By Mary Malloy
After hearing residents' concerns at the December meeting, village Trustee Ed Sieban made a motion to postpone approval of the law until it could be reviewed. At the time, the board approved the motion unanimously. The concerns were voiced by many residents whose businesses depend on the use of their own vehicles. "[If this law passes] it will jeopardize our business," said Sally Ann Pellicci. "We would lose our livelihood and end up having to sell our home."
This week, the board announced that, after taking comments and suggestions from residents at two public hearings on the law, it has proposed limits and regulations that may preclude the banning of commercial vehicles, and has considered the needs of people who have small vehicles that they use for work and park in their driveways.
"We realize that when the law was first drafted, there were no allowances," said Deputy Mayor Richard Meagher. "We tried to strike a balance." The new version of the law will "allow the parking of one commercially registered standard production sedan, pickup truck, van or sport utility vehicle which does not exceed 19 feet in length, 6 feet 6 inches in width and 8 feet 6 inches in height, inclusive of exterior racks, fixtures, tool boxes, containers or other equipment, hardware or fixtures designed to accommodate tools, service equipment, construction materials or other commercial merchandise, provided said vehicle is owned by, or registered to, an occupant of the premises, or within the possession and control of an occupant of the premises."
It was pointed out by board members that this law is quite different from those of many neighboring villages, which prohibit the parking of commercial vehicles in residential zones. "All neighboring municipalities, including the Town of Hempstead, have more restrictive rules," said Trustee Irene Villacci. "Some prohibit commercial vehicles, period. This is not a blatant, across-the-board prohibition."
There was not much opposition to the newly revamped proposal, except for one resident whose driveway may be slightly larger than the new regulations allow. According to village officials, anyone who wishes to store a larger vehicle will be able to file for a variance with the Board of Zoning Appeals, which has the authority to grant an exception to a specific vehicle after holding a public hearing on the request.
"We just want to maintain the character of our village," Trustee Bruno Romano said at the December meeting. "Pretty soon we'll have tractor trailers pulling into driveways, and we don't want that."
Some residents are still concerned about the commercial vehicles that may be allowed in driveways under the new law. "My main concern is the safety of the children," said Bob Keon, a 75-year resident of East Rockaway. "Commercial vehicles sometimes do not have full view when backing out of driveways."
But resident Francis Lenihan applauded the village's efforts. "I'm on the Board of Zoning Appeals, and we have to have some rules to live by," Lenihan said. "I share a common driveway with my neighbor, and if there were no regulations, he could park a box truck in there if he wanted to!"
The revised law has been forwarded to the Nassau County Planning Commission for review, and a final decision is expected to be made by the Board of Trustees after that review is completed.
Mike Schnitzel contributed to this story. Comments about it? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
