By Mike Schnitzel
Residents, cautiously optimistic, are concerned about traffic
Developers and local officials hope that a new project will help revitalize business on Rockaway Avenue near Sunrise Highway.
The Valley Stream Zoning Board of Appeals approved the Sun Valley condominium proposal at its meeting on Tuesday night. The approval was granted on the condition that the developers - 363 Rockaway Associates of Astoria, Queens, and K-Sher Corporation of Lynbrook - submit a lighting plan to the board, which they said would be forthcoming. No due date for the plan was specified at the meeting.
Many people are enthusiastic about the project, including zoning board member George Malekian, who, at the final site review meeting on May 1, called it "the most exciting thing that has happened to this village." Others, however, have voiced their concerns.
Two residents of Avondale Street, who spoke to the Herald after Tuesday night's meeting, but did not want to give their names, said they were worried that the project would create a traffic nightmare. "If we try to make a left or a right onto Rockaway Avenue from Roosevelt [Avenue], the traffic is terrible," said one. "And we don't need any more multiple dwellings in Valley Stream."
Others living near the site of the proposed project, which is bordered by Rockaway Avenue, Fourth Street and Brooklyn Avenue, said they had some concerns about the proposal, and that many had not heard of it until a few weeks ago. "I hadn't heard about it," said Carlos Garcia, standing in the doorway of his Fourth Street home. "Traffic is bad already. It's overpopulated here."
Renee Krelik, who has rented a home in the area for six years, said she was glad something would replace the empty storefronts along Rockaway Avenue, but concerned about the scale of the project. "I'd like to see them revitalize that area," Krelik said. "I've been here for six years and the area was starting to go down. There are no stores there anymore. Parking is crazy, though, and I'm concerned about traffic and the size of the project."
Don Leopardi and his wife, Donna, who live near the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and Fourth Street with their 9-month-old son, said they were worried about the traffic when Brooklyn Avenue School dismisses its students. Overall, however, they said they were optimistic about the project. "I think it's going to be great to clean up the area a little bit," said Don. "I'm glad they're condos and not rental apartments. I'm just concerned about drainage overflow and how the demolition will affect the environment, and the school down the street."
According to the final site plans, the Sun Valley complex will have a total of 105 parking spaces - 37 on the first floor, which can be accessed from Fourth Street, and 68 in the basement. Addressing the parking arrangements at the final site review meeting three weeks ago, the attorney for the developers, Mike Sullivan, said that each apartment would have one designated parking space and the rest would be available for commercial use. He explained that the developers would be marketing the condos to families with only one car.
The complex would house 10,080 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, with four floors above containing 64 apartments, 40 one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units. A 6,500-square-foot atrium is planned for the second floor of the complex, and there would also be a landscaped area of similar size, a swimming pool, a tennis court and a terrace with a barbecue area on the roof, accessible only to apartment owners and their guests, Sullivan said.
According to Sullivan, a price has not yet been determined for the one-bedroom units, but he expected the two-bedroom condos to sell for $400,000 and up. Young professionals working in New York City and senior citizens are the target market for the developers, he said.
Efsthathios Valiotis, the owner of 363 Rockaway Associates, said he estimates that construction on the project could be completed nine months to a year after the groundbreaking.
Xpressions evicted
In District Court on May 15, the adult store Xpressions lost its court battle to stay at its Rockaway Avenue store. Xpressions' landlord, 363 Rockaway Associates, was given the right to evict the business after representatives of Hempstead Video, Xpressions' owner, failed to appear in court.
According to Village Attorney Mike McKenna, the landlord will have to get a warrant of eviction from the court clerk before any action can be taken. Xpressions' merchandise had been removed five days before the court date, according to McKenna and several residents who live near the store.
"This will make the village's case moot," McKenna said. "With an eviction, there will be no need to get a permanent injunction against the adult store."
Xpressions has been closed since August 2005, when the village obtained a temporary injunction to stop it from doing business. The village initiated legal action after it was discovered that the store was operating viewing booths on the premises, in violation of a previous agreement between the village and Hempstead Video.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
