Hempstead approves Elmont plan despite lawsuit

The revitalization of the Argo Theatre site took its next small steps last week, as Hempstead town officials announced they had selected an Urban Renewal plan for Elmont’s downtown. Details of the plan are scarce, with town officials saying that they still have not selected a developer.

The Elmont downtown revitalization is a lynchpin of the Hempstead Turnpike rezoning, focusing on the intersection of the turnpike and Elmont Road. The area, which is dotted with short-order diners, dollar stores and the occasional vacant shop has come under scrutiny from the town both because of its proximity to Belmont Park, and because it represents the “gateway” to the Town of Hempstead.

Local officials refer to it as the Argo Theatre site because of the old movie house that was located there for years. While it is currently a dollar store, town officials and some outspoken residents are hoping to turn the site into a supermarket, something Elmont does not technically have.

“Elmont is a vibrant and diverse community as well as a beautiful gateway to Hempstead Town,” Murray said in a statement. “Along with Councilmen Ambrosino and Darcy, I am very pleased to expand our revitalization activities in the Elmont community by taking action to reinvigorate this area.”

The problem? The town still hasn’t gotten over one of the biggest obstacles to revitalization in the area, a lawsuit over the validity of a blight study conduct in Nov. 2008.

The Town of Hempstead is seeking to use eminent domain to take over roughly three acres of land it claims is “blighted and underutilized,” and points to the November 2008 study as evidence of that fact.

But the lawsuit, filed in May 2009, claims that the study was flawed, and among other issues, failed to conduct a proper environmental study at the site, and should therefore be discredited. Since the lawsuit has not been decided or settled, no development can take place at the site.

“The lawsuit has not been decided, and we obviously will challenge this [moving forward] as well,” said Thomas Levin, a Garden City attorney representing the current owner of the Argo Theatre site. Levin said that the town has been utterly non-communicative with him, even going so far as to refuse Freedom of Information Act requests for materials used in the blight study.

Town officials have called the lawsuit a distraction, and accuse Tess Mittman, the owner of the Argo Theatre site, of being unwilling to cater to the interests of the com munity.

Meanwhile, Hempstead continues to push forward, saying that the plan they’ve selected is closely in line with the vision plan of the community, and that they will designate a developer for the site in “the next few weeks.”

“The former Argo Theatre is at the heart of downtown Elmont,” Councilman Ed Ambrosino said. “In addition to meeting the requests of residents for a full service supermarket, the Urban Renewal Plan is essential to the successful revitalization of Elmont’s business district.”