After eight years of controversy at The Woodmere Club, a resolution that benefits all of the Five Towns seems to be coming to fruition. On June 3, 2024, Lawrence will be holding a public hearing at the Lawrence Middle School at 7pm to seek public support for a framework settlement for The Woodmere Club property that provides for 55 and older condominiums, only five residential homes, and over fifty acres of open space donated to a conservation alliance.
When this ordeal began in 2016, The Woodmere Club was zoned for over 284 homes. Our politicians changed the zoning to allow for only 59 homes, which the developers are currently getting approved. What ensued was over seven lawsuits and legal fees for our villages and town heading toward $1,000,000, with no end in sight, and liability to our residents of over $200 million if the developers are successful in their litigation.
The Developers are on their way to getting their 59 large homes approved. When they get this approved and sell the lots (the developers do not plan on building the homes), there will be years and years of construction at The Woodmere Club as 59 different homeowners build their homes over a lengthy period of time.
What has been negotiated between Lawrence, the village of Woodsburgh, and the developers (with Hempstead aware of the ongoing negotiations), is a project that will have a super luxury 55+ building similar to the Regency, but on 25 acres instead of four. It will have amenities such as gyms, two pools, a synagogue, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, card rooms, walking trails, and more. The settlement would have the owners donate over 50 acres of open space which will forever be open. The project will have 75 feet of landscaping berms to beautify the project from the street. It will have walking trails for the public. There will also be a small Shabbat park near Lawrence, and The Woodmere Club building will be donated to Woodsburgh so the public can control what happens long-term at the club.
The Five Towns as a whole does not need another 59 homes; it needs a place where the older active generation can downsize but still have all the amenities of their active lifestyle (minyan, gym, activities, etc.) The proposed project will be built in under two years (far quicker than the 59 homes), provide traffic solutions to Broadway, have less cars during rush hour than the 59 homes, no school buses, and will solve a community need.
This solution is being received by the public with rave reviews. The Five Towns Civic Association not only supports this settlement but has been pushing it for years. There will be a meeting on June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Lawrence Middle School for residents to show their support for the proposed settlement. In the near future, Woodsburgh will be scheduling a similar meeting for public input.
It is time for our community to have a place where our older residents can downsize but remain in the Five Towns. It is time for our community to have a place where our parents can move closer to their grandchildren. It is time to put the $200 million litigation behind us. It is time for our community to have open space conserved for future generations. The time is now to support this settlement that benefits and protects the entire Five Towns.
