Thursday, October 1, 2026
A long-in-the-works — and long-delayed — expansion of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Hewlett Avenue in Merrick will be back before the community and the zoning board this week.
Parishioners of the church, which has members from about 600 families in the region, including many from Bellmore and Merrick, have looked to construct a community center in which to hold classes and events since the 1980s, the Rev. Nikiforos Fakinos told the Herald last year.
The two-story, 36,000-square-foot structure, to be built at Hewlett and Annette avenues, on the north side of the church, would house 10 religious education classrooms, the pastor’s offices, a gymnasium and a kitchen.
“It’s like the cars that do a little bit of everything,” Fakinos, 43, said in 2016.
Some residents of surrounding Annette and Kenny avenues, however, have the same concerns about traffic and the neighborhood’s character as they did last year when the project was last before the town board.
"It's going to change the whole neighborhood," said Alfred Koemm, who has lived on Annette Avenue for 54 years with his wife, Marion. Koemm said he worries that the expansion could cause an increase in traffic along neighboring streets. "I have no problem with the church," he said. "But what they're trying to put up is just too big."
Bill Cody has lived at 26 Kenny Ave. since 1978, before St. Demetrios was built, he said. Cody said he fears that his home’s value would decrease after the expansion. "Who's gonna want to buy a house next to a big building?" he said.
Robert Bowen, 72, of Kenny Avenue, said that one of his concerns involves the possible parking issues that the expansion could cause. "These roads are too narrow for emergency trucks to get down the block," he said, adding that the traffic congestion could be dangerous.
The next step in the church’s efforts to expand is a hearing before the town board on Thursday morning. According to the Town of Hempstead website, the church will seek a waiver for off-street parking, with a special exception to have parking in a front yard setback on Annette Avenue.
According to Hempstead Town ordinance, the church would need a minimum of 253 parking spaces to build the community center.
Speaking with the Herald on Tuesday, Fakinos tried to assuage some of the neighbors’ concerns, pointing out that the new center would only be open to St. Demetrios members and a circular parking lot would facilitate quicker drop-off times for students.
Also, he said that a number of rumors about the community center’s purpose have spread and hurt the church’s reputation.
“A lot of misinformation has been circulated, and it has a negative impact not only for the church, but on the residential values of the neighborhood properties,” said Fakinos. “We will be building classrooms and a beautiful gymnasium, where we can respond to some of the problems plaguing Long Island youth.”
The Board of Appeals will hear the St. Demetrios case on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the L.H. Bennett Pavilion in Hempstead. At the new hearing, Fakinos said that the church would be “presenting the true nature of the community center.”
