By Nicole Falco
More than 30 residents attended an informational meeting last Wednesday in the American Legion Hall, hosted by Dr. Leonard Bleicher, the property owner, his attorney, Dominick Minerva, and John Capobianco, the project's architect. Letters informing residents of the meeting were sent to homes within 200 feet of the property.
The property is on the corner of Muller Place, adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road's Gibson Station and across the street from two-family houses. The three-story complex, which is being designed to look like a row of townhouses, would comprise 40 two-bedroom units and one one-bedroom unit. Seven units on each floor would face the station, and seven would face Gibson Boulevard - with the exception of the first floor, which would have 13 units. Each unit would measure approximately 1,100 square feet.
"These are not sizable units," said Minerva, of Minerva & D'Agostino of Valley Stream. "They are not designed for large families. They are designed to appeal to husbands and wives - commuters. That's one prong of the approach that was taken here.
"The second prong of the approach that was done for market is to appeal to people in Valley Stream who, at this point in their lives, have found that their home is too large for them - empty nesters," Minerva continued. "This gives them an opportunity to sell their home for $450,000 to 500,000, stay in the community and live in a condo that gives them access to the community they've lived in all their lives."
The proposal includes parking for 82 cars at the rear of the complex and underneath it. Parking would be accessed through a 20-foot-wide entrance that would double as the exit. The complex would also feature storage areas, a fitness facility, a rec room and a doorman. It would be managed by a professional management company.
"It would sort of be like an upper-end Manhattan apartment," said Capobianco, whose offices are in Inwood. "It's a controlled, secure building with a doorman and upscale setup."
The comparison to the city is what residents say they would like to avoid. "[Gibson] has always been a small town, and they want to make it a citified area," said Vera Sharko, who lives across the street from the property, after listening to the presentation. "It's a countrified area. I like my small town."
Rosemarie Perry, Sharko's neighbor, had a similar view. "Two stories is fine," she said. "That would look nice, [but] three stories is ridiculous. It will be like looking at the city. That's why I left the city."
Bleicher, a Hewlett Harbor resident who has owned the property since November 2002, and his team have applied for numerous variances for the project. The most significant would allow 75 percent lot coverage, well above the village code limit of 40 percent coverage; allow 41 units (the code, for the area of the property, permits 30); and allow the building to be 37 feet tall, two feet higher than the code's maximum height. The Zoning Board of Appeals will hear the case at its next meeting, on Tuesday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m., in Village Hall.
"It's about economics," Minerva said. "In order for this project to be feasible, it has to be a 41-condo complex. So we're asking for relief. The Zoning Board of Appeals exists to provide relief [from] village code."
In response to residents' calls for a two-story complex with fewer units, Minerva said. "If you cut the number of condos, you take a unit that might sell for $350,000 and you make it cost $600,000. It would then be a derelict property across the street from you."
Residents also expressed concerns about increased traffic and parking. While there would be enough parking spots for two cars per unit, residents said they did not believe that would be enough to accommodate residents' guests. "They've allocated parking for the owners, but they haven't allocated enough parking for guests and relatives of the owners, in my opinion," said Alan Schaecter, who lives across the street from the property. "They are going to be blocking the driveways of neighbors across the street. I think [the code] is there for a reason."
Minerva said that experts have been consulted regarding those issues. He said that because the complex is being promoted as ideal for seniors and commuters, the planning experts, who will testify at the ZBA hearing, anticipate that the number of parking spaces provided would be adequate. He also said that traffic experts would testify that a condominium or apartment complex would generate "far less traffic than a store or office of any kind would generate."
Other residents said they were concerned about how their taxes would be affected. Bleicher said he pays a total of $80,000 in property taxes to the various municipalities. Each unit could pay as much as $6,000 in taxes, Minerva said, much to the expressed disbelief of those at the meeting.
"It won't be $3,000 [per unit]," Minerva said. "I guarantee you it won't be $3,000."
Answering a resident who worried that her taxes would increase because of the project, Minerva said, "Your taxes will not go up because of this project. If anything, it will generate more money and should help ease the tax burden by at least a minimal amount for everyone in the room."
To address concerns about garbage, Capobianco explained that garbage generated by residents of the building would be picked up by a private company, and there would be a garbage compactor in the building. "You will not see a dumpster here," Minerva said.
"You can conjure up any amount of hypotheticals you want," he continued. "I can only tell you that after 30 years of doing this, most of the fears conjured up by people during the preapplication period never actually come up. ... If you are opposed to this project, there is nothing I can do to change your mind. We are not going to change the project to suit what you want [unless] you have reasonable suggestions."
Bleicher, who remained quiet for most of the meeting, finally said, toward the end, "The questions that you expressed clearly indicate that you don't have a clear understanding of what is going on."
He added that he has been approached by commercial developers. "I don't want that to happen. [This project] looks very reasonable, realistic, good for the village. If I understand it does not look good for the village, I will stop and sell it to commercial developers."
After the meeting, Bleicher said, "If it didn't look beautiful, I wouldn't go for it."
Amherst Road resident Mike Stanisz summed up the feeling of many residents at the meeting. "If they kept the project within the limits of what they are allowed to have," he said, "I think this would be a non-event."
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
Sidebar:
Store owners weigh in
Up until about two years ago, the row of a dozen stores along Gibson Boulevard included a video store, an electronics company, a sign shop, a surgical-supply store, a bar, a hair salon and a podiatrist. One at a time, the storefronts emptied - all but three.
If plans to build a 41-unit condominium complex where the row of mostly empty storefronts now exists are approved, three businesses would be displaced: the Gibson Laundromat, the Page Music Center and Gibson Custom Framing. Their owners have mixed feelings about the proposal.
Jeff Page, owner of the Page Music Center, said he has five years remaining on his lease. He grew up in North Woodmere, now lives in Lynbrook and has no plans to move out of the area even if he is asked to move from his current location, where he has been for about seven years.
"I feel I'm not in control of the situation," Page said. "For me, if it doesn't go through, I'd like to take another store. I'm going to stay in the area either way."
Pohyon Chyong, who owns the laundromat, said his current lease includes a five-year option to renew. Chyong, who has been in business for eight years, said moving would be a "major problem" for him, one that would be costly and could take as long as six months. Still, he said he hopes he would be adequately compensated by the property owner if asked to move.
Valeria Iannitelli, manager of the frame shop, also recently signed a five-year lease. The Valley Stream resident, who took over the business from her father, Dominick, about 10 years ago, said she does not want to move. "I love the Gibson area," she said. "I even made a purchase nearby."
She called this another "challenge" in her life, just as it was a challenge to take over her family's 20-year-old business.
In a statement made through his daughter, Dominick Iannitelli said, "We renewed for five more years. We are open for business and we are not planning to leave. We are here to stay."
