Valley Stream officials look to buy old Village Hall

The Valley Stream Village Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing on Monday night about its plans to purchase a building on Rockaway Avenue to serve as a Village Hall annex.

The village is looking to acquire the building, already for sale, through eminent domain. Village Treasurer John Mastromarino said the cost of buying the building and renovations is expected to be about $1 million.

Located at 195 Rockaway Ave. at the corner of East Jamaica Avenue, the building once served as Village Hall until the present facility opened in 1955 on South Central Avenue. Mayor Ed Fare said he would use the 7,700 square foot building to house the village court and law enforcement departments, including Public Safety, Code Enforcement and Auxiliary Police.

Moving the court and a handful of village departments to Rockaway Avenue is part of the downtown revitalization plan, Fare said. He explained that it would bring several hundred people to Rockaway Avenue on court nights, with the hopes that they would visit the various restaurants and shops.

Village Justice Robert Bogle said court sessions, held on Wednesday nights, could bring up to 300 people to Rockaway Avenue. And perhaps, he said, attorneys and their clients might meet over a bite to eat at a downtown eatery to discuss a case before court begins. “It will definitely bring business to Rockaway Avenue,” he said.

Bogle also noted that people visit the court offices during the day to pay tickets or ask questions. That could be a few hundred people coming to the downtown business district every weekday, as well.

His staff is also excited about the proposed move, Bogle said, noting that they would have more room to work, as well as additional storage space for records.

Antonina Wilson, owner of Ancona Pizza across the street from the building, said she supports the village’s plan to buy it for the court facility. “I think it would be a very good idea,” she said. “You need something to bring in the people. I think that all of the businesses would benefit.”

Wilson added that after 8 p.m., the avenue becomes a “ghost town” so she would like to see the court there bringing in people at night.

Bogle said that parking shouldn’t be a problem. He noted the large parking lot two blocks south at Hawthorne Avenue, and that people do not have to put money in the meters after 6 p.m. Court typically starts at 7 p.m.

Eminent domain

The village has retained the services of the law firm Sahn Ward Coschignano & Baker, which has experience in eminent domain cases. Attorney Chris Coschignano explained that the law allows a municipality to acquire a building or piece of land at fair market value if it suits a public purpose. In the case of the Rockaway Avenue property, he said be believes it meets that criteria.

“It’s tough to argue that this particular project would not be a for a legitimate public purpose,” he said.

Coschignano also said that if the village acquires the building through eminent domain, it could benefit the owner. As soon as the village takes possession of the property, the current owner would immediately stop paying property taxes. Additionally, the owner would be forgiven of his mortgage beyond the village’s purchase price. The remaining money is absorbed by the lender.

He noted that legally, a municipality cannot pay more than fair market value, typically determined by an appraisal. However, the owner can go to court and seek more money.

Tom Greenberger, a co-owner of the building, said the asking price is $1.2 million. He said he purchased the building six years ago and it has been up for sale for about two years. His law firm occupies the second floor and he said he would like to stay after putting a lot of money into making the building nice, but said it is not economically feasible. “Basically, the government has taxed us out of existence,” he said.

According to a property listing for 195 Rockaway, the 2011 tax bill for the building was about $85,000, with $71,000 of that being school taxes and $1,740 being village taxes. Nassau County’s most recent assessment of the property is $870,000.

Greenberger said he found out about the public hearing from a notice at Village Hall and has not been contacted directly by village officials. “If the village would like it,” he said of the building, “we could talk.”

Mastromarino said that money for the purchase would come from the village’s annual capital plan. Valley Stream borrows about $2 million each year for various improvements and purchases, including road repaving.

The current courtroom at Village Hall would still be used for village board and community meetings, Fare explained. The mayor said he hopes to complete the purchase of the Rockaway Avenue building this fall. He said it is unknown when it will be ready for use, but said that some departments could be moved into the second floor offices soon after closing. The village will look for grants to renovate the first floor for the court.

“It’s perfect,” he said of the building. “It was the Village Hall and it was the court. It’s just a homerun for us.”

Public hearing

When: Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.
Where: Village Hall courtroom
Members of the public will have a chance to comment on the plan to purchase 195 Rockaway Ave. through the eminent domain procedure law.

History lesson

195 Rockaway Ave. was built in 1926 as the Bank of Valley Stream. The village moved its municipal offices there on Oct. 15, 1936, and purchased the building on Jan. 29, 1940 for $70,000. Construction on the new Village Hall at 123 S. Central Ave. began in 1954, and opened on Aug. 16, 1955. It cost $800,000