At last week's Village Board meeting on Feb. 5, a letter faxed to Mayor Frank A. Tauches, Jr. that afternoon by Sutton Place Gourmet became the focal point for concern by residents living near the 880-888 Franklin Avenue property that was recently the subject of much public debate in the Village. The letter thanks Mayor Tauches for his personal support of Sutton's plans to locate in Garden City at the Franklin Ave. property and also expresses that currently the plans to sign a lease with Albanese Development Corporation are on hold. When residents heard that there was a possibility that Sutton might not lease the building, concern that the re-zoning of the property, which took place at a public hearing at the end of last year, left the Village vulnerable to less desirable tenants of the property arose. Residents such as Kathy Turner, who lives closest to the site on Ninth Street, stated at the Board meeting that they had been concerned with the impact Sutton would have on the area, but without Sutton and in light of the zoning change, they were left frustrated and frightened about the future of their property values, quality of life, and community image.

The letter specifically states that they have worked with the Albanese Development Corporation on a lease and that the design plans for the store are "95 percent complete," indicating a serious intent to move into the location, but explains that, "...concurrent with our work on the Garden City project, the Sutton Place board of directors has been evaluating the various strategic options open to them for securing growth capital. The board is unwilling to approve the Garden City lease while one of the key strategic options is being pursued." The letter concludes, "My hope is that our board will choose a strategic option that will still allow us to expand to Garden City before another tenant is found." The suggestion of another tenant seems to be the element of the letter that has concerned residents. The lack of growth capital has also come as a surprise to many supporting the arrival of the gourmet shop.

Russell Matthews of the Albanese Corporation commented in a telephone interview with Garden City Life on Feb. 9 that the plans with Sutton Place are in fact on hold, but Sutton is certainly not out-of-the-picture. Matthews acknowledged that the property requires "a substantial investment" and while Sutton's inability to secure the capital as of yet came as a surprise to the Albanese Corp., that does not mean that they will not be in a position to make that investment in the near future. Matthews also added that as of last week the two companies were working on the design specifications and that the project is "ready to go" as soon as Sutton raises the capital to proceed, a process he says is "currently under way."

In response to public expressions of concern over possible future tenants should Sutton fail to be able to lease the property, Matthews emphatically states that, "We are a very responsible owner. We are not about to lease the property to just anyone. We are in this for the long haul. We are making an investment in the A&S property across the street and have a very upstanding partner in Castagna Realty, owners of the Americana in Manhasset." He added that their interests for Garden City are the same as its residents, in fact many of the people involved in the project are or have been residents and longtime businesspeople in the Village and appreciate the history of Garden City's commercial district. "Our strategy is to actively seek tenants that will complement this first class commercial area; we want businesses that will invest with us in these buildings and will complement the image of Garden City and its stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Gross Jewelers," Matthews concluded.

The responsibility of determining which types of businesses will be able to lease the property falls with its owner and Albanese Development Corporation has expressed its intentions to restore and maintain Franklin Avenue's image as the Fifth Avenue of Long Island. Sutton Place Gourmet still has the opportunity to raise the growth capital and make the investment in 880-888 Franklin Avenue. The designs for Sutton's store are almost complete and the letter signed for Thomas H. Johnston, chairman, president, and CEO of Sutton by William H. Saurichi of Sutton Place indicates a desire to acquire the funds from their board of directors quickly to allow the plans to proceed.