by Mike Schnitzel
³I¹m glad it¹s going through, and I think it will be a big plus for Valley Stream,² said Mayor Edward Cahill in a telephone interview.
Dominick Minerva, one of the principals of Valley Best LLC, the developers of the complex, said he expected that its construction would begin in October. The current target date for completion of the project is next June, he added.
Village Attorney Mike McKenna said he felt that the approval of the project was a step in the right direction for the village. ³I think from a 21st century standpoint it makes economic sense, environmental sense and social sense,² said McKenna. ³It provides niche housing for certain types of people who don¹t rely on a car. [From these condominiums] they can shop and commute without a car.²
At a hearing on June 19 about the project, Minerva said that the condominiums would be ³low-intensity usage² and would be occupied mostly by ³empty-nesters² and commuters. He said he expected few families with children to move in.
The Manor at Valley Stream will consist of 54 two-bedroom units measuring 1,200 to 1,300 square feet, and 36 one-bedroom units of 900 to 1,000 square feet. A concierge will be on duty 24 hours a day, and there will be an entrance to an underground garage off East Jamaica Avenue.
The revised plan calls for one parking space for one-bedroom units and an average of 1.9 spaces for two-bedroom units. There are 13 fewer parking spaces than in the original site plan due to the dimensions of poles in the parking lot needed to support the building. Village Building Inspector Tom Viani said he felt that the revised plan was better than the original, and that the smaller number of parking spaces was mitigated by the project¹s proximity to the Long Island Rail Road.
Mike Russo contributed to this story. Comments about it? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
