By Mike Schnitzel
Three businesses remain in the mostly empty strip mall complex, the future site of the condominiums, and their future is still to be determined. Gibson Laundromat, Page Music and Gibson Custom Framing all have leases in the mall, ranging from two to seven years.
Pohyon Chong, whose laundromat has operated there for 11 years, said that he still has seven years left on his lease, and that he was unaware that his store¹s location had been targeted for redevelopment. ³I am very happy at my current location,² Chong said.
Gibson Custom framing, a family-owned business, has been on Gibson Boulevard for 20 years. Valeria Iannitelli, its manager, said that she was happy in the store¹s current location, where, she said, a long-term commitment to quality service and a good reputation in the community have kept customers coming back year after year. ³Our lease is up in three years,² Iannitelli said. ³We have a very successful business, and it pays for us to remain here for three more years.²
Bleicher¹s attorney, Dominick Minerva Sr., said that the options for dealing with the current leases were limited. ³We can review them and see if there is any termination clause or work out an economic arrangement with the lease holder,² Minerva said.
Bleicher said that planning for the project would take a considerable amount of time, and that he had no problem continuing with the businesses¹ current lease agreements. ³The laundromat has a longer lease,² Bleicher said. ³If the owner is reasonable, then I am always open to a fair solution. If they want to continue to stay on the property, I feel comfortable making their lives as easy as possible.²
Bleicher and Minerva said that before the project can move forward, detailed working drawings must be prepared and reviewed by the Valley Stream Building Department, and a building permit application must be approved. ³Naturally, we are pleased by the outcome so far,² Minerva said. ³We think it will be a project that the neighborhood will be proud of.²
Mike Russo contributed to this story. Comments about it? VSeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
