62 Rockaway Ave. townhouses rejected

Once again, townhouses on Rockaway Avenue were rejected. In a three-and-a-half hour meeting on May 6, the Board of Zoning Appeals rejected developer James O’Reilly’s request to tear down the house at 62 Rockaway Ave. and build five townhouses.

The house is used as affordable housing and is within Residential A district, which only allows single-family homes. It borders Residential B district, which allows multifamily housing. A similar request — with six townhouses instead of five — was brought to the village board of trustees and withdrawn last year.

“I like the rendition that he offered us,” said board member Ray Ventura. “But I think to approve it would be an assault on Residential A.”

O’Reilly’s lawyer, Albert D’Agostino, argued that the house had to be torn down because it has asbestos and lead paint. At the meeting, Freda Wagner, who lives next door at the condominiums at 99 S. Park Ave., brought in Rosemary Olsen, who works on Section 8 housing for Village of Hempstead, to testify that the house could be asbestos- and lead-free without taking it apart and at a minimal cost. Currently, she said, only a child younger than six could not live on the first floor.

“We’re not here to bail someone out of a bad investment,” said board member Salvatore Romanello. The board agreed that the purchase was a “self-created hardship,” as O’Reilly was aware that the house had asbestos and lead paint when he acquired it.

Residents at the meeting were concerned that if the BZA allowed the townhouses, it would set a precedent and allow other developers to build similar complexes. They also worried that adding more people would increase traffic at what is already a dangerous intersection.

“Most of us feel like this will change the quality and the character of the neighborhood,” said Steven Bo, who lives three doors down from the house. “I want to protect my investment. I left Queens to get away from this.”