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A Few Clouds Restaurateur wins village approval
New Hempstead Avenue eatery could open in June
A little walking never hurt anybody. Malverne village trustees took that into account last week when they approved an application that would allow a merchant to rent part of his Hempstead Avenue building to a restaurateur — a move other village merchants feared would further reduce already limited parking in the community.
Malverne building codes require the new 114-seat restaurant, 77º, to provide 57 parking spaces, which the property, at 358 Hempstead Ave., does not have. Owner Elcid Melconian, whose company, Tri Color Imaging, operates there, had requested a special exception from the village board that would allow the restaurant to use existing parking spots.
The request — which also asked for the use of 42 spaces to accompany office space Melconian plans to set up in his 10,000-square-foot basement — was opposed by several business owners in the immediate area, including Henry and Ann Stampfel of the Malverne Cinema and Gerry Hughes of Connolly Station. They claimed it was excessive, and that it would make parking in Malverne more difficult than it already is and eventually drive away their customers.
Trustees disagreed. In reviewing six studies conducted by traffic expert Bruce Mawhirter on Melconian’s behalf last fall, and examining the situation themselves, the trustees concluded that was enough parking to support a new restaurant. They withheld approval of the request for the 42 additional spaces, however.
“All along Hempstead Avenue up toward Grace Lutheran [Church], there is ample parking,” Deputy Mayor Joe Hennessy said in a recent interview. “If people have to walk a little bit, they’ll walk.”
Although the trustees took the opposing merchants’ concerns seriously, they found no just cause to deny Melconian most of what he asked for. “To say they could never put anything there is wrong, too,” Hennessy said. “I mean, the man has a right to rent his property.” What’s more, he added, many residents would welcome the new dining establishment — a piano bar and lounge — to the community.
