The Village of Sea Cliff Board of Trustees intend to implement a “Comprehensive Plan” for the Village that will have a substantial and long-lasting impact on zoning law, property development, taxes, and traffic in the Village of Sea Cliff

Mayor Villafane’s stance is that residents have misguided beliefs about the Plan due to unwarranted concerns about development of the Giordano nursery property on Glen Cove Ave.

Over 50 people packed the Village Hall meeting room on June 20, 2023 to voice their concerns. However, the Mayor seemed to be stubbornly resistant many of the residents’ objections that were expressed at the public meeting on the Plan. Village Trustees sat in silence during the public comment meeting.

The Village Board is accepting additional written public comments until Friday June 30. SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO: emcdonnell@seacliff-ny.gov

Public Comments of Sea Cliff Property Owners Committee

The Sea Cliff Comprehensive Plan, hereinafter referred to as the “Plan,” should not move forward with the current language because the Plan overlooks or does not consider issues important to the residents of Sea Cliff. This plan is being promoted to the community as something needed to conduct zoning updates and protect the character of Sea Cliff. It may very well encourage the type of development the majority of residents fear.

More specifically, we find these items to be of significant concern:

• The Plan, BFJ Planning Inc, or the Village counsel have not offered a legal opinion on whether the Plan could be potentially used by developers to challenge Sea Cliff’s zoning laws in the future.
• Mayor Villafane has made claims the Plan is necessary to potentially thwart N.Y.S. Governor Hocul’s attempts to mandate higher density housing. While we all agree this is a threat to our community, the Mayor hasn’t offered an explanation on how a Plan could block new State law or State Executive authority. In New York, Albany has disparate power over municipalities and the Plan likely offers no protection from legislative authority. Therefore, it seems this threat is merely a scare tactic being used to gain resident support for the Plan
• The Plan promotes “cluster housing” for potential new development without defining cluster housing. Cluster housing is an urban design concept that is out of character with the Village of Sea Cliff. The Plan does nothing to advocate for unique housing stock that makes our Village such a special place.
• Chapter 5 of the Plan advocates for many zoning changes to Village code in vague terms without providing a background or understanding on the need for such changes or the impact to the residents or character of Sea Cliff.
• The Plan does not consider traffic VOLUME considerations that are impacting our Village due to area development. The plan only discusses traffic “calming” which presumably will slow down traffic further.
• The Plan promotes “affordable housing” within the Village, while not discussing the impact of property tax reductions (if available) a developer may obtain for building such affordable housing. The plan does not consider the property tax ramifications on property owners for essentially subsidizing affordable housing through our already high property taxes.
• The Plan does not consider the impact on Village and School property tax revenues by changing commercial “non-homestead” properties on Glen Cove Avenue to residential “homestead” or mixed use property classifications.
• The Plan promotes three story (38′ building height) multi-family construction on Glen Cove Ave, a measure widely opposed by Village residents. The Mayor disingenuously claimed the Plan doesn’t use the word “apartment building” during the June 20th meeting, but her claim still semantically conflicts with the Plan language.
• The Plan promotes “sewer lines “without discussing the impact of how increased sewer line distribution may encourage further area development.
• In creating this Plan the Village hired “Urbanomics,” which is a pro-developer agency whose own website claims they, “Balancing the consensus……enables us to recommend development strategies that will work.”
• The Plan should be put up for a public referendum for approval. We have been told by Mayor Villafane the plan is “our Plan.” How can it be “our Plan “if residents don’t vote on the Plan in a democratic manner?

As a long-time residents, we’ve always viewed the Village of Sea Cliff as a special place. A place that is a refuge from the rest of Long Island, with its cookie cutter houses, strip malls, and traffic. A place that was “affordable” with an above average school district AND below average property taxes. We don’t see this Plan protecting the Sea Cliff I know.

As evident by the overwhelming public responses to the issues we raised during the June 20th meeting, the Board of Trustees are urged to consider resident opposition to this current proposed Plan. This proposed Plan should be shelved until the issues raised herein are addressed.

After the Village purchased a dilapidated NY American Water company building on Prospect Ave as part of a settlement with the utility, the current Village administration is attempting to spend money on renovating the structure.

To date the Village has not been able to define a specific need or purpose for this building. Yet it has created a new corporation to hold ownership of the property, and the Village is commencing costly “engineering studies” for a “topographic analysis”. Additionally, the Village is hiring consultants to determine what is needed to rehabilitate the obsolete 1940 Pumphouse building. The Village has not stated how it will transfer public tax money to this new corporation.

A meeting has been held for Saturday November 5th, 2022 at 3pm. Concerned taxpayers are encouraged to attend the meeting and demand the Board of Trustees be more candid about the Village expenditures (current and future) and the impact on our property taxes. The Village claims to have received a generous donation to help cover expenses, but it is not enough to cover a complete renovation, nor will it cover ongoing maintenance.

Residents were burdened with a whopping tax cap busting tax increase in 2022 by the Village. Yet despite going over-budget in 2022, the Village administration is proposing to further increase expenses.

The Village already boasts 16 parks plus an extensive recreational waterfront, and community spaces in the Village Hall and Library, making the need for more public space unclear.

Furthermore, with the future purpose undefined, it is unknown how a new public space will impact the quality of life for residents living in adjacent properties.

The town board passed a budget Tuesday that keeps property taxes flat and shows a budget increase less than inflation, town says.

OYSTER BAY, NY — October 26, 2022

The Town of Oyster Bay board approved a 2023 budget that continues to freeze property taxes for the fifth consecutive year, the town announced.

(In comparison, the Village of Sea Cliff, Mayor Villafane increased taxes year over year, including a whopping 7% increase, voting to break the NYS tax cap in 2022.)

Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and town board members met on Tuesday morning to vote on the proposed budget that stresses fiscal responsibility, a news release from the town stated.

The property tax freeze was first enacted in 2017, and now will continue into a fifth year. The town said they are now operating with a $62.2 million reserve. For the first year since 2013, Oyster Bay Town was not on the New York State Comptroller’s fiscal stress list, according to the town’s spokesperson, adding that the town’s record high water mark of a $763 million debt has now been reduced by $187 million.

The 2023 budget shows a 2.6 percent spending increase. The town pointed to inflation rates now over 8 percent, attributing the modest growth to the “Town Budget [continuing] to restrain government spending that is under our control.”

Oyster Bay will continue to focus on downtown revitalization in Hicksville and Syosset, the town says, and wants to modernize and streamline business permits to encourage small business growth.

“Our Town Board continues to ensure fiscal stability while delivering the highest level of services to our residents. This balanced budget continues to build on our overall financial success… while restricting new spending, freezing property taxes and making smart investments in our roadways,” Saladino said.

It is time for change on the North Shore Board of Education and put into office people who work for EVERYONE in the Community.

Marianne Russo has been a Board of Education Trustee for nine years and has proven herself to be the only current Trustee that has represented the unheard voices in the community. She has been the only one that thoughtfully looks at issues and their impacts to all community members.

If you want change, this is the time. Vote Marianne Russo, Vanessa Grecky Marks and Anna Carfagno. This block of candidates will give Marianne Russo the board majority. The board majority will allow Marianne to become the next Board of Education President and start the process of charting a sustainable future for EVERYONE in the community.

The North Shore Teachers Union has endorsed Dave Ludmar, Lisa Cashman and Sean Trager. (Read Union Endorsement Here)

The Teachers Union Contract expires on June 30, 2022 and unless it is finalized in the remaining two BOE meetings of this school year, our next elected trustees will negotiate and approve the Teachers Union Contract and decide this community’s financial future for years to come.

How can Dave Ludmar, Lisa Cashman and Sean Trager be impartial in the Teachers Union Contract negotiations when they have accepted the endorsement of the Teachers Union?

North Shore Teachers Union President Greg Perles and the NYS Teachers Union have waged war against our community.  Mr Perles and other Union Officials have sent letters to residents of our  community spreading lies about respected members of this community to further their own agenda. (Read Union Letter Here) Greg Perles and the other Union Officials do not even live in this community and do not vote here! How can any candidate accept an endorsement and financial support of these carpetbaggers.

Do not let these candidates endorsed by the Teachers Union decide the financial future of this community. Year after year the current and past regimes have increased the budget and this community’s taxes to the maximum allowed under the cap rules. Year after year we have been handed maximum tax increases with no regard for the impact on residents of this community.

North Shore has the highest cost per student of surrounding districts, and even with all that spending our buildings and athletic facilities are subpar. The mismanagement of taxpayer funds has been going on for far too long.

We need Trustees who will work for the Community, not ones that work for the Teachers Union!

It is time to take back our community and elect Board of Education trustees that will respect all members of the Community. We should not continue to support ones that give sweetheart deals to their friends.

Vote: Marianne Russo, Vanessa Grecky Marks and Anna Carfagno on May 17th!

Please forward this message to all of your friends and neighbors!

Voting takes place in the North Shore High School Gym on Tuesday May17th.

Polls are open 7am to 10pm

Vote Lines 2, 3 and 8

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In a document obtained by SCPOC from year 2021, we exposed the radical agenda being taught in the North Shore School District. An application by Principal Eric Contreras, the school acknowledges engaging in CRT over race and gender. CRT, or “Critical Race Theory”, is the cultural Marxist agenda where students are judged based on their skin color.

The following section was taken from pages 18 and 19 of this document.

The English and Social studies departments have developed plans to support culturally responsive teaching and curriculum. This has included shared readings in our history classes, a review of texts in our English classes, and teacher professional learning session with Teacher’s College on book clubs that are representative of multiple voices and experiences. We moved along with this work this year despite the operational challenges of the pandemic as we see this work as critical in supporting all our learners and is aligned to publicly shared value of students as collaborators and committed individuals who “experience multiple perspectives and ways of seeing and experiences
to gain a deeper understanding”. This year one of the shared social studies reading was Ibram Kendi’s non-fiction work “How to be an Anti-Racist”. We also encourage difficult conversations on Race and Gender in our classes where multiple perspectives are celebrated. The school is also very active in supporting identify groups such our LGBT club, in special events, and in substantive conversation about our health curriculum and the number of gender-neutral restrooms.

In this aforementioned book, Kendi write, ““The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination,” Kendi writes, arguing that by discriminating against the favored group, society is actually leveling a historically unlevel playing field.

Frankel, from Long Island was indicted on federal charges Monday, accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid of more than $1.3 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal prosecutors say Perry Frankel — who is the owner and operator of Advanced Cardiovascular Diagnostics PLLC in Great Neck — submitted claims to the programs for office visits that were never performed for patients who got COVID-19 tests.

https://patch.com/new-york/greatneck/li-doctor-indicted-covid-19-health-care-fraud-scheme-doj

Frankel was a board member of the Viking Foundation, the charitable organizational arm of the North Shore School District.

https://www.northwordnews.com/viking-foundation-to-honor-ed-melnick.html

Frankel’s company had a sweetheart no-bid contract to provide on-site COVID testing at the NorthShore School District. It’s been said that the company charged exorbitant rates to the school district for testing, charging as much as $500 to $1000 per test.

We have to wonder if Frankel used his contacts through the Viking Foundation to land the non-bid contract with the school district.

The Mayor claimed during the April 11th 2022 Board of Trustees meeting that the 6.2% increase was needed due to rising costs in the Village.

However, she neglects to mention the Town of Oyster Bay, through prudent fiscal management, has reduced or frozen property taxes FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS through 2022.

In comparison the Village of Sea Cliff has raised taxes every year, and now the Mayor is forcing through a whopping 6.2% increase for 2022-2023.

Mayor Villafane, during her board comments, said if she couldn’t get the tax increase passed, she would have to “stop picking up the garbage.”

The Mayor once stated when running as a candidate for trustee, in the Northword News “[I want an] environment where taxes are reasonable and not raised too often.” https://www.northwordnews.com/sea-cliff-meet-the-candidates1.html

In reality, Villafane voted to increase taxes every year she has held office.