By Matthew McGevna
About 70 neighbors gathered at a meeting June 13 at the West Hempstead Middle School as the WHCA went through its agenda, saving the Courtesy Hotel for last.
Charles Theofan, the Town of Hempstead¹s commissioner of planning and economic development, attended the meeting and detailed what was being done about the acquisition of the hotel property, stating at one point that his office now sees ³light at the end of the tunnel.²
Theofan said his office would submit an Urban Renewal Plan for the town board¹s review. After a 30-day period during which other agencies, such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will have a chance to weigh in on the plan, Theofan said that Town Supervisor Kate Murray would likely call a special meeting to accept or reject the plan and the town¹s Environmental Impact Study.
The EIS is required in order for ownership of the property to be transferred, whether through the eminent domain process or by private sale to Trammell Crow Residential, a development firm that is currently in contract with the owner of the Courtesy, Bruce Zwelsky. Once those plans are published, Zwelsky will have 30 days to challenge the town¹s takeover of the property in court.
Zwelsky has vowed to do just that, but Theofan said he believes the town¹s case for eminent domain is airtight. ³Should [Zwelsky] challenge our eminent domain ruling, that court battle would be struck down in a relatively short period of time,² Theofan said, adding that past rulings in courts all over the state give him confidence that a judge would side with the town.
Meanwhile, Theofan said his office would invite the four candidates who submitted their vision to develop the property ‹ Trammell Crow Residential, The Sheldrake Group, Breslin Realty and the Benjamin Organization ‹ to revise their plans to make sure they conform to the requirements outlined in the EIS. Theofan said that while Zwelsky is in court, the town will be choosing one of the developers and drawing up a development agreement with the winning firm. If all goes according to plan, Theofan said, the Courtesy will be closed before year¹s end. When pressed, he suggested a more specific time frame of early fall.
Lost in all the discussion was the fact that Trammell Crow Residential remains in contract with Zwelsky to buy the Courtesy, though the developer would not disclose the monetary value of the deal. Theofan, Murray and Town Attorney Joseph Ra have all said on different occasions that the town is pursuing a ³dual-track² process, exploring an eminent domain takeover of the Courtesy while Trammell Crow pursues a private sale. At the June 13 meeting, Theofan admitted that the town is essentially in a race with Trammell Crow for ownership of the property.
The dual-track process has drawn skepticism from many residents. They believe that any race with the town is ultimately unfair, since the town determines the rules of the race ‹ for instance, when it starts. Residents are even more concerned about Theofan¹s outlook on the Trammell Crow plan. Theofan has said the firm¹s design for 220 rental apartment units is ³too dense² for the property. ³We¹re looking at a density that has never been done in this area,² he said. ³It will have consequences for the town in the future.²
At the meeting, Trammell Crow displayed color renderings of its plan ‹ an overhead view of the triangular plot and a view of what the complex would look like from the street level. Joe Torg, the firm¹s regional representative, said this was the first time it had heard any complaint from the town about the plan¹s density, and assured the audience that the developer would consider scaling down its plan to meet the town¹s requirements.
Residents asked Torg if Trammell Crow was on the verge of bailing out of the deal. When Torg said no, the crowd applauded. ³We are committed to this project,² Torg said. ³When you have such support from Rosalie [Norton] and the community at large, it¹s real tough to walk away.²
Town Councilman Ed Ambrosino stood up briefly to make a statement about his support for the community¹s desires. ³This community wants that hotel torn down brick by brick, first and foremost,² said Ambrosino, who represents West Hempstead on the town board. ³It appears the private sector would be the way to go. I defer to the private sector. I believe in capitalism. [The town board] need[s] to sit down with the community and ask them what they need.²
Those sentiments were echoed by the WHCA¹s executive vice president, Marshall Myers, who told Theofan that the town needs to listen to residents. ³With all the legal machinations, all the paperwork, all the studies, what gets lost in this is the community,² Myers said. ³We know what we want and we know what we need, and the town should respect that.²
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