No decision made on proposal for 'glamping' tents at Wheatley Heights camp

On Thursday evening, the Huntington Zoning Board declined to vote on the project after a heated community meeting.

News 12 Staff

Apr 8, 2022, 12:08 PM

Updated 745 days ago

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There is still no decision on whether "glamping" tents will be allowed at the Usdan Summer Art Camp in Wheatley Heights.
On Thursday evening, the Huntington Zoning Board declined to vote on the project after a heated community meeting.
The chairman is giving the camp and the community three more weeks to send in their comments before the plan is approved or denied.
The scaled down plan calls for 25 high-end camping tents for adults and families at the camp, which operates day programs for kids. The original plan included 70 tents.
Community members who are against the project say they're concerned about noise, littering, fire hazards, and the possibility of visitors trespassing on their property.
"I know the zoning board usually errs on the side of common sense," says Melville resident Dominick Feeney. "I don't know what's going to happen in this instance, but in my opinion, common sense dictates that this is a bad idea. It's a day camp, it's not a sleepover retreat in the Hamptons. It's in the middle of a residential community, and I'd like to see them vote no to dismiss it."
However, the operators of the camp say there will be a 250-foot buffer between the camp sites and neighboring homes, and a strict code of conduct will be in place.
The camp also says it will be an additional revenue source for the nonprofit to fund scholarships for children from Long Island and New York City to come to the summer camp.


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