Despite cold rain and gray skies, more than 200 residents gathered Sunday morning at Kings Point Park, voicing opposition to a proposal they say would privatize part of the public green space and threaten its environmental integrity.
The rally, held at the Steamboat Road entrance and organized by Save Kings Point Park, drew what organizers described as their largest crowd yet.
“This is the biggest event we’ve had so far,” said Nancy Sherman, an attorney and longtime Great Neck resident who has been active in local civic efforts. “We had a lot of new people,” she added, describing a crowd that included families, longtime residents and first-time participants.
The controversy centers on a proposal to carve out nearly 2.5 acres of Kings Point Park for the nearby Mashadi Jewish Community Center, including a private parking lot and pool. Opponents warn the project threatens the peninsula’s largest pristine forest and a critical wetland buffer within the Manhasset Bay Watershed that protects against flooding. Additionally, residents are fighting plans to clear five more acres of old-growth forest for a new public works facility, fearing these projects will set a precedent for the piecemeal privatization of public land.
“There has been absolutely no transparency from the village of Kings Point or the Great Neck Park District,” Sherman said. “The residents have been left completely in the dark.”
Sherman also raised concerns about a proposed land swap tied to the plan, involving a separate property she described as largely wetlands and limited in usability. “People are under the misconception that the swap would include a pool and tennis court,” she said. “But that is false… [it would be] a passive park that people can walk around, but it’s wetlands and most of it is not accessible.”
She added that environmental risks remain unclear. “We have no idea as to the environmental condition of that land. There has been, as far as we know, no environmental testing,” Sherman said, also warning that high potential remediation costs could fall on taxpayers.
Throughout the event, speakers emphasized a broader message: preserving public land. “We want to keep our parks public and not privatized, and not give them away for private use,” Sherman said.
Environmental concerns were echoed by Tina Bickerstaff, a certified professional geologist and Great Neck resident who attended the rally.
“I feel very strongly about preserving and conserving our parklands as well as the wetlands,” Bickerstaff said. “It just seems to me that there are other solutions, other than having to destroy part of this natural treasure that we have for the sake of a parking lot.”
Source: LI Press
