Hope for a Seaford eyesore

There could be new life for a property that is arguably the biggest eyesore in Seaford. The Town of Hempstead is considering an application from OTM Gas to rehabilitate the vacant gas station at the southwest corner of Sunrise Highway and Washington Avenue.

Kevin O’Brien, an attorney representing the developer, appeared before the Hempstead town board at a public hearing on July 7. “It’s sorely in need of repair and upgrade,” he said of the property, a former Getty gas station.

The parcel, at 3980 Sunrise Highway, has sat dormant since a fire in the building on May 7, 2010. A sign on the boarded-up building, “Closed due to fire damage. We will re-open soon,” proved to be only half correct.

There is very little evidence of the fire, only some faint charring around doors and windows. Peeling paint, missing pieces of façade and widespread weeds are more indicative of the property’s neglect.

O’Brien said that the plan is to keep the site plan the same. The burned service station, which formerly housed J&V Auto Services, would be repaired and converted to a convenience store. Gas pumps — the old station had 6 — would remain in approximately the same spots, and canopies would be added, a requirement for self service. Underground gasoline storage tanks would be replaced, as would all asphalt and concrete.

While no brand has been chosen yet, O’Brien said the gas station would likely be Exxon or Mobil. It is next door to a Burger King, and there is a residential neighborhood behind it.

The fence along the back of the property is in disrepair, O’Brien said, and the developer would like to replace it with a higher one, similar to the one that separates the Burger King property from homes. Town board members agreed that a higher fence would be necessary.

Chi Chan, who lives on Washington Avenue, next to the property, is also in favor of a higher fence, and said he has had to use his own money to make “Band-Aid” repairs to the existing fence.

“I’ve been living with this eyesore ever since it burned down,” Chan said. “I do pay a lot of taxes. I deserve more.”