By Dana Williams
The 1-acre property, which many residents call an eyesore because it has become a gathering place for the homeless and is often used as a dumping ground for railroad materials, could resolve the density issue that has been delaying the private sale of the Courtesy to the real estate firm Trammell Crow Residential.
MTA officials have confirmed that they are interested in selling the property, which is adjacent to the West Hempstead LIRR station. “The MTA Long Island Rail Road is very interested in supporting transit-oriented development in the Town of Hempstead,” said Sam Zambuto, a spokesman for the MTA. “In that regard, the LIRR has had preliminary discussions with the Town of Hempstead concerning the parcel of land owned by the MTA near the LIRR’s West Hempstead terminal and adjacent to the Courtesy Hotel.”
Trammell Crow Residential, which has been in contract to purchase the Courtesy from its owner, Bruce Zwelsky, since March 2006, has proposed the construction of a 176-unit luxury apartment complex on the 2.7-acre Courtesy site — a density of 65 units per acre. Hundreds of residents in West Hempstead have endorsed the proposal, because, they say, it is what the hamlet needs to start its revitalization.
But by adopting the town’s Urban Renewal Plan in January, the Hempstead town board deemed the Trammell Crow proposal as too dense, because the URP limits development to no more than 45 units per acre on the hotel site. The URP is the town’s vision for the redevelopment of 10.5 acres of blighted land along Hempstead Avenue, including the Courtesy property.
The addition of the MTA parcel, which would increase the Courtesy site to 3.7 acres, could give Trammell Crow the opportunity to scale back its proposal to meet the URP’s density requirement.
If the developer were to purchase the property, town officials said, it would have to present its plan for the Courtesy site to the Hempstead town board at a public hearing.
Several community leaders said they are in favor of the inclusion of the MTA property in the deal, mainly because that would make better use of the parcel and rid the community of the problematic Courtesy. Since the beginning of the year, according to 5th Precinct police records, officers have responded to 84 calls, made 20 arrests and filed 39 case reports detailing drug use, prostitution, assaults and domestic disputes at the hotel.
“The transfer of the MTA property would serve to eliminate two evils: the infamous Courtesy and the no-man’s-land known as the MTA right-of-way,” said resident Seth Bykofsky. “It would also obviate the need for a long, drawn out and costly condemnation battle, moving the renewal project forward amicably and without still further delay.”
Scott Jablow, president of the Cathedral Gardens Civic Association, had similar sentiments, saying that the inclusion of the MTA’s 1-acre property would bring residents a step closer to “seeing what they want to replace the Courtesy.” Jablow added, “The right-of-way has been sitting here for years, and including it to solve this density disagreement makes so much sense. By purchasing the property, it will open the door to allow the Trammell Crow project to move forward, and that’s what we want.”
The town’s URP has garnered little support from the community because it requires town officials to acquire property through condemnation, and it is expected to delay the closure of the Courtesy for several years. A town committee is considering four developers for the plan — Trammell Crow, the Sheldrake Organization, Breslin Realty and the Benjamin Group.
Since the URP was adopted, civic leaders have been lobbying for town officials to negotiate a density agreement with Trammell Crow. After several meetings with town officials, however, representatives of the firm said the prospect of reaching a density compromise with the town currently appears dim.
“We’ve had a number of meetings over the past year with town representatives concerning the Courtesy Hotel, but there doesn’t seem to be any imminent resolution to the density issue,” said Maria Rigopoulos, vice president of Trammell Crow. “Higher density [and] transit-oriented housing is what more and more people want, and that shouldn’t be a surprise with the high cost of gas and housing on Long Island. Our proposal is the responsible solution.”
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
