Prior to its regular board meeting the New Hyde Park Village held two public hearings for special use permits. Deputy Mayor Robert Lofaro opened the hearing after a brief wait for the board to acquire a quorum since two members were held up in traffic.

The first hearing was for Continental Auto Service, 205 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park to convert the existing western bay of the Citco Station into a convenience store.

Representing the client for Continental Auto was attorney David Goodsell, with offices at 608 Jericho Turnpike. He said that his client was looking to convert the space which is currently the westernmost bay of the station that is not being used and convert it into a space devoted solely to the use of the sale of convenience type items. Goodsell said, "In doing so we are maximizing the use of the space. Lately, it has been a difficult business to be in, to say the least. At one time New Hyde Park was known for its abundance of gas stations and now only four stations pump gas on Jericho Turnpike. Each of those four are selling convenience items. There is such a small margin on the sale of gasoline; and cars, (unfortunately for the auto repair business) are much more reliable so that the need for auto repair has diminished greatly. Therefore, the margins on the impulse items that are sold in the convenience stores make it possible for this type of business to exist."

Goodsell presented the plans to the members of the village board. He then detailed the plan. He said, "There are three bays that are being used in the auto repair and an existing office. The area in question is at the westerly end which now opens with a garage door. The whole idea is to remove the garage door and put in a modern storefront with a door entrance and a counter space area which will service both the gasoline customers and offer self-service convenience items, and act as an opportunity to clear the office out and use that as a waiting area for customers while their cars are being repaired. It frees up space and allows the client to make better use of the space and at the same time offers the services a convenience store would provide."

Goodsell continued, "Right now the plot is 80 x 100 lot with a building that has a C/O for the gas station and auto repair. It originally opened in 1947 and a bay was added in 1992. Presently on site are stations that have pumps that accommodate six automobiles. In addition there are lined parking spots for five cars. Once the service end shuts down and the repair service closes at 6 p.m., there is all the space that would abut the building that would be available for customers to pull over to make a purchase at the convenience store. But you have to understand that in a convenience situation this is not a destination. This isn't the reason to go to a Citgo station to get your Twinkies and your Coke. This is an impulse situation. People who pull up for gasoline and then go in to pay may then want a Twinkie or a Coke. It then becomes an accessory use and the folks that are in those stores are generally not in the space for more than three to five minutes.

"What makes this application easier regarding the traffic flow situation is that although the permit allows for self-service at the pump, the operator doesn't do that. They provide full service at the pump so that people who want to avail themselves of the store don't first have to pump the gas and then go in to to pay and avail themselves of the store. Therefore, it provides for an easy traffic flow. If you look at the space, since the applicant has taken over, which is a little over a year, he has cleaned up all around it and painted and fixed it up and this is the way Ralph Oral runs his business. He had a gas station in Mineola for 14 years and when he lost his lease he looked for a new location and found this one in New Hyde Park. He is willing to invest in this station to make it attractive. There will be no impact on the neighbors because there will be no additional noise and everything in the store will be pre-packaged, purchased and consumed in another location. Further, there will be trash cans placed all around the area to collect any waste so that it doesn't litter the neighborhood. The owner has made a great effort to keep the place clean."

The only question from the board table was how long would the hours of operation be and it was determined they are now from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. but the owner would like to have them extended to 12 midnight.

The owner then came to the microphone to say there would be no beer sold but he would like to be able to scoop ice cream in order to serve ice cream cones.

Benjamin Truncale, from village attorney John Spellman's office pointed out that because there will be work on the front facade that an ARB review would be necessary.

Truncale said, "With regard to the hours of operation this site has been pursuant to a special permit from the New Hyde Park Zoning Board where the hours of operation have been enumerated as 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. It's the village's position, with the regard to the hours of operation pursuant to 195-36K, that those hours are the hours that the convenience store will be allowed to be open. Is that something that you would be willing to agree to?"

Goodsell told him his client would agree to that.

Truncale continued, "What about Sunday hours? "

Goodsell told him that the auto repair portion of the station is closed on Sunday but that the station would open to pump gas from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and those hours will remain the same.

Truncale further asked Goodsell if his client would be willing to have a sign erected as the patrons exit that would state "left turn only" to prevent traffic from going through North 2nd street.

Goodsell said, "I don't think a sign is an issue, however for people who actually live in the neighborhood and who pull into the station to get gas, why should they have to go out on Jericho and back around. But if this board sees fit to require such a sign we will certainly do that. At this particular site it wouldn't be an advantage to cut through the neighborhood if they are traveling on Jericho Turnpike."

Truncale also asked if the station would remain a full-service station,

Goodsell said that it would remain that way and he said that in fact when they are finished working on the repairs of the autos they are delivered back to the individual owner. He said, "This is truly a full-service operation."

Truncale also asked about the delivery of products to be sold at the convenience store. Goodsell assured him that those products would be delivered in vans and soda delivery trucks.

Since there was no comment from those in the audience, attorney Truncale asked for a motion of the board, pursuant to SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review Act) to designate this as an unlisted action, with a negative declaration and for a motion to refer to the Nassau County Planning Commission and then to close the hearing and reserve decision.

Lofaro said, "What that means in layman's terms, is that there are a couple of things that we have to follow. One is to submit the plans to Nassau Planning . As far as the SEQA, which is an environmental agency, that will make sure that there is a negative impact on the area. Once the county gets back to us, which is in about 30 days, we will then vote on the application."

The board then moved to the next hearing which was a request for a special use permit from Jennifer Paniccia to convert 247 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park into a day care center.

Representing Paniccia, who was present, was J. Abodalo, of JFA Construction Management, Inc. Abodalo stated that the building has caused lots and lots of problems in the past and he said that he was finally going to describe how they were going to change the use from a restaurant/nightclub into a day care center.

Abodalo said, "The day care center has been licensed by New York State and will be monitored and inspected every three months." He said that the state has already inspected the site.

Abodalo said that there would be no change to the building only that they were planning to construct half walls to give boundaries to the children which will include toddlers of three and four years of age.

Abodalo said that he was preparing a traffic study to determine the impact of the traffic but as yet it was not submitted to the village; it was established that the drop-off area is 1, 082 square feet which is just large enough for one car and would be in the back of the building not at the side entrance. It was stated that three children would be dropped off between 7 and 7:30 a.m.; three at 8 a.m. and three at 9 a.m. Pickup will take place at 4 p.m., three at 3 p.m. and three at 5 p.m., which is all subject to change.

It was stated that very little renovation would be necessary. The bar will be removed and the building is already equipped with a sprinkler system. The kitchen will be made smaller and will not be used for general cooking and there are four bathrooms. There will be four or five employees; four coming from the same house using one car.

When the hearing was open to the public a question was asked. Where the children would go for playtime? It was established they would have a one-hour playtime and that would be in the parking area behind the building. Abodalo said they would close the gate and would set up portable play equipment.

Abodalo said that if the drop-off issue becomes a problem that the owner is willing to invest in a mini-van, if it becomes absolutely necessary, to pick up the children and then return them home.

It was established that the Zoning Board will look at the variance and as in the previous hearing Truncale asked for a motion of the board, pursuant to SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review Act) to designate this as an unlisted action with a negative declaration, and for a motion to refer to the Nassau County Planning Commission. The board voted then to close the hearing but to leave the record open until the board receives the traffic study.

In the communications to the board it was established that the New Hyde Park Street Fair will be held on Sept. 30, with a rain date of Oct. 1.

The board then opened the meeting to the public for 15 minutes. At that time Mrs. Carney complained about two port-a-pottys that have been on two sites since early March; one on Hillside Boulevard, three blocks north of Lowell on the east side and the other south of Jericho and north of First Avenue. Lofaro said that they will be inspected to make sure they are conforming to the village code.

Lofaro announced that the Little League parade was a huge success as many people lined the streets in support of the parade.

Regarding the public works and the road repair Lofaro urged all residents to visit the website where there is a list of the roads to be renovated.

It was also established that work would begin on May 1 on the construction of an elevator to the second floor of New Hyde Park Village Hall.

Trustee Barbieri said that he and village clerk Farrell attended meetings regarding block grants to the village so that Operation Downtown could be continued this spring. He said he came away from the meetings with "guarded optimism."

Barbieri also reported that in going over the budget for the village, the monies allotted to buy and plant trees has been increased, which will hopefully help to deter pollution in the village.

Trustee Montreuil reported that the Master Plan meetings have been ongoing and the group has been discussing the development of Jericho Turnpike along with the creation of creative zoning applications.

He also reported that the New Hyde Park/Garden City Park Odyssey Program, run by Sheila Bet, was held at the village boardroom where the students had a chance to take over and actually run a government. After the experience the children wrote letters of thanks to the village board for allowing them to use the facility.

Lofaro announced that the village will hold a community cleanup day on April 22. All residents are encouraged to attend. The group will meet in the village hall parking lot at 9 a.m. Please come equipped with rakes and shovels.

The board again called for public comments and Ed Powers reported that the airplane flight pattern has grown worse over New Hyde Park especially during inclement weather. It was said to be a temporary pattern during the construction of a new airstrip, but he said he wants to find out if the planes from LaGuardia are going to remain in that pattern. He said that the helicopters should be encouraged to follow the line of the Long Island Expressway instead of the Long Island Rail Road which is a noise disturbance to New Hyde Park residents.

The village board then adjourned to continue work on the New Hyde Park Village budget. The next village board meeting will be held on April 18 at 8 p.m. at village hall.