44.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Taco Bell hearing adjourned — again
Rescheduled for March 11
A Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals hearing for a proposed Taco Bell on Hempstead Turnpike was adjourned for a second time on Feb. 11, at the request of residents who were upset that the restaurant’s attorneys changed the site plan the morning of the hearing.
The first adjournment, on Dec. 10, was also at residents’ request, so the two sides could arrange a community meeting to air the issues surrounding the restaurant’s proposed drive-through, as well as the overall impact a fast-food restaurant might have on noise, pollution, odor and traffic congestion in the neighborhood.
Taco Bell’s attorneys, Chris Coschignano and John Farrell, said that the revised site plan, submitted to and approved by town officials, contained changes designed to accommodate residents whose properties abut the proposed restaurant location, 1939 Hempstead Turnpike, including the relocation of a dumpster away from the property line, and a higher, more sound-deadening fence.
But residents still weren’t pleased. One went as far as to call the last-minute change “disingenuous,” a word Coschignano took offense with. “We tried to make it better to proceed forward,” he told board Chairman David Weiss.
About 15 residents were at the hearing to urge the seven-member board to reject the proposal, before they requested an adjournment. Most live on Marion Drive and Bly Road, near the proposed location.
While consecutive adjournments are not typically granted by the board, Weiss said he would allow it under the circumstances. “If there are amended plans and you want an adjournment, we’re going to give you some time,” he said to the residents. “I’m not sure whether it’s going to make any difference … but we don’t want to force you to proceed without at least having an opportunity to get a good look at these plans.”
The East Meadow Chamber of Commerce supports Taco Bell’s arrival. President Mitchell Allen said he submitted a letter of support to the town board prior to last week’s hearing.
Taco Bell is proposing a 2,640-square-foot building on the 21,250-square-foot lot, on the turnpike’s north side, just east of Eisenhower Park, in an empty building that most recently held a Zorn’s restaurant. The entrance and exit would be from the same curb cut, and the parking lot would have 29 spaces.
The application requests special exceptions to demolish the current building in order to build the restaurant, and to install the drive-through and signage. The town must approve the variances in order for the restaurant to proceed.
The proposed drive-through pathway would force drivers to exit onto Hempstead Turnpike, rather than into the parking lot, a design meant to accommodate neighbors. But residents argued that this would give customers no choice but to turn onto residential streets to park and eat.
Weiss emphasized that this adjournment would be the final one, and Coschignano said the site plan would not undergo any more changes.
In his letter to the board, Allen referenced the numerous fast-food restaurants on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Wendy’s, that also abut residential properties and “have had no adverse impact to the community and its neighbors.”
A Taco Bell, he said, would complement East Meadow’s business district. “There are too many vacant stores in East Meadow, and we need to continue to welcome new businesses in our community,” he wrote.
Liz Mignone, one of the residents whose backyards connect with the property, said that while she appreciated Taco Bell’s willingness to oblige residents’ concerns, she would not tolerate the restaurant if there were a drive-through. “I want the spot filled,” she said. “I’m not fighting that. What I am fighting is cars too close to my property line.”
