By Karenlyn Barone
At the public meeting held last Wednesday, Browning detailed plans to build a Marriott Courtyard and a Hilton Homewood Suites, each accompanied by a parking garage and an additional tiered parking facility, in downtown Lynbrook. Residents hit him with a barrage of questions, and many made their opposition clear. Undaunted, and with a belief that his project is right for Lynbrook, Browning not only listened to the concerns raised, but has adjusted his plans accordingly.
"It was a good meeting," said Browning in an interview with the Herald. "It gave me a chance to understand what the concerns were."
Browning said that at 7 a.m. the very next morning, he was on the telephone with his architects, telling them to revise the plans. "I took the lady who spoke at the meeting very seriously," he said, referring to a resident who lives next to the firehouse on Eare Avenue. At the meeting she expressed worries about increased traffic, which might endanger her children, and the safety of the community, which would be compromised if fire trucks' ability to exit the fire house were hindered by a Hilton Homewood Suites at the corner of Earle and Stauderman avenues.
"I decided to solve her problem first," said Browning. "We went back to the drawing board and came up with a plan that addresses the safety issues she had about her children and the fear she had that the hotel would interfere with the fire trucks."
Browning, who has been in the construction business for some 40 years, said he is proud of the new plan, and believes it stands on its own merits. The scaled-down project eliminates the Hilton Homewood Suites altogether and moves the proposed Courtyard by Marriott from directly behind the stores on Atlantic Avenue to the northeast corner of Earle and Stauderman, the current site of village parking lot No. 8. The only entrance/exit will be on Stauderman Avenue, facing the Long Island Rail Road tracks.
"The hotel will have no access on St. James," said Browning. "There will be no drop-off or business done on St. James Place - not even deliveries."
The size of the hotel has also been reduced. The smaller hotel would have 152 rooms, as opposed to last week's plan, which had 250. The new plan also calls for the elimination of the banquet room. A pool and a gym would remain. The facility would be connected to a parking garage, half of which would be reserved for patrons and employees and the other half for residents to access downtown shopping or the train.
As described by Browning, the Courtyard by Marriott would have a circular drive with an entrance on Stauderman Avenue, about 100 feet from Earle Avenue. Patrons would drive up and enter a ground-floor lobby. Keys would be given to guests that would access their rooms and the parking garage. They could park their cars on their own or with a valet service.
"This meets the village requirements regarding parking spaces for guests and employees," said Browning. "And this does not affect the church. They will not even see the parking garage, because of the buildings that are there." Browning was referring to the four buildings on the corner of Forest Avenue and St. James Place. "This is continuation of satisfying the church. Marriott and I feel we have met our obligation to not impose on the church."
The west end of the garage would be for use by commuters and residents, and would have four decks as well as rooftop parking, running the length of Stauderman Avenue to Forest Avenue. A gate would separate the west end/resident parking from the east end/hotel guest parking. The previous plans called for a Stauderman Avenue parking garage to be connected by a skyway to a four-story parking facility on village parking field No. 20, the original site of the Marriott. Residents now leasing parking spots from the village would get enclosed parking and assigned spots. They would still buy parking permits from the village.
Browning admitted that the underground parking would be done at "a tremendous expense," but said that a report he had done on demographics "set the standard for Lynbrook as being a good location.
"That report will take me through the Marriott and the banks," said Browning. He also said that the scaled-down plans would provide for a walkway from Earle Avenue to the garage.
Referring to parking lot No. 8, Browning said, "The lot is not in good shape, and it currently has to be plowed by the village. We will enclose the parking - no need to sand or salt - and this equates to savings for the village."
He explained further. "Taking village parking lots due for renovation at some point, based on the square foot price and applied to this parking lot, the cost would be approximately $900,000. "
In keeping with Browning's original, informal agreement with the village, the construction will provide two parking spaces for every one the project eliminates. And he said that what he cannot physically provide, he will pay for. "Currently there are 145 spaces in that lot," said Browning. "We will be adding nine spaces, and will then owe the village for 136 more." Browning proposes to write the village a check for $2,040,000 - 136 spaces multiplied by a fair cost of $15,000 per space.
"That payment, along with the cost of building the parking garage, means I will have a total investment to the village of $4,350,000," said Browning. And that, he added, is a key factor for residents to consider: the tax relief to the village. "We anticipate we will pay about $506,000 in taxes each year," said Browning. "Approximately $304,000 will go to the schools, $126,000 to the village and $76,000 to the Town of Hempstead. Along with the $900,000 saved for not having to renovate the parking lot, that makes our investment about $5,250,000."
Browning contends that the land designated for his project has been appraised by the village, and publicly appraised as well, and that he is paying about twice the appraised value. "It's a good business decision to build there," he said. "It's a good project for the Marriott, a good project for me and a great project for Lynbrook."
Browning summed it up this way: "I am taking the existing parking lot and putting it back on the tax rolls, restoring the existing parking and contributing to the future parking fund of the Village of Lynbrook."
He explained that as a business owner, he also came to realize the effect the original project would have had on the Atlantic Avenue merchants. "I realized their businesses could be hurt during construction, and there would have been fallout from that, which is why I chose the new sight," he said. "It is not disruptive."
Another point Browning raised is the positive effect a hotel will have on the area. He said that guests of a hotel come prepared to spend money. They need to eat out, and will often shop at nearby stores.
"We tried to respond to what we thought the village wanted and needed," he said, "so we scaled down the project and addressed the issues the residents did voice. This is a version we feel addresses all those concerns, but is still viable from a business point."
Browning said he would present his project to the residents again - and again if necessary. "If I win over 10 people each meeting, then I'll make my way," he said. "I believe in this project, and I believe it will happen."
Comments about this story? KBarone@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
