By Michael Otterman
BZA hearing burns on through the night
After a six hour Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals hearing which ran well into the evening, town officials made no decision on the proposed expansion of Bellmore's Playhouse Theater from five screens to seven.
Officials do not know when a decision will be made, but are meeting again on August 23 when they will review over 14 hours of testimony. The board does not expect to render a decision until at least September.
"The board will review the minutes and make a decision. There is a lot to go over," said Joseph Pellegrini, secretary to the Board of Appeals.
"We've put on the best case we possible could, to the best of our abilities," said Marge Congello, of the Central Bellmore Homeowners' Association, which is against the expansion. "Now it's up to the board to decide."
"We are anxious for the decision," said Playhouse owner Michael Petracca.
Five Star Entertainment, owner of the movie house, is seeking to add an additional 225 seats to the current 1,000. The homeowners' association says that already-unsafe traffic conditions on Bedford Avenue will only worsen with additional screens. Playhouse officials say they need the expansion to compete with other theaters in the area.
Last week's BZA hearing began at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, Aug.9, at Hempstead Town Hall and ran to approximately 10:30 PM. It was the second hearing addressing the issue.
A first BZA meeting concerning the theater was held on June 14. That was adjourned after an eight hour presentation by Playhouse officials. A closed door mediation meeting held two weeks ago proved unsuccessful in reaching a compromise between both parties.
During last week's hearing, the Bellmore Homeowners Association, led by Kathy Whelan, called several local business leaders and residents to the stand to speak out against the theater.
"[The theater expansion] is a poster child for what is turning out to be a nightmare for our community," said Barry Fox, co-president of the Merrick Park Homeowners Association. "I'm in opposition to the hundreds of cars that cruise up and down the avenue, which never was done until the theater was erected," he continued.
At one point in the hearing, the homeowners presented a video which showed Bellmore resident Kenny Grant measuring distances of nearby parking lots to the Playhouse theater. The 20 minute video challenged distances put forth by the Playhouse's traffic engineer.
Lou Pensa, owner of Pop Entertainment, a business next to the Playhouse Theatre, attended in support of the expansion. "It's brought a lot of people into town. Bellmore is now a very lively place," he said.
The August 23 BZA meeting will be a discussion among board members. While it is open to the public, no comment will be taken from either side at that time.
