Franklin Square developer faces resistance from community

Developers seeking to build 12 condominiums on two parcels of Hempstead Ave. property totaling 1.2 acres and just outside the Malverne village border, appealed to the Town of Hempstead last week for a zoning variance, but were met with strong opposition from Malverne residents, who said the traffic there is already unbearable.

“It’s just a congested area, and the worst place they could possibly pick,” said Thomas FitzGerald, who has lived across the street from the properties for 38 years. “It would exit onto Hempstead Avenue, and it’s just going to mess up people trying to get on the [Southern State] parkway.”

The parcels, at 494 and 1104 Hempstead Ave., are currently zoned as Residence A, and need to be rezoned as a Residence C-A, which allows condos, before the developers, R&B Acquisitions and Development Inc., of Franklin Square can proceed. R&B is the parent company of 1104 Hempstead Avenue LLC, which holds the title for the properties. According to documents from the town attorney’s office, Gene Shannon and Barbara Patton, of 494 Hempstead Ave., own both parcels, which have 83 feet of frontage on Hempstead Avenue and a depth of roughly 565 feet.

Dominick Minerva, a lawyer for the developer, said during a town hall meeting on Jan. 26 that two buildings would house six condos each, and all would be three-bedroom units, with two and a half floors and an attic.

The blueprints show space for 35 cars, and part of the 1104 property, which is closest to the creek that runs between Malverne and Lakeview, would remain undeveloped. The condos sale prices were estimated at between $465,000 and $525,000.

Minerva agreed during the meeting that it would be written into the condominiums’ covenant that none of the units would be rentals, all would be owner-occupied, and there would be a no-left- turn restriction for those exiting the property — all vehicles would have to head north on Hempstead Avenue.