If you missed it: on July 14 the Town of North Hempstead approved Inspiration Wharf — 38 for-sale condos with an underground parking garage on 2.78 acres of the Port Washington waterfront.
The site is a former coal yard, now in New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program — the state program for contaminated land. The public records show contamination above state cleanup standards on every lot, and groundwater 5 to 9 feet down flowing toward Manhasset Bay. The testing isn’t finished.
More than 80 residents filled Town Hall that night. Across five hours, 39 speakers asked the Board to slow down. It approved everything the same night, 7–0.
Say what you will about the old boatyard — it’s an eyesore, and nobody is defending it. That was never the question.
The question is whether the Town followed the rules it has to follow. And New York gives neighbors exactly one way to ask: a court case that must be filed in the next few weeks — by August 10. After that, no court can ever review it.
Experienced land-use attorneys — more than one, working separately — have reviewed the facts, and they believe there’s a strong case. Nobody’s promising a sure thing: these cases are hard, and courts usually side with town boards. But this case is about rules the Town was required to follow.
The neighbors’ committee is raising $30,000 by this Monday, July 27 to hire the firm and file in time — $75,000–$100,000 total if the case goes the distance.
If the case is never filed, every donation is refunded.
Donate: https://gofund.me/e0bd601e5
Read more: https://sospw.org/initiatives/inspiration-wharf
