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Light Drizzle Parking lot denied on Merton Avenue
Lynbrook Village Board voted 4-0 against hotel proposal
After months of discussion and postponement,the residents of Merton Avenue finally got the decision they were looking for in regard to a proposed parking lot on their block when the Lynbrook Village Board voted 4-0 against the proposal at Monday’s regular board meeting.
Three properties — 417 Ocean Ave., 3 Merton Ave. and 9 Merton Ave. — were proposed to be torn down and replaced with a parking lot that would have served as additional parking for the Holiday Inn Express on the other side of Ocean Avenue.
In addition to the Holiday Inn Express, Thomas Morash owns the three properties, and the homes that are there now, which are unoccupied. The homes that were proposed to be demolished are in a residential zone, which is why Morash and the developer, Sunrise One LLC, requested a change to commercial zoning from the village board.
During the Aug. 13 regular board meeting, Mayor Bill Hendrick adjourned the public hearing until Monday so attorney Alan Stein, who represents Morash, and residents who live near the proposed lot could potentially work out a compromise. Stein said his party was then willing to demolish two houses and leave the house on 9 Merton intact, and just use a portion of its property for the lot, but residents denied the amended proposal.
“It’s frustrating for us,” Stein said of himself and his client. “We thought in light of having all of the discussions about trying to save a little house, which was very meaningful to some of the objectors, that leaving that house would have some positive impact on the resolution of this matter.”
As Stein addressed the village board he said he spoke with residents prior to the start of the meeting to gauge their last-minute thoughts. “It appears as of this evening, and I’m going to guess as of this past week, the position we believe that has been adopted by the neighbors is one of simply being against the application,” he said, “with there being no possibility of having any compromise.”
In a letter sent to members of the board last week, Ellen Trione, who lives directly across the street from the proposed lot on Merton Avenue said she was not in agreement with any size parking lot on her block.
