By Scott Brinton
Merrick developer Frank Corva stopped off at the Joint Council of the Merricks meeting last Wednesday to answer residents' questions and hear their concerns over his proposal to build a movie theater in downtown Merrick. Mr. Corva's plan is set to go before the Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday, October 18.
Many residents at the packed meeting at the Merrick Library said they would support the four-screen, 700-seat movie house, which Mr. Corva is seeking to build at Broadcast Plaza. Still, they raised concerns, such as parking for the theater, as well as the traffic, trash and late-night noise that it might generate.
They cited the current troubles the Bellmore Playhouse on Bedford Avenue is facing in its attempt to expand from five to seven screens. Residents there say the theater is attracting too many patrons to a relatively small downtown, disrupting the surrounding residential community.
Mr. Corva maintained that a movie house would be good for business in downtown Merrick. "What the theater will do is draw people away from Roosevelt Field and bring them back into the community," the developer said.
At the same time, the locations for the Bellmore theater and the one he proposes for Merrick are markedly different, he said. The Bellmore Playhouse is surrounded by homes, while Merrick's would sit in the heart of a commercial district. Houses do lie nearby in Merrick, but they would not abut the planned theater, as they do in Bellmore.
Additionally, Mr. Corva said, the proposed theater, which would be constructed at the now-Stone Caterers building, would go up directly in front of the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station. The depot boasts hundreds of municipal parking spaces, more than enough, he contended, for a 700-seat theater. Commuters primarily make use of those spaces during the day. Mr. Corva's patrons would need them most often in the late-afternoon and evening.
Local civic leaders such as Barry Fox, president of the Merrick Park Home Owners Association, demanded a restrictive covenant upon Mr. Corva's permit to build the theater. That covenant would bar the movie house from showing films rated NC-17 or X. At one point, an X-rated theater had moved into downtown Merrick, but quickly left after residents protested. "We're worried about things like 'Fight Club," said Mr. Fox. "Not every theater is a terrific asset."
Mr. Corva has agreed to such a covenant restricting him from playing NC-17- and X-rated films. However, he would not agree to a covenant barring him from showing movies after 9:45 P.M., as civic leaders requested. Prohibiting the theater from starting a film after that time would render it incapable of competing with nearby movie houses, Mr. Corva said. "It's not something we could live with," he told the civic leaders.
Local residents said they feared that movie-goers leaving the theater late at night would disrupt the surrounding neighborhood. They referred to the type of "midnight madness" showings that have proved so popular in recent years.
In reply, Mr. Corva said, "It's not our intent to start any shows at 11 or 11:30 P.M. and run after midnight."
The developer also told residents that he would work hard at keeping the community clean. "You have my word that I will do everything I have to do to keep the theater trash where it belongs," he said.
One resident questioned whether a restrictive covenant Mr. Corva agreed to would remain in place if the developer sold his 30-year lease to the theater property. Martin Valk, legal counsel for the Merrick Park Home Owners Association, said that any restrictive covenants "will run with the permit" that Mr. Corva would receive from the Town BZA. He also said that restrictive covenants could be placed "on anything that Mr. Corva would agree to."
Another resident asked whether Mr. Corva would style his theater in keeping with the storefront renewal program planned for downtown Merrick. Mr. Corva, a certified architect who recently built a downtown theater in Seaford, said he has seen the proposed facade plans, which he described as "traditional" and "community-oriented." "I want this [the theater] to blend just like everything else should blend," he said.
Residents questioned whether Mr. Corva would expand the four-screen theater at any point if and when it is complete. The developer said he had no immediate need to enlarge the proposed movie house. He also noted that he does not now control adjacent properties, meaning the only way he could add to the theater would be to build upward. He would not, he said, wish to expand up.
The developer, however, did not rule out the possibility that he may one day enlarge the movie house. "I can't say that's something I'm not going to do," he said.
Mr. Corva hinted that a "family-style" restaurant might move into Merrick if the theater goes up. He also said that community groups, such as the Merrick Symphony, might make use of the theater.
Mr. Fox offered this warning to residents about the planned movie house: "Make no mistake about it: That's going to be a sea change."
Earlier in the evening, one woman said, "It's been a long time coming."
