At its most recent meeting, members of the Roslyn Heights Civic Association have asked their members and the community in general to petition the North Hempstead Board of Zoning and Appeals (BZA) and Supervisor Jon Kaiman over a proposed variance for 160 Powerhouse Road.

The petition, as it is written, is "being distributed to prevent a precedent being established that will change the character of our communities."

The rest of the petition reads:

"Specifically and immediately, the residents of Roslyn Heights and the homeowners within the unincorporated communities of North Hempstead hereby petition the BZA not to grant a variance for appeal # 17844 requesting on-site parking for 13 cars at 160 Powerhouse Road, Roslyn Heights.

"In addition, we do not want the BZA to grant a 'change of use' to any residential property, including 160 Powerhouse Road, Roslyn Heights.

"We do not want the BZA to grant permission to pave approximately 75 percent of any residential property.

"In short, we do not want the Board of Zoning and Appeals to establish any precedent that will inevitably lead to further requests for zoning changes that will transform our suburban residential communities into overcrowded commercial neighborhoods."

According to Chris Cavaliere, president of the civic association, a residential home at 160 Powerhouse Road was renovated a year ago and turned into a religious establishment, The Synagogue of Roslyn, without, he claimed, "ever notifying the Town of North Hempstead Building Department or obtaining any permits."

The variance that the civic association opposes would do away with setbacks and pave the site in order to transform it into a parking lot.

Cavaliere said that 60 people attended the Oct. 27 meeting, including TONH Councilman Tom Dwyer. He added that the High Point Condominium Association has hired an attorney to try and block the variance.

"We are annoyed at the lack of effort on the part of town officials as far as stopping this," Cavaliere said, adding that civic association members are also "angry" at TONH officials for their "lack of enforcement" concerning certain local laws.

Cavaliere said that local residents have been told that little can be done at the site due to a federal law regarding religious establishments. At the least, the civic association, Cavaliere added, wants the TONH to do a traffic study to see how a parking lot and the traffic it may attract will affect "the rights of the neighbors."

While asking TONH officials to serve as a "watchdog" for Roslyn Heights residents and to be more aggressive in enforcing local laws, Cavaliere also criticized what he called the "arrogant" response by Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman to concerns by civic association members. In all, the civic association, as noted in the petition, is concerned that approving such variances will start a trend towards the kind of development that his members don't want.

David Saidi, a member of The Synagogue of Roslyn, said that a parking lot would not increase traffic. Nor will the existence of the synagogue mean any additional noise or complications for the neighborhood.

Saidi noted that the new synagogue only has "20-25" members, along with their immediate family members. At most that would mean only "five to six" cars in the proposed parking lot. The synagogue is an orthodox establishment, which means that most attendees are prohibited from driving on Saturday. Not all congregants follow that rule, Saidi admitted. Nonetheless, the number of cars at the lot will always be small, he reiterated. "[The synagogue] won't bring any more traffic than a private house [would]," Saidi maintained.

Saidi also remarked that the synagogue would play no loud or electric music and that synagogue members have talked to local residents about the new establishment. "The whole goal of [Roslyn Synagogue] is to like and respect [its] neighbors," Saidi added.

Saidi also noted that the residence on 160 Powerhouse Road, prior to the purchase by The Synagogue of Roslyn, was "filthy" and had been on the market for an entire year. Now, the residence is much better shape and will be, he added, a positive addition to the neighborhood.

"More churches and more synagogues [will make Roslyn Heights] a healthier neighborhood," he said.

Councilman Tom Dwyer said the town's Board of Zoning Appeals might vote on the variance in the "second or third" week of November. The town council, he added, would wait until the BZA votes to decide on the matter themselves.

Dwyer said that the variance would entail paving the entire front lawn at 160 Powerhouse. "Ordinarily, we would be adamantly against [such a variance]," he said.

However, he also noted that same federal law, one that he said "handcuffs" the town when dealing with variances for a religious establishment. Dwyer added that court decisions have usually ruled in favor of the federal law, but that if the town opposed the variance it would not hesitate to defend their decision in court, if it came to that.