Hatzalah seeks new home

A plan by Chevra Hatzalah of the Rockaways & Nassau County to build a new two-story ambulance and training center on a residential street in Woodmere is facing staunch opposition from neighbors who say they worry about the traffic and safety issues that the construction of such a massive structure could create.

Chevra Hatzalah is a not-for-profit corporation formed 24 years ago that provides emergency medical care by volunteers who are culturally aware of the large Orthodox Jewish community in the Five Towns. The organization, which serves the Five Towns, the Rockaways and East Rockaway, owns property at 752 W. Broadway in Woodmere, and plans to demolish a home there and construct a two-story facility where ambulances could be parked and its volunteers would be trained. In order for the project to become a reality, Chevra Hatzalah has requested that the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals change its permitted use of the property, at the corner of West Broadway and Grant Avenue, from residential to commercial and provide a variance that would allow as many as 96 people to occupy the facility at one time and permit 30 off-site parking spaces. A BZA hearing on the variance application at Hempstead Town Hall on Jan. 20 was adjourned, and no date has been set for it to continue.

“This project is designed to save lives,” said Rabbi Elozer Kanner, a coordinator for Chevra Hatzalah. “We have bent over backwards to try and design something that fits into the community and is not an eyesore.”

Much of the opposition stems from the concerns of neighbors of the proposed facility, who fear it would create excess traffic and prove to be a safety hazard. “It is going to wreak havoc on the neighborhood,” said Robert Didia, who lives on Grant Avenue.

“It will undoubtedly be a safety hazard, and there will be accidents on West Broadway,” said Robert Douglas, who lives on nearby Addison Street. “It’s upsetting because the service that is provided is a nice service, but the use of the property isn't proper, and there are other locations they could have found.”

Chevra Hatzalah currently parks two ambulances in a driveway at the corner of Edwards Avenue and Peninsula Boulevard in Woodmere. Lisa Cairo, an attorney for the organization, argued during the brief BZA hearing that parking the ambulances indoors would eliminate the risk of vandalism, which has occurred in the past, and shield the vehicles from harsh weather.