By MIKE CAPUTO
Progress House Continued Treatment Center, an outpatient rehabilitation clinic at 3095 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, is seeking a special exemption to expand its facility and move to a commercially zoned area at 2575 Hempstead Turnpike, next to the Wantagh State Parkway, in East Meadow.
The property, the former site of a Pep Boys, is owned by Mike Nassimi and currently houses a string of retail tenants. At the emergency community meeting at the Empress Diner on Aug. 27, East Meadow civic leaders agreed to oppose the proposal because of the potential impact on the neighborhood. "We are asking the attorney and owners to respectfully withdraw their application," said Rich Bivone, the community leader who organized the meeting. "We will settle for nothing less."
Community organizations represented at the meeting included the East Meadow Civic Association, the Chamber of Commerce and officials from the library, school district and fire department.
The community effort might have been a lost cause had it not been for a last-minute adjournment request at a Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Aug. 13. That day, East Meadow Civic Association President Robert Zafonte rushed down to Town Hall after being informed of the exemption request. Zafonte, who was unprepared to speak against the project, helped secure an adjournment until Sept. 17.
Progress House, licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health, is part of the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, based in Brentwood. It offers treatment programs to outpatients who utilize the services voluntarily.
Progress House officials have long sought to expand its facility on its Levittown property. However, there has been widespread opposition from the Levittown community since the facility first appeared before the town zoning board in 2002. At the time, Levittown community leaders complained about safety and security issues at the clinic.
Officials from Progress House could not be reached over the holiday weekend. Nassimi and Howard Avrutine, an attorney representing the applicants, did not return calls for comment.
Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) sat in on last week's community meeting, and said she would not support Progress House's wish to move to East Meadow. According to Gonsalves, East Meadow already hosts a dozen agency-run group homes in addition to the Nassau University Medical Center.
"We have accepted them with open arms and have worked with different agencies to ensure that they become a part of the neighborhood," Gonsalves said. "It is not as though we are not willing to help, but in this case, to shift the problem from Levittown to East Meadow is an undue burden to the East Meadow community."
Gonsalves also noted that the property in question is in a budding retail area that has become popular among shoppers. "The major point is that we have other treatment facilities in East Meadow, and another one simply being there lends itself to oversaturation," she said. "The area where they want [Progress House] to be moved to is not in keeping with the neighborhood - the residential neighborhood as well as the business neighborhood. It is not in keeping with the character."
Zafonte took a similar viewpoint, emphasizing the retail sector. "I think maybe East Meadow is not the place for them," Zafonte said. "I believe that this whole situation will affect the good and welfare of the existing tenants there, but also put a negative pinch on the overall community that shops there."
Community leaders planned to meet with the applicants on Wednesday, after the Herald went to press.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
