Seaford residents sour on gas station

Seaford residents had many questions but few positive sentiments about a huge gas station being proposed for Merrick Road, near the Massapequa border, at a community meeting on Nov. 25.

The Seaford Harbor Civic Association welcomed representatives of the Town of Hempstead as more than 40 people gathered at the Seaford Public Library to learn more about the proposal — and to express their opposition to it.

Bande Seaford LLC is proposing to build a QuickChek station on the site of an existing Valero station, parking lot and woodlands. It would have a 6,600-square-foot convenience store, eight gas pumps, two 20,000-gallon gasoline storage tanks and two 12,000-gallon tanks. Many community members say they fear the project would be a truck stop, as the end of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway is about a half-mile away.

“As far as the Town of Hempstead is concerned, it’s not happening,” said Charles Kovit, of the town attorney’s office. “We think it would have a terrible effect in terms of property values. We’re certainly committed to maintaining the quality of life in Seaford.”

Kovit explained that the town board must be fair in reviewing the proposal, listening to both the developer and the public. A truck stop, however, he said, would be outright denied.

A few details in the plan concerned him, including the size of the proposed convenience store — about double that of a typical gas station, and including a sit-down dining area. He also noted that the height of the canopy would exceed those of most other gas stations in the town, and that the site plan does not include truck parking, except for deliveries. “As the proposal stands now,” he said, “it is not conducive to a truck stop.”

A public hearing before the town board had been scheduled for earlier in the month, but was pulled from the calendar. Kovit said it quickly became apparent that residents had not been well-informed about the proposal.

There are other steps that must be taken before the town board can make its determination. The Nassau County Planning Commission must approve the rezoning of a wooded parcel, which is at the back end of the proposed site. It is zoned residential and would be split off from an existing parcel.

That rezoning cannot happen until the town’s Board of Appeals issues a variance, because the parcel is landlocked and has no road frontage.

County Legislator David Denenberg said that residents will have “two bites of the apple” to try to stop the gas station before the proposal even reaches the town board. Additionally, the Department of Environmental Conservation could be involved because of the parcel’s proximity to Seaford Creek.

Several residents asked how the proposal made it onto the town board’s calendar in the first place. “He fast-tracked it, on the slim chance that it would slide through and no one would notice it,” Roberta Grogan, of Seaford, said of the developer.

Roseanne DiSimone, of Massapequa, said that residents in her community are also opposed to the project, and are ready to join their counterparts in Seaford to stop it.

Andy Restaino, of Seaford, said he had many concerns about the proposal, including the traffic it could add and the safety of children who have to walk past the site to get to their bus stop. He also doesn’t want to see a 24-hour business there, because the property abuts several homes.

“I don’t know any other business property that goes this far back on Merrick Road in Seaford,” Restaino said, referring to the size of the site plan. “It just doesn’t fit the character.”

He added that the developer may not be calling it a truck stop, but the proposal certainly accommodates vehicles of that size. He and other residents said they were concerned that if the owner gets approval for the current plan, he could seek to expand it further in the future using additional land behind it.

Restaino noted that he purchased his home knowing that Pathmark was across the street, but a truck stop is not what he “bought into.” He said if the proposal were accepted, property values would go down and it would be a transfer of wealth from the homeowners to QuickChek.

Other concerns expressed by residents included the possibility of truck traffic for the gas station backing up along Merrick Road, and the overall lack of a need for this type of business. Kovit said that the town board can deny an application based on the impact it could have on the surrounding neighborhood, but not as a means to limit competition for surrounding businesses.

“We’re pro-business,” Seaford Chamber of Commerce President Ken Jacobsen said, “but when it’s something that’s going to affect residents, they’re our consumers and we need to stand behind them.”

Kovit said that William Bonesso, the attorney for the developer, wants to have an informational meeting with the community about the proposal in January. Phil Franco, president of the Seaford Harbor Civic Association, said that it would likely be held at the Seaford Firehouse because of the size of the crowd that would be expected. Kovit encouraged all residents to attend.

Christine Pyryt, a member of the civic association, said she was confident that residents could stop the project. “The community’s behind us,” she said. “There’s power in numbers. We’ve just got to get our voices heard.”