Latest Plan for Wang Property to Have Hearing

Plainview residents will get a better look in March into the latest proposal to develop the former Nassau County complex off Old Country Road.

has scheduled a so-called "public scoping" session for Tuesday, March 13, for the proposed development of the that was once home to the

The property belongs to and is being developed by the Jericho-based Beechwood Organization, which is calling the project "Country Pointe at Plainview." Beechwood has built more than 50 luxury communities around the Metropolitan New York area.

The group has proposed a "mixed use" development on the land that would include 890 multi-family housing units, including 90 "Golden Age" units and 536 other units with age restrictions, town officials said Tuesday.

There is also a commercial component to the plan, including 114,330 square feet of retail space to accomodate a bank and a supermarket. Their initial plan is spelled out on their website. It includes several ponds and more than 40 acres for public use.

The site has been the subject of heated discussions over the years as Nassau County gradually moved its offices out of the secluded, wooded triangle off Round Swamp and Old Country roads. stands on the property, along with other Depression-era structures.

Several proposals have been met with opposition. The latest was a brief flirtation by the to build a casino there.

Initially, the applicants, formally known as Plainview Properties, SPE, LLC and Beechwood POB LLC, would need the town to change the property's zoning from ‘OB’ Office Building and ‘R1-1A’ Residential to ‘RSC-25’ Residential Senior Citizen, ‘GB’ General Business District and ‘RMF-16’ Residential Multi-Family.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 13 in the hearing room of Town Hall East, 54 Audrey Ave., Oyster Bay.

Additional hearings would be required before a final plan was decided upon.

The March 13 meeting is open to the public, which will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal. A "scoping session" allows the developer to hear public concerns and gather input on the proposed project in advance of preparing the required Environmental Impact Report.

Copies of the initial document will be available at the hearing, town officials said.