Port Washington North Village Board sets Christmas deadline for New Oasis tree survey and landscape plan

Local News Port Washington North Village Board sets Christmas deadline for New Oasis tree survey and landscape plan By Nicholas Gordon … Comments Posted on November 13, 2026 Port Washington North Mayor Robert Weitzner (back row, R.) discussed the documents deadline for New Oasis Development LLC at the Board of Trustees meeting. Nicholas Gordon If the private developer New Oasis Development LLC hopes to move forward with its proposed project of building a senior living complex in Port Washington North, it needs to submit a tree survey and a landscape plan before Christmas. Port Washington North Mayor Robert Weitzner set the deadline at the village board of trustees meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12. The hearing on New Oasis’s proposed project was postponed until Jan. 6, following concerns from both board members and residents. In a bid awarded over a decade ago, New Oasis proposed construction of a new senior living facility with 44 townhomes and a clubhouse. Neighboring residents concerned over the potential environmental impact and increased traffic resulting from the project have filed a lawsuit against the company. Timely submission of requested documentation has been an issue for the applicant in a case that has dragged on for years. At the latest meeting, board members and residents expressed skepticism about New Oasis’s proposal to conduct the tree survey using drones, fearing it would yield inaccurate results. Jon Brooks, counsel for the residents, said that the site needs an updated State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) review that factors in the impact of the tree removal. “For a proper environmental analysis, we need new SEQRA work, and we need the tree survey done before the landscape analysis,” Brooks said. “A drone tree survey will not provide information that the board promised it would provide at the last meeting. The purpose is to identify mature trees and I’m not sure how we’ll do that through a drone survey.” Attorney Andrea Curto, representing New Oasis, said that a boots-on-the-ground survey would require cooperation from the village. “Our land surveyor went out to the site three times but encountered beehives and couldn’t walk the property so we’re asking for village assistance,” Curto said. “If you want boots on the ground, we have to work together.” Trustee Michael Malatino countered that the surveyor has to clear the land. “I’m deferring to people who know more about whacking through weeds,” Building Inspector Robert Barbach said. “But to Brooks’ point, we need the tree survey for the tree removal. We can’t know the environmental impact of the removal until we know what kind of trees are being removed.” “I was under the impression that this is such a densely thicketed forest that you couldn’t have boots on the ground for the survey,” Village Attorney Chris Prior said. “It’s not the Amazon,” the mayor said. “You don’t need machetes.” “The infrastructure for this project is such that all the trees are coming down, and nobody’s said anything different than that,” Barbach said. “We need detail on the trees around the perimeter too. If they can’t get it with the drones, they have to get in with the boots.” Resident Eric Weinstein said that while he appreciates the board’s effort to try to keep the applicant honest, he feels that more accountability is required. “Since you accepted the bid in 2013, has there been any accountability in their actions? How are we as a community going to be able to rely on them? How long will it take to get a revised landscape plan and the tree survey?” Weinstein asked. “You said last month you’d hold them accountable. If you don’t set a firm date, we’re going to keep kicking the football.” Trustee Matthew Kepke noted that only a few current board members were serving when the permit was signed. “We’re trying to balance the community and businesses,” Kepke said. “We very much care about the impact of this project on the people of Port North and the adjacent communities.” Weitzner said that the board has verified the quality of the applicant’s work elsewhere, citing a building in Queens. “We’re in no position to throw them out, it’s not part of the bidding process,” Weitzner said. “We’re trying to work together to make decisions jointly.” Curto added that her client wants to work with the board on the specific deliverables that are expected of them. “We have a room of people expecting candid discussion on this,” Weitzner said. “If we don’t receive the surveys until after Christmas, then we’re right back where we started and I can’t have that.” Kepke reiterated, “Neighbors are directly impacted by this project and they want to see what this will look like. It’s why so many people keep coming out every time this is on the agenda. As a board, we can’t share the landscape plan with them until we have an accurate rendering from you guys.” The board voted to adjourn the hearing until Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The mayor stipulated that the hearing date is dependent upon the board receiving the necessary information beforehand. The second public hearing of the night, on a conditional use permit application from E-J Electric for 85 Harbor Rd., was more straightforward. Several representatives from the proposed tenant E-J Electric, including the engineering manager who will be running the facility, were in attendance. E-J Electric is a 127-year-old company that has done work at Grand Central Station and on the Long Island Railroad, said the company’s lawyer Bram Weber. The company proposed beginning operations at 85 Harbor Road with 30 union employees and room for growth to a maximum of 100. The company will manufacture racks, electrical panels, and transformers on the site, with operating hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We spent a lot of time ensuring consistency with village codes per noise and dust,” Weber said. “ It’s safe and orderly, and we’ve been very thoughtful of how it will be run. No heavy-duty hammering, no grinding or crushing, and the trucks have been instructed not to idle. Deliveries will only happen in the afternoon. We want to be respectful of village residents.” The mayor noted that a number of businesses come to the board with ideas. “It’s important to get the right businesses into our community,” Weitzner said. “It’s not an easy task when you’re talking about large buildings. But this is a third-generation family business, and it’s proposing a nice gradual transition rather than a big company being dumped on us at once. We’re in the final stages of welcoming a new company into the community.” “We found their proposal quite favorable,” Barbach added, noting that he and the mayor had worked with the applicant to get to this point. “By offloading in the afternoon, they’ve come up with a strategy to avoid the beeping of trucks at all hours of the day.” A few residents also said the business sounded like a good fit. “We’re very intent on being a good partner and neighbor in the community,” Brad Markowitz, an E-J company director, said. The board approved the application as presented, with restrictions for site deliveries from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. About the Author All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines . Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.