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Overcast Lynbrook residents say 'no' to parking lot
Three homes in jeopardy of being demolished
A proposed zoning change and special use permit that would bring a parking lot onto the corner of Merton Avenue and Ocean Avenue has led residents who live in the area to join forces and protest the proposal.
The lot would serve as additional parking for the Holiday Inn Express at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Ocean Avenue. The hotel owner, Thomas Morash, also owns three properties on the other side of Ocean Avenue. The homes on those properties would be demolished and converted into a parking lot. Two of the homes are currently vacant, and the third, which is being rented, is scheduled to be vacated in June according to a neighbor.
Lynbrook Village Attorney Peter Ledwith said the Holiday Inn Express was granted a slight reduction in the amount of parking it was required to have when it was redone about 10 years ago. Much of the clientele at the hotel comes from nearby airports, Ledwith added, Morash and his staff have deals with various airlines to have their crews stay at the Holiday Inn Express when they’re in the area.
“If Tom Morash sells the place and the new owner doesn’t have the same kind of business that he had with the airport traffic you would have a hotel with not enough parking,” Ledwith said.
The homes that would be demolished, 3 Merton Ave., 9 Merton Ave. and 417 Ocean Ave., are zoned in residential zones, which is why Morash and developer, Sunrise One, LLC have to go before the Lynbrook Village Board to request the zones be changed to commercial ones.
“There is a law on the books that says if you own a commercial property you may have parking off-site within a radius of 200 feet,” Ledwith said, “provided it’s in a commercial zone and meets all of the other requirements of the village.”
Residents who live on Merton Avenue and on surrounding blocks are concerned about potential safety and traffic problems in addition to a drop in the value of their homes. Paul Tubin, who lives on Ocean Avenue, submitted a petition to the village board last week with signatures of nearby residents who would like the board to vote against the proposal.
