By Marley Seaman
³It¹s a tremendous improvement to what¹s currently there,² said West Hempstead Civic Association President Rosalie Norton. ³It perhaps will revitalize and help out the other stores in the area because it will bring other customers.²
The supermarket will have more than 66,000 square feet of floor space, although the details of the plan may be changed slightly. Some of the current buildings on the site will be demolished. The occupants of the bank and cafe space have not been determined.
³I¹ve heard a whole bunch of ideas [about who might move into the space],² said Town of Hempstead Councilman Edward Ambrosino. ³But all I know is that it¹s zoned commercially and that the developer will keep the needs of the community as a primary concern.²
West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce President Gary Port said the chamber was taking a wait-and-see attitude to the plan.
³Anything that¹s going to take an empty location and turn it into a business activity, in theory, is a great idea,² said Port. However, he added, the chamber been aware of the plan for several months, but has not seen the site plan or been contacted by Cherry Valley Associates.
³So far, they have been absolutely silent,² said Port. The site plan was submitted by Thomas Filazzola, who did not return calls seeking comment.
Former chamber President Greg Yuknek said the development would be ³very good for our area,² but added he was concerned about the Stop & Shop competing with the Pathmark across the street. If the Pathmark went out of business, he explained, the area could be back where it started. He also noted that Stop & Shop already has a number of nearby locations, including one on Woodfield Road in Lakeview.
The bank and cafe will face Hempstead Turnpike, and will be set back from the curb for additional parking. Site plans indicate that the cafe will seat about 20 people and have 1,375 feet of floor space.
Ambrosino said the development was important for West Hempstead¹s economy.
³I know that there may be concerns about congestion and density, but we need to do whatever we can to stabilize our community to stabilize our property tax base,² he said.
Comments about this story? MSeaman@liherald.com or (516)569-4000 ext. 282.
