No additional house on Cornelius Avenue

The Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals rejected the application by Capital Builders to construct a second house on the property at 1762 Cornelius Ave. in Wantagh on Dec. 3.

“We are thrilled with the decision,” said Fred Parola, who represented a group of residents in the Wantagh Woods neighborhood who opposed the development, citing quality of life issues that included parking and overcrowding.

Capitol Builders had gone before the Board of Appeals to ask for a variance to subdivide the lot and build a 2,800-square-foot two-story home next to the existing house on this site. The proposal, first presented to residents at the May 8 meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners, included removing an existing garage and shed in order to build the second home, thus dividing the lot into two parcels — one at 7,000 square feet and the other at 8,000 square feet. The minimum lot size in Wantagh Woods is 8,000 square feet.

About a dozen residents attended the May 28 hearing before the Board of Appeals urging the BZA to oppose the plan. They spoke about safety concerns along the narrow streets in Wantagh Woods and the number of parked cars on Cornelius Avenue as well as Ewell Place and Natta Boulevard. Additionally, neighbors opposed the removal of eight trees on the property.

Lisa Cairo, of Jaspan and Schlesinger, who represented Capital Builders, told the board at the May hearing that the application “will not be detrimental to the neighborhood,” Cairo said. She pointed to smaller properties in Wantagh Woods and said there were homes in close proximity on lots “that are less than 7,000 square feet — at 6,500 or 6,000 square feet.”

However, Parola said the smaller lots were in place before the Town of Hempstead changed the minimum lot size in Wantagh Woods. In 1987, local advocate Betty Blake won a battle to preserve the suburban character of Wantagh Woods by having the minimum building lot size changed to 8,000 square feet. Other neighborhoods within the Town of Hempstead have lot sizes that range from 4,000 to 6,000 square feet.

The board reserved its decision at the May 28 hearing in order to visit the site before making a determination. The decision was made five months later. “The delay can be frightening but we got our message across,” Parola said. “Although we waited for quite some time for the decision, it was well worth it.”

Ella Stevens, president of WSHA, said, “We are very pleased the board sided with residents and voted against the subdivision.”

Could there be an appeal? Calls to Cairo were not returned.

“The law is solid,” Parola said. “I think it’s a dead issue.”