Alienation of Parkland in Kings Point Park

There is currently legislation pending before the NYS Assembly and Senate that seeks to alienate 2.5 acres of parkland involving a freshwater wetland, in order to build a private parking lot in Kings Point Park, located in Great Neck, on the North Shore of Long Island. There has not been an environmental review pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), nor the public notice, hearings and other public participation that is statutorily required by SEQRA.

Alienating parkland can have significant environmental impacts, but in this case, because the parkland proposed for alienation also involves a freshwater wetland, the environmental impacts could have particularly serious repercussions. According to the Handbook on the Alienation and Conversion of Municipal Parkland in New York (page 30, section 9), “The act of selling, leasing, conveying, or changing the use of the parkland is subject to SEQR. In addition, the planned use of the land being discontinued will more than likely require local or State permits that also trigger SEQR review.” Indeed, the SEQR regulations go further, and provide guidance that any action involving parkland in any way is likely to be a Type I action, triggering an Environmental Impact Statement. Moreover, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation released an opinion (2007) that “a municipal resolution requesting parkland alienation legislation is considered an action under SEQR, and, accordingly, a SEQR review should be completed prior to requesting the legislation.” (Handbook - appendix 14).

Large groups of the Great Neck community had been unaware of the alienation legislation, and its possible implications, including the potential of traffic problems, flooding of nearby homes, businesses, active parkland, or habitat, or other environmental impacts not yet identified because the required analysis has not been completed. Many who regularly use the park for biking, hiking and other activities, only just found out. There has been a push to get clear, factual information about what is being planned.

A petition was created opposing both the destruction of the wetland and the parkland alienation, and to date over 2,000 Great Neck residents have signed it.
https://www.change.org/p/stop-...

If you need more information please feel free to contact the below:

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Email: scousins@nysenate.gov Phone: (518) 455-2585 or (914) 423-4031

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
Email: speaker@nyassembly.gov Phone: (718) 654-6539 or (518) 455-3791

Assemblymember Billy Jones(Chair, Assembly Committee on Local Governments – A8621’s first stop)
Email: jonesb@nyassembly.gov Phone: (518) 455-5943 or (516) 528-5621

Assemblymember Deborah Glick(Chair, Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation)
Email: glickd@nyassembly.gov Phone: (518) 455-4841

Assemblymember Charles Lavine
Email: lavinec@nyassembly.gov Phone: (516) 676-0050 or (518) 455-5456

Senator Peter Harckham
Email: harckham@nysenate.gov Phone: (914) 241-4600

Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Email: hoylman@nysenate.gov Phone: (212) 633-8052

Senator Siela A. Bynoe
Email: bynoe@nysenate.gov Phone: (518) 455-3260 or (516) 739-1700