By:Cindy J. Roth
Town Board of Zoning Appeals expected to decide movie house's fate
After a year and seven months, the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals is expected to reach a decision whether to allow expansion of the Bellmore Playhouse on Bedford Avenue, said Joseph Pellegrini, BZA secretary. The decision over the movie house could come as early as four to six weeks.
Five Star Entertainment, the theater owner, filed an appeal in December 1999, requesting a variance to increase the theater's size from five screens to nine and 1,000 seats to 1,225. Since the original request, the Playhouse reduced its expansion proposal to two new screens, while the seating-variance request remains the same.
The expansion proposal brought harsh criticism from local homeowners who said traffic, safety and noise on Bedford Avenue are already problems, which will only get worse with a larger playhouse.
"You can't park cars on top of cars," said Kathy Whelan, secretary of the Central Bellmore Homeowners Association, a civic group started last year primarily to fight the theater expansion. "It's inconsiderate to the neighborhood and heartbreaking. I wouldn't have bought a house here if I knew a theater was going up."
Whelan, who lives on Linden Street, said people often make illegal U-turns and stop in the middle of Bedford to drop people off at the theater. She added that the movie house has become a hangout for many young people.
Several local merchants support the expansion, saying the Bellmore Playhouse has brought new business to the area, keeping the Bellmore Village commerce zone alive.
"If we do not sustain the anchor business on Bedford Avenue, that will be the end for Bedford Avenue," said Louis Camilleri, owner of Dear Little Dollies, a doll shop across the street from the theater.
As for parking, Camilleri said, "There is no direct parking at malls. You have to walk awhile before you get to the store you want. If people are willing to walk two to three blocks, parking is not a problem."
The Chamber of Commerce holds no official position on the Playhouse, according to Executive Director Rona Weiss.
Beyond the expansion, the theater is now seeking another variance to change the time stipulation requiring all movies to end before midnight, which was set by the BZA when the theater opened in 1997. The Playhouse is appealing for a show start time of no later than 10:30 p.m.
According to written testimony by Five Star Entertainment, many movies are running longer than the two to two and a half hours originally anticipated, and with the current rule, the Playhouse cannot show two evening movies. Several homeowners said the theater already shows many movies that release after midnight.
Charles Baker, a Wilson Avenue resident for 43 years, said that, when he leaves his windows open, he hears many car doors slamming and people shouting back and forth late into the night.
Despite the noise, Baker is ambivalent about the theater expansion. "I'm against the theater in principle because too many cars are parked on the weekends, disturbing owners' property," he said. "But it is so bad already, I don't think it will make a difference on my block, and it seems to be good for other local business."
