By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
The Zoning Board of Appeals denied a proposal for the 36-unit complex, to be located on the boardwalk between Magnolia and Laurelton boulevards, on Thursday, Dec. 19. The site, which borders Hoffman Manor, is currently a vacant lot.
Zoning Board Chairperson Rocco Morelli said the condo proposal was denied because of what he called lot coverage. The minimum required lot size for condos in Long Beach is 40,000 square feet. The proposed site measures only 33,000 square feet, prompting the need for a variance from the ZBA.
They weren't asking for a height variance, they wanted more than the lot coverage permitted, he said. The board members, he explained, wanted to see less of the lot covered by the proposed building.
Acting as attorney for the developer, Michael Zapson Ñwho is a Nassau County Legislator Ñ said he couldn't say whether his client would submit an alternate plan in the near future.
The developer, Joseph Anayati of RKO Realty
in Roslyn, could not be reached for comment as of press time.
During an Oct. 24 zoning board meeting, about 30 residents from nearby apartment and condominium complexes spoke against the development. Charles Loyola, president of the Castle Courts Condominium Association, cited concerns about insufficient parking, sewage problems, over-development and noise pollution during the October meeting. The Castle Courts condominiums are directly across Broadway from the site. After hearing that the proposal was denied, Loyola said he was extremely happy.
I'm very pleased that the [zoning] board took our comments and our concerns to light and they reacted, in the way that I see it, in a very positive way, he said.
Resident Andy Arluck, also opposed to the project, felt the same. It was great to see the board do the right thing, he said.
Plans for the proposed 70-foot-tall complex included two- and three-bedroom units, a pool, landscaping, and indoor and outdoor parking. The average cost per unit was estimated at $500,000.
