Agreement on illegal building is reasonable

A front page story this week outlines the controversy over a North Massapequa building that was constructed in violation of the plans and approvals the owners had obtained from the Town of Oyster Bay. The story also presents the concessions Town officials obtained from the property owner as a result of taking legal action against them to gain compliance. The Town is to be commended for moving aggressively on this issue to ensure that these blatant violations were not allowed to stand.

Under the agreement, the height of the building's second floor will be reduced and it must be used for storage only, as initially proposed. No offices or other rental is to be permitted. More extensive landscaping and buffers are to be installed.

We understand that the residents living near this site are not entirely pleased with the outcome and wanted more. The fact is that the building is on Broadway, a commercial strip; that residents had input into the final decision and that it is unlikely that the town would have been any more successful had it gone to trial on the issue.

It is unfortunate that a lack of oversight by the Town in the first place enabled the owners of this property to build something that was not in accordance with the plans they had presented to the Town and the public.

That being said, we believe the Town has acted responsibly in correcting their initial misstep and that Town officials have done their jobs of protecting the public.

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