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Mostly Cloudy Pharmacy fiasco in Elmont?
Locals speak out against Meacham Avenue Walgreens proposal
A proposal to build a Walgreens pharmacy on the southwest corner of Meacham Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont — and to demolish a plaza housing seven existing businesses in the process — has been harshly criticized by many residents and business owners.
With the help of State Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt (R, I, C-East Meadow), the attorney for the project, Walgreens Corporation officials first submitted the 18,000-square-foot building plan to the Town of Hempstead last May. In January, Walgreens officials installed signs in the area — a town requirement — to inform residents about the potential development.
As word of the plan spread throughout the community, locals began rallying against it. On Feb. 8, the Chamber of Commerce held a community forum at the Elmont Memorial Library to discuss the proposal. More than 100 residents attended, along with McKevitt, who explained the details of the plan and answered questions about it.
According to McKevitt, the pharmacy would provide several new jobs and aesthetically improve the Meacham Avenue-Hempstead Turnpike corner. He explained that the store would have two entrances — one to the west, on Oakley Avenue, and the other to the north, on the turnpike. The project is expected to cost more than $1 million, he added, although Walgreens has not yet determined the exact cost.
Additionally, McKevitt said, the plan includes three variance requests to the Town of Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals, including a parking variance. Although the town requires 69 parking spaces for a building of this size, the plan doesn’t provide for any parking, he explained, adding that patrons would use a town-owned parking lot just south of the property.
Residents expressed concerns about already congested traffic on Meacham Avenue — a street that elementary students often cross on their way to and from school — as well as limited parking in the area. Many said they were skeptical about Walgreens delivery truck drivers turning onto Meacham Avenue from Hempstead Turnpike — an already busy intersection, especially during rush hour — and parking near the store.
