. “We take existing conditions, project out … and then add project-specific traffic.”
Residents expressed concern that current traffic conditions may worsen significantly as new developments come online, with one warning of potential safety risks.
In response, Goldberg said that while projecting accident rates is difficult, the study will focus on designing safer roadways and identifying potential hazards.
In addition to traffic and development, the comprehensive plan will address broader issues such as waterfront access, environmental resilience and infrastructure capacity.
Levine noted that Manorhaven’s coastal location makes it particularly vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise.
The process is expected to take about 12 months, with multiple public workshops, stakeholder meetings and online engagement opportunities planned to gather input from residents.
“We want to get as many people out as possible so we can get a representative sample of the community,” Levine said.
Suzanne Goldberg of BFJ Planning also said the plan will include an implementation component to ensure recommendations are carried out, rather than remaining theoretical.
“We want to make sure that this plan doesn’t just sit on a shelf,” said Goldberg.
The meeting also touched on the village’s ongoing building moratorium, which is set to expire in August. Newman said that progress on the comprehensive plan and updated zoning maps could support efforts to extend the moratorium if necessary.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Popeleski reiterated the importance of collaboration between residents, officials and planners as the village navigates its growth.
“This is one step in the right direction,” he said. “We’re finally moving forward.”
