By Brian Zanzonico and Allegra D'Alo
Nearly 200 Franklin Square residents turned out at a town Board of Appeals hearing June 20 to voice their opposition to an Elmont church's plan to convert a Hempstead Turnpike office building into the church's new home.
If this had been just another hearing, the John Street School graduation, taking place at the same time, might have cut sharply into its attendance, but opposition to the Gateway World Christian Center's application to convert the two-story, 3,550-square-foot building at 820 Hempstead Turnpike into a church had grown so much in recent weeks that the gathering easily filled Town Hall.
The two-hour hearing included testimony from the building's current owner, Stephen Schector, and the church's leader, the Rev. Sunny Philip. But the matter was adjourned until Oct. 3 when board member Robert O'Brien questioned why 40 percent of the plan provides for storage space, after Philip said he did not have much to store. Schector and Philip have a $1.5 million deal in place that is contingent on the board's approval.
Board members raised concerns about the church's interior plan, but residents made it clear that they were worried primarily about parking. Abutting the rear of the building is a Town of Hempstead lot where parishioners would park. It is often used by patrons of the Franklin Square Library, which is across the street on Lincoln Road, and the VFW Hall down the block, as well as shoppers. If a library event, a VFW function and a church service were to take place at the same time, neighboring streets might become clogged with cars, residents said.
Michael Paulino, owner of Brittnay & Co. Hair Salon near the proposed church, said that approval of the plan would not only affect neighboring homeowners, but local commerce. "It's hard enough for a small businessman to survive," Paulino said. "Traffic is a killer, and there are 10 other salons around me. It's gonna affect all the businesses. I know if I go to a store and I can't park, I'm going someplace else."
Schector said that when his business, which specialized in insurance claim evaluation, operated out of the building, as many as 115 employees worked there. Church officials said they are currently a 70-member congregation -- two of whom live in Franklin Square, while the rest are from Elmont, Floral Park and New Hyde Park.
"We go to people's houses for gatherings because it's more intimate," Philip's daughter, Alisha, told the Herald. "There aren't that many of us. We never want to have conflicting events at the same time."
Youth groups of about 50 would meet from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays to watch Christian films and play games, church officials said at a community meeting last month. Saturdays and Sundays would be for religious instruction and worship from morning until early evening. Attorney William Cohn said that the church has already stated that it would not host bazaars, bingo, rentals, funerals or baptisms before Sunday services, or Girl or Boy Scout meetings.
Pat Friedman, who has led the opposition, said that if the municipal lot is full, congregants may park across Hempstead Turnpike on Claflin Boulevard. Tragedy struck there in May 2004, when Jessica Savarese, a freshman at H. Frank Carey High School, was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she tried to cross Hempstead Turnpike at Claflin, just steps from the proposed church.
"This is not about the church, because then we would be against God, and we are not against God," Friedman said. "This is about safety. We want to prevent any further accidents on Hempstead Turnpike."
Zoning board Chairman Gerald Wright agreed with Friedman. "We have a responsibility to make sure the members of the community feel safe," he said.
After the meeting, Philip blamed local newspaper articles and widely distributed e-mails about the church's falsely rumored plans to create a clinic for recovering drug addicts for residents' opposition. Philip said he is undaunted by the outcry, and expects that he will be able to go ahead with his plans. "I believe, once we get into the community, these people will be very nice," he said.
Sandra Bolden, who attends the church in Elmont, said there may be something more to the outrage over the plan than parking concerns. "I don't feel like parking is the issue," she said. "I can't believe that's the reason."
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