By Dana Williams
Murray's letter was in response to a letter sent to her a day earlier by Skelos and Alfano, which criticized town officials for delaying the hotel's closure for more than a decade and called for the town to "remove the Courtesy immediately." "The people have spoken loudly on this matter and it is clearly time for the Courtesy Hotel to shut its doors forever," the letter stated.
In her response to the Skelos-Alfano letter, Murray argued that both leaders should help the town during its negotiations with the MTA because the "redevelopment process" for the Courtesy site "begs for the involvement and effectiveness of state leaders."
"The assistance of the state's most powerful senator, along with the voice of a respected state assemblyman, would be invaluable in discussions with a state-chartered agency such as the MTA," Murray stated in the letter. "While I sincerely appreciate the heartfelt sentiments expressed in your recent letter, your active support and help are what is needed at this juncture. Please consider this a direct and candid appeal for your intercession."
For nearly two years, residents in West Hempstead have been lobbying to have real estate firm Trammell Crow Residential build a $66 million, 176-unit — or 65 units per acre — luxury apartment complex on the 2.7- acre Courtesy site. The town's Urban Renewal Plan, however, has deemed that proposal as "too dense" because it requires that a developer construct no more than 45 units per acre on the Courtesy property. The Hempstead town board adopted the URP in January, which blocked the sale of the Courtesy to Trammell Crow, and has kept the problematic hotel open for business.
After learning that the hotel's owner, Bruce Zwelsky, is aiming to reopen the nightclub inside the Courtesy, residents were also informed that town and MTA officials are discussing a deal that would allow the 1-acre, MTA-owned property next to the Courtesy to either be transferred to the town or sold to Trammell Crow.
The property, which is also adjacent to the West Hempstead Long Island Rail Road station, has been called an eyesore by residents because it has become a gathering place for the homeless and is often used as a dumping ground for railroad materials. According to town officials, the MTA property could resolve the density issue because it would increase the Courtesy's site to 3.7 acres, and allow Trammell Crow to be in compliance with the town's density requirement.
During a visit at the Herald last Friday, Sen. Skelos said that the MTA negotiations should not be a reason to delay the hotel's closure and sale. "Our goal is to encourage the town to close the Courtesy Hotel and that's what we're doing," he said. "In terms of the additional property, we're certainly going to encourage the MTA to sell it, but the negotiations should not delay the demolition of the hotel."
Alfano shared similar sentiments, saying that the town's focus should be "solely on closing the Courtesy." "These other issues can be addressed at a later date, but our focus is demolishing the Courtesy Hotel," he added. "The issue here is closing that hotel."
Although Trammell Crow would prefer that the town approve its rezoning petition — which requests that a high density like 65 units per acre be permitted only on sites that are located adjacent to a train station — to start the construction of its apartment complex, representatives said, they would cooperate with the town, and consider including the MTA parcel in their project only "if there are no unacceptable economic or time-related consequences."
"Trammell Crow Residential is aware of the town's desire to somehow incorporate the MTA parcel in the calculation of density for the redevelopment of the Courtesy Hotel site, but is not involved in any direct negotiations with the MTA for the purchase of the site," explained Maria Rigopoulos, vice president of the firm. "Trammell Crow Residential does not need the MTA land to physically execute its current application ... [and] continues to believe that the best and fastest way to close the Courtesy Hotel is for the town to expeditiously approve our current rezoning/site plan application for 176 units."
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
