By Angela Marshall
Village native F. J. McCarthy approached the village Board of Trustees with his plans to build a four-story golden age apartment building where two houses stand at 53 and 57 Clinton Avenue during the May 2 briefing session. The complex would be flanked by Macken Mortuary's parking lot on the south and the Hispanic Brotherhood on the north.
The current proposal calls for 24 apartments, 16 two-bedroom and eight one-bedroom units, at a cost of $8 million.
However, if McCarthy can seal a deal with the owner of a former hardware store on Park Avenue, the developer might add an additional 12 to 15 units.
While board members praised the idea and location, two potential problems caught their attention: parking and height.
Proposed parking raised concern from all the trustees. McCarthy plan allocates only one space per unit.
Deputy Mayor Wayne Lipton said they have to keep the ever-changing market in mind. He was concerned that if senior housing needs decrease, there would not be enough parking for use as a traditional hotel.
Since this is the first golden-age apartment complex to be proposed in the village, there is no parking precedent. Other multiple-dwelling buildings in the village are required to provide one and a half parking spaces per unit.
Trustee Jack Matthews requested a list of golden age apartments so that the board can study what parking would be appropriate.
If McCarthy does purchase the additional property, he would consider making part of the ground level inside the building parking.
Two board members, Mary Bossart and Greg Rinn, expressed concern about the project's proposed 43-foot height. As members of the Concerned Citizen's Party, both campaigned in 2001 on pledges to keep building heights down.
Bossart asked McCarthy if the project would still be viable with only three floors. He replied, not really.
McCarthy has not completed the property purchase, wanting to first feel out the board because the apartment complex can't be built as of right. He would either need the board to add golden age as a permitted use in the Business A zone or a change of zone.
The complex would be marketed at Rockville Centre residents over 55 looking to downsize but stay in the village. It's a project for Rockville Centre residents, McCarthy said.
The developer called the apartments upscale and said each unit would have its own washer and dryer. Rents will be between $1,800 and $2,100 a month.
The facade incorporates many of the neighborhood's design features, including some reflecting the design of the St. Agnes Cathedral School, which would be directly across the street. Bossart and some of the other board members asked thatmore detail-work and windows be added to the side facing Clinton Avenue, which would be the back of the building. One of the representatives from Wax Ferraro Architects, who designed the building, said that wouldn't be a problem.
The only entrance to the complex would be on Park Avenue. Mayor Eugene Murray said he was pleased it would not add to the traffic on Clinton Avenue.
It's the best use for the property, said Murray.
