Residents stand against White Castle

Eileen Casazza says that White Castle is not what Bellmore residents crave.

Casazza, who heads the ad hoc Bellmore Preservation Group, is opposing the construction of a 24-hour White Castle fast-food restaurant at the corner of Sunrise Highway and St. Marks Avenue. Casazza said that she has a core group of seven to 10 residents fighting the proposed eatery, and as many as 70 people have attended meetings at the nearby Bellmore United Methodist Church, which also opposes it.

Additionally, Casazza said, the Preservation Group has received support from the North Bellmore Civic Association and the East Meadow Civic Association, which opposed a White Castle that opened and eventually closed in its own community.

"The support of the community is great," said Casazza, who lives two doors down from the corner where the eatery would be built.

Casazza said that residents are preparing to fight the White Castle for three main reasons: It would cause through traffic to build up on nearby residential streets, potentially creating hazardous driving conditions; it would be open 24 hours a days, seven days a week, disturbing nearby residents late at night and on weekends; and it would bring trash from loiterers to nearby sidewalks.

To construct the restaurant, White Castle would have to raze three homes, one a 98-year-old house that once served as United Methodist's parsonage, as well as the 40-year-old Wicks Auto Collision. The drive-through exit from the restaurant would let out on St. Mark's Avenue, a quiet residential block. Its main entrance would be on Sunrise Highway.

Joe Casazza, Eileen's husband, said that the nearby Applebee's, long established in the neighborhood, closes around midnight. All of the local businesses except a Valero gas station close by 1 a.m., and the station goes dark by 2 a.m., he said. Patrons can only get gasoline at the pump with a credit card.

"None of them stay open that late, and there are no drive-throughs," Casazza said.