By DOMINIQUE FICALORA
The meeting, attended by Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) and Town of Hempstead officials, was held on Oct. 2 in the School 8 auditorium and drew about 75 residents. They discussed the community¹s options to legally block the proposed expansion.
If the expansion plan is approved, the store will add 14,500 square feet of retail space for storage, closing to within 35 feet of homes on Harris Drive.
³It will be like a prison wall,² said Raymond Montemurro, a Harris Drive resident. ³I don¹t think it¹s OK to build this kind of building.²
One of the major concerns by residents is the proposal¹s impact on parking in the neighborhood, with the additional storage space hogging available parking. Kohl¹s is seeking a waiver of 176 off-street parking spots for the proposed extension.
³Kohl¹s wants 15 percent less parking than the law requires them,² said Toback, a longtime Oceanside resident representing the village in the zoning dispute.
³We¹re just asking for a waiver of parking,² said Bill Cohn, an attorney representing Kohl¹s. ³And [the expansion] is only going to make Kohl¹s a little wider.²
Some residents have expressed concern that a shortage of parking would force shoppers to park on the streets near their homes, specifically along a passageway that connects Kohl¹s parking lot and Lawrence Avenue at the corner of Harris Drive. Shoppers, they said, would be tempted to park on these side streets and then walk to Kohl¹s.
³They¹re turning a neighborhood into a commercial zone!² one Harris Drive resident shouted during the meeting.
³We are facing a situation that can potentially change the character of the neighborhood,² said Toback, who grew up on West Waukena Avenue.
Neighbors who live behind the store also have other issues with the expansion plan: light pollution, traffic, noise, drainage, landscaping, and safety and health issues.
Some members of the community said they would like to address the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals during a hearing at Town Hall, and Toback explained the procedure to the community. He said he will volunteer his time to represent Oceanside at the zoning board¹s public hearing, scheduled for Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. at Town Hall.
³Part of the legal process is the public hearing,² Lou Carnovale, the town building department¹s chief plans examiner, told the audience. ³People can write letters to the board. If you want to oppose this, be specific regarding your objections. Then the applicant must appear before the town board.²
The issue must also be presented to several Town of Hempstead departments for approval, including the engineering department, the Department of Conservation & Waterways, and the Traffic Safety Board.
³Assuming that Kohl¹s can satisfy all of these agencies,² Carnovale said, ³they [will then] have an administrative review.²
The zoning board will consider these reports and other reviews of the property before either approving the project, denying it or approving it with certain conditions.
The zoning board will then render its decision following the Oct. 24 public hearing.
³Your real voice is at the board of appeals,² Carnovale told the crowd. ³[That] is where your councilman will typically listen. They will try to get certain compromises into the legislation.²
³We will do what we can to help you, providing that it is in the guidelines of the Board of Zoning Appeals,² Town Councilwoman Linda Reed told the crowd.
When the Oct. 2 community forum ended, petitions were circulated throughout the crowd, and several members urged residents to write personal letters to the zoning board. But mostly, they urged a strong showing by the community at the hearing.
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